One of an ideal menu that should be prepared during the Christmas lunch is the Smoke Salmon Terrine which is a simple lunch menu to prepare during Christmas day along with roast potatoes. The combination of the mentioned menu will definitely bring in an added joy to your lunch gathering during Christmas celebration.

What you need:

1. 500g thinly sliced smoked salmon
   
2. 300g crème fraîche
   
3. 100g cream cheese
   
4. 5 table spoon of lemon juice
   
5. 2 tea spoon of finely chopped fennel (optional)
   
6. 3 table spoon of olive oil, plus extra for greasing
   
7. 1 tea spoon of caster sugar
   
8. 1 cucumber that has been sliced thinly
   
9. Finely chopped fresh dill, chopped, plus extra sprigs to garnish
   

Brief Background:

1. Smoked Salmon is an ancient method being used in culinary nowadays where it consists of cleaning and filleting fresh salmon fish. It is a very simple and fast menu to make which will take you at least 20 minutes (together with its chilling) to finish making it. It is recommended that you narrowly slice the smoked salmon from top to its tail or just use 5 large slices and cut it into half. The salmon will remain in good condition in the freezer for several weeks if it is not cut, therefore just cut off the slices that you will need only for the lunch.
   
2. You can also use fine salt or sea salt to salting it by using your hand because it provides high-quality production and eliminates impurities and also excess moisture thus making it refine and balance the flavor without the need for additives or chemical products. Then, the salmon need to be exposed either to hot or cold smoking.
   If you choose to buy smoked salmon, do not purchase it based on color because the colour varies depending on the method of smoking. Always look at the flesh which comes with a moist or oily appearance along with shining surface, instead of dried, and discoloured or one that has darkened edges.
3. This type of menu provides us with nutritional values such as 9.5 g of Carbohydrates, 1 g of Fat, 1.4 g of Protein, plus it is also rich in calcium, iron, potassium and sulfur.
   
4. If there is left-over of the smoked salmon terrines, it can be kept in the freezer but only for the salmon terrines and not the dressing and the cucumber.
   

Additional Reading:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/3310056/The-perfect-Christmas-lunch.html
http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/articles/rachel-allens-christmas-lunch-menu-and-timeplan
http://www.greedygourmet.com/2009/06/03/smoked-salmon-terrine/
http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/products/fish/smoked-salmon/

Recipe Link:
http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/articles/rachel-allens-christmas-lunch-menu-and-timeplan
http://www.greedygourmet.com/2009/06/03/smoked-salmon-terrine/

The Ideal Christmas Lunch is a post from: DIY Guides

One of an ideal menu that should be prepared during the Christmas breakfast is the Cinnamon and raisin fruit loaf which is a simple breakfast menu to prepare during Christmas morning along with croissants or eggs and muffins. The combination of the mentioned menu will definitely brings in an added joy to your breakfast during Christmas celebration. It can also be frozen and when it is required, you can just toast it.

What you need:

1. 30g dried cherries
   
2. 125g mixed golden sultanas and raisins
   
3. 50g dried apricots, finely chopped
   
4. 250ml strong Lady Grey tea, cold
   
5. 400g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
   
6. 7g sachet (2 tsp) active dried yeast
   
7. 1 tea spoon of ground cinnamon
   
8. 2 table spoon of caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
   
9. ½ tea spoon of salt
   
10. Grated zest of one orange
    
11. 55g butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus a little extra for brushing
    
12. 1 medium free-range egg, beaten
    
13. 150ml full-fat milk, warmed
    
14. Oil, for greasing
    

Brief Background:

1. First of all, you need to place the ingredients such as the cherries, sultanas, raisins and apricots into a large size bowl, pour over the tea and leave it to steep for at least two hours before you drain it well.
2. Then, sift the flour also into a large bowl before adding yeast, cinnamon, sugar, salt and also orange zest. After that, you need to stir it well through the centre and set aside.
3. Use another bowl to pour in the combination of butter, egg and milk. Then, you need to pour it well in the flour mixture that you have made earlier. Always use a wooden spoon in order to mix the ingredients to become soft dough. When you noticed that the dough nearly come together, you can add it together with the fruit ingredients that you have make earlier.
4. You need to place it onto a lightly floured surface enabling you to knead for ten minutes until the dough becomes elastic and smooth. If it is too sticky, you need to add a little extra flour.
5. After that, you need to place the dough into a large and well-oiled bowl before covering with well-oiled cling film and leave it in a warm place for at least 45 minutes. Then, you have to transfer it to a lightly floured surface and shape the dough making it an oblong or round shape, and put it into a lightly greased and floured 900g loaf tin. You also need to cover it using an oiled cling film and just leave it to rise for approximately 30 minutes.
6. You need to pre-heat the oven with range of temperature such as 200 degrees Celsius, 180 degrees fan or use gas oven. Then, brush the bread with melted butter and a little bit of sugar before baking it at least for 25 minutes until you notice its top becomes golden brown, while the loaf makes hollow sound when it is tapped on the bottom.

1. This type of menu provides us with nutritional values such as 292kcals, 7.7g of fat (4.1g saturated), 7.4g of protein, 51.5g of carbs, 18.2g of sugar and 0.4g of salt.
   

Additional Reading:
http://busycooks.about.com/od/christmas/a/Christmasbreakf.htm
http://entertaining.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_best_christmas_morning_menus_with_recipes

http://www.catalogs.com/info/food/recipes-for-christmas-breakfast.html
http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/articles/a-christmas-breakfast-menu

Recipe Link:
http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/cinnamon-and-raisin-fruit-loaf

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/turtlemom_nancy/2739271994/

The Ideal Christmas Breakfast is a post from: DIY Guides

One of an ideal menu that should be prepared during the Christmas dinner is Beef tenderloin combined with good quality side dishes such as balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts, potato gratin with regular potatoes, sweet potatoes, and a simple salad. The combination of the mentioned menu will definitely bring in an added joy to the Christmas Eve celebration.

What you need:

1. Beef Tenderloin (about 2 ½ pounds)
   
2. 1 tablespoon of either butter or margarine
   
3. 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (3 ounces)
   
4. 1 cup soft bread crumbs (about 1 1/2 slices bread)
   
5. 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or Roquefort cheese
   
6. 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
   
7. 1 tablespoon of either olive oil or vegetable oil
   
8. 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt) or regular salt
   
9. 1/2 cup currant jelly (for making the Merlot Sauce)
   
10. 1/2 cup Merlot, Zinfandel or nonalcoholic red wine (for making the Merlot Sauce)
    
11. 1/4 cup Progresso beef flavored broth from 32-ounces carton (for making the Merlot Sauce)
    
12. 1 tablespoon butter or margarine (for making the Merlot Sauce)

Brief Background:

1. In order to make steaks, you need to buy a basic cut of meat which is also known as Beef Tenderloin. It is called Beef Tenderloin because the meat comes from the right of the short loin section of a cow. The reason choosing this centre loin section is due to its extreme tenderness thus making it a popular demand during holiday season and also very expensive.
2. When you purchase a beef tenderloin, it is recommended that you choose an untrimmed beef because it is less expensive than the trimmed one. In order to trim the beef tenderloin, you just need to use a sharp knife and remove the silver tinted skin along with any excess fat or tendons.
   For easy grilling of the beef, try to cut it into individual steaks even if you are putting some stuffed ingredients inside the beef because individual steak is easy to grill. Make sure you take the beef out from the refrigerator at least 20 minutes before you want to grill them.
   
3. The beef tenderloin need to be grilled by using medium heat and time range to cook, it will depend how thick you cut the beef (at least 60 seconds per side) and always use a tong when you flip the steaks instead of a fork. Using a fork will easily poke the steak and lose valuable juices and make it less tasteful. Use the following range of temperature for grilling guides, for rare beef use between 120 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit, for medium rare beef use between 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit or for medium beef use 140 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
4. You can also use simple seasoning such as a little pepper, garlic or sea salt. The beef tenderloin normally tastes good on its own and if you use more seasoning, it will take away the beef’s flavor.

Additional Reading:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2495797/how_about_vegan_christmas_dinner_recipes.html?cat=22
http://bonvivant.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/a-christmas-dinner-in-four-parts-salted-cod-brandade-creamed-eggs-with-salmon-roe/
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/beef-tenderloin-with-red-wine-sauce/7a824f74-0452-47cf-bc06-346f7fa83ed4
http://www.sheknows.com/articles/807132.htm
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/beef-tenderloin-wild-mushroom-stuffing.aspx
http://grillingbeeftenderloin.com/

Recipe Link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettycrockerrecipes/4164356082/

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettycrockerrecipes/4164356082/

The Ideal Christmas Dinner is a post from: DIY Guides

The yuletide season is upon us again and this means that besides it being the season of joy and peace, it is also the season that relatives and friends pay your home a visit. Undoubtedly, your home will be a point of scrutiny and observation when nosy neighbours and old aunts come to share the joy. Therefore to avoid the harangue that comes with the season here are a few simple rules to help you along the way.

1) Focus on your Christmas tree
Decorating for Christmas can appear to be a daunting task especially with the multitude of decorations that are usually up for sale around shopping malls. Each shop will be glittering and glowing with different baubles, lights, colors and ornaments. However, the most important concept to remember when decorating your home is the Christmas tree.

The Christmas tree, because of its size and symbol will be the main attraction in your home. It will also be the central theme that you set and match your decorations too.

2) Pick a colour scheme
Start by picking a colour that will be used for the tree, red and gold, blue and silver, purple and silver, these are common colours that are matched to the tree. If you are struggling to find an appropriate colour find inspiration in malls which usually strive to create grand and splendid displays. You can also find websites online that are extremely helpful with finding the right decoration, creating your own decorations and setting up your home for Christmas. Websites such as ‘http://www.amazing-christmas-ideas.com/’, span from ideas on how to decorate your home to Christmas recipes.

3) Match the colours to the household items
Back to decorating your home, now that you have selected your colour, the decorations around your home can mimic the colour, such as your curtains and table clothes. This does not mean that your curtains have to be of the same colour as your tree but you can use subtle shades that compliment the tree’s colour scheme, for example, if your tree ornaments are red and gold use a shade of dark brown for curtains. The similarity of colours will discourage you from firstly buying unnecessary items that are usually bombarded unto the consumers during the holiday season.

The colour selection that you carry in your head will make shopping for items much easier and purposeful.

The idea of choosing a specific colour and having these items around your house to match it is that it avoids a look of chaos and mess within your home. Decorating your home with different objects that do not match can only make the house seemed cluttered and in a state of disarray. It does not even have to be a colour that you go by, but even a theme. Pick a theme and decorate your house accordingly, and most importantly remember that less is more, never over-decorate because that will lead to your home appearing as a distraction, and not a good one. As seen below.

Take your time and shop accordingly to your theme. Merry Christmas!

Additional Reading:
http://www.amazing-christmas-ideas.com/

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23106870@N05/4146046671/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/75974977@N00/3131737450/

Decorating for Christmas is a post from: DIY Guides

Celebrate Thanksgiving by placing this colorful display of ingredients from your kitchen. It is simple and easy to make and its best if you can use your imagination and creativity to your creation. This harvest decoration jar suits perfectly as your decoration for the Thanksgiving table. It is inexpensive and is great way to recycle because you can use empty bottles or jars that you get from your home. You can ask your children and family members to help you on this craft. They will love for the fun from this craft.

Materials and tools you need:

Tissue paper/ crepe paper, glass jar, ribbon, beans, rice, tea leaves, lentils, scissors

How to make:

First, take your clean empty bottle. You can use any shape and size of clear bottles and jar whether it’s plastic or glass. Make sure it’s dry and clean before layering the ingredients inside the bottle.

Then, fill your bottle layer by layer. You can use a small scoop or spoon to insert the ingredients inside the bottle or put a paper that has been rolled up to into the lid to prevent the ingredients to spill out while layering. You have to be careful not to shake it too much and mix up all the layers. For the less dense layer, leave it on top.

You can coat your different ingredients according to your creativity; any other ingredients can also be used such as spices, mini candies, pumpkin seeds, dried corns and many more. Try to use dried ingredients that you can find in your cabinet of your kitchen. Even small stones and extra colorful plastics from your aquarium tank are suitable for the layering. It’s better to make sure that all the ingredients are clean and dry. The reason for this is to prevent any mold growth to the ingredients inside.

Next, cut a square of tissue paper with scissors and place it on top of the bottle. You can use any color that you like. Other than tissue paper, you can also use crepe paper or any previous holiday papers that you keep.

Then, secure the tissue paper by wrapping a ribbon to hold it in place. You can also use matching color of pipe cleaner and twine for the wrapping.

Finally, adjust the folds of the paper and cut and excess paper if needed using scissors.

Additional reading:
http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/kidscraftsactivitiesblog/2009/11/thanksgiving-harvest-celebration-glass-jars-craft-idea-for-kids/

Image source:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mote/144634037/

Making a Thanksgiving’s harvest jar is a post from: DIY Guides

It’s nearly that time of the year again. The time of this season for giving and receiving, of course, Christmas today is as much a traditional holiday as Chinese New Year, Eid and Diwali as well as a commercially-driven celebration such as Valentine’s Day. Here’s a list of activities to do during this joyous time of the year:

Spend time with family members

• Had a tiff with Mom over your choice of clothing? Annoyed by your brother’s constant loud music blasting throughout the house? Forget it all. This a season to forgive. Take a day off and go get some fresh air outside of the usual environment your family is used to. Go to a park and have a picnic or even just play a game of Monopoly together. At least for just one day, spend some well-deserved quality time with your family.

Meet up with long lost friends

• Family is important but so are friends. So, how long has it been since you last met your high school friends or college / university mates? Can’t remember? Well, it’s high time to pick up that phone and start calling and reconnect with each other. It’s better to take the first step yourself than to wait a huge reunion that might or might not happen. Go out for a movie or head to nearest karaoke to sing your hearts out. If neither is to your taste, there is always the unofficial national hangout place: the local bar!

Give, give, give…

• It’s not only about those you know but who you don’t too as it is after all the season to give and share. Take some time out and visit charitable homes and gain new experiences along the way. Who knows? You might be able to make new friends at the same time too. In any case, if you have any extra items to give away, that is even better. There are many homes or charitable organisations which take in used items that are still in good condition. Volunteerism is definitely undervalued but never under-appreciated.

Shop till you drop

• Not literally of course! The shopping malls are not only a spectacle to behold during this season but great places to spend. Not only are there sales everywhere, there are also many choices to choose from no matter what your budget is. Just look out for the big ‘Sale’ sign hanging in front of the shops and you’ll be sure to find a bargain!

Travel

• Since it is such a long holiday, why not take a breather and have a vacation? There are so many choices to choose from either locally or overseas. Nowadays, no matter what your budget is, there are various options to choose from; you can travel on budget with budget airlines or travel in comfort with all the frills attached. Take your pick and go on your very own adventure!
  

Engage your inner couch potato

• If spending money, battling traffic jams and large crowds is not your kind of thing, then staying at home would be the best option. Since it is Christmas, there would most likely be a lot of feel-good movies or entertainment programmes on TV. It might not be such a bad idea to relax and unwind in front of the tube once in awhile.
  

No matter what activity you choose to engage in this Christmas, just have fun and enjoy the trappings that go with the season!

Activities for Christmas is a post from: DIY Guides

During Christmas celebrations or even any other related festive season, it is important for us to provide gifts for our loved ones and show them how much that we love them. In other words, with a wonderful gift especially a self made gift, the recipient will be delightful and feel that he or she is special to you thus making them more excited to receive their gift. Below is an example on how to prepare a Cookie bag gift that you can make as a special item during this festive season.

What you need:

1. 1 piece of cute fabric
   
2. A recipe for you favourite cookies
   
3. The dry ingredients to this cookie recipe
   
4. A plastic zip bag
   
5. Rubber band
   
6. Decorative ribbon
   
7. A Christmas themed cookie cutter which is an optional item

Method:

1. You can create the cookie bags according to your preference and creativity, plus you can also add your very own personal touches to the Cookie bag that shows your inner creativity in designing or decorating.
   
2. You also need to decide on the cookie or other type of recipes (cakes, brownies or pasta) that you would like to use for the gift. Then, you need to print the recipe through your computer or just hand-write it in a recipe card that you can make using colourful card. The copy of the recipe will be attached to the cookie bag itself.
   
3. Then, put some dried ingredients required for that particular recipe that you have chosen and place it carefully into a zip-top bag. After that, you can place your selected piece of fabric around the zip-top bag and gather it up from bottom to the top. Try to get a large piece of fabric and then trim the excess from the top.
   
4. When you have wrapped it all around, tie the top first with a rubber band making sure it does not loosen up before decorating it with ribbon or coloured string of your choice. Then attached the recipe that you have print out or hand to the bag by making a hole-punch to it, string a ribbon through the hole and attach to the top of the bag.
   
5. Apart from that, you can also add a cute Christmas shaped cookie cutter or jingle bells or cupcake tins and papers or cute measuring utensils (or other items according to the festive occasion) and tie it along on the bag as you secure the top.

Now, your beautiful Cookie bag is ready to be given out to your beloved one. Your choice of recipes can even be for cakes, brownies or anything of your preferred choice. The purpose of attaching the recipe content is to enable the recipient to know what ingredients to use when trying to make your suggested recipe.

Additional Reading:
http://rubyglen.com/crafts/christmascookie.htm

Image Credits:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scuzzi/344990835/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mybenzie/3087893437/

Making a nice homemade Cookie bag Christmas gift is a post from: DIY Guides

Picture this… The smell of roasted turkey floating through the air, sounds of joyous carols filling up the living room, voices so loud in the dining hall so loud that you need to break your glass in order to get everyone’s attention, and let’s not forget, the presents underneath the tree. There’s so much joy and love in Christmas. But there’s always something bothering. For example; “What am I going to stuff in the turkey?”, “what songs am I going to play?”, “who am I going to invite?” and it just goes on and on till you don’t feel like doing any Christmas dinner. So how do you solve all those worries? Read on to know how.

1. Know how many people you are going to invite.
Unless if your house is a mansion, you might want to keep it light. Limit it to friends and family members that you’re close with. This way, you don’t only get to avoid awkwardness (you tend to have this problem when you invite family members that you’re not very familiar with) and overcrowding.

2. Know what to serve for dinner.
You might want to break your dinner into a few courses. This means dinnertime will be extended and allows guests and hosts to have more time to bond. Running out of ideas on what to serve? Traditional is the new modern. Stick with the ol’ skool traditional menu; shrimp cocktail for appetizers, without leaving out the ol’ creamy chicken soup and the traditional green salad. Try not to put dressings on the salad as different people have different likings. Assemble the dressings on the table and let them pick their own choice. As for the main dish, the traditional roasted turkey with cranberry sauce, stuffed of course, will do. Oh, and don’t forget hot vegetables like corn, green beans, carrots and cauliflower to go along with the main dish. Finally, never forget desserts. Simple pies or a chocolate cake will do just fine.

3. Keep the atmosphere warm.
Both literally and technically. If you’re using air conditioner, set the temperature around 20°- 23°C and if you’re in cold areas, remember to have the heater on and the fire nice and warm. As for the literal meaning, bond with all the guests. Introduce them to one another so that they’ll be occupied with each other while you’re busy in the kitchen. Try not to leave anyone alone and unattended. This will make them feel left out from the celebration itself.

4. Play Christmas songs.
You can either play the songs through the CD player or play it through the piano or guitar, or even use both methods! Use the player before dinner at a rationally loud volume, low volume throughout dinner and then show off your musical skills after dinner and have your guests singing along. You can also ask them to play the instruments instead, while you sing along. And please, stick with Christmas melodies only. You wouldn’t want your dinner to end up to as a wild rave. You can always opt for the modern, more upbeat Christmas songs.

These are just the basic, traditional things you can do to have your dinner. There are always lots of other ideas but it will have to suit your own creativity and your guests’. For example, you can ask your guests to bring at least one gift in order to have a gift exchanging activity, or you can spice it up with some fireworks at the stroke of midnight. Let’s not forget to spread the love, joy and the giving.

Image Credits:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/laenulfean/348207988/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/archeon/73833963/

The Ideal Christmas Dinner Event is a post from: DIY Guides

During Christmas celebrations, it is important for us to decorate and beautify our homes especially when you will be having guest coming to visits you during the holidays. With beautiful decorations that managed to create a relaxing and eye-catching atmosphere during the festive season, every normal household would definitely like to clean-up and decorates their homes with shimmering Christmas ornaments and lights which is the usual fare during this occasion. Each and every location of the house will be decorated with Christmas ornaments, from doors to the fire place, living room, bed rooms and even the corner of the home. Below are some décor for the front porch during this festive season.

What you need:

1. Brushes
   
2. Gift Ribbons
   
3. Plywood Sheets
   
4. Ribbons
   
5. Tissue Paper
   
6. Christmas Trees (real-like or imitation)
   
7. Snowman-shape Santa and Large-shape Santa
   
8. empty gift-boxes
   
9. Candy Cane Yard Decorations
   
10. Cardboard
    
11. Gift Bags
    
12. Gift Bows
    
13. Luminarias (Traditional Candle Lanterns)
    
14. Paints
    
15. Poinsettias
    
16. String lights
    
17. Twig Or Wire-frame Reindeer
    
18. Wrapping Paper
    
19. Saws
    
20. X-Acto Knives
    

Method:

1. First of all, you need to cut a Christmas stocking shape from a piece of cardboard or plywood. Next, take that piece of plywood or cardboard and paint and decorate it. A couple of nice decorative things that in one way or the other look like gifts.
   
2. Now, take another piece and cut a snowman shape out of it. Paint that piece of plywood and paint or decorate it for the front-porch decor. Don’t forget to finish it off with a real hat and scarf of give it the traditional look.
   
3. Then, place a couple of potted poinsettia – or several – near the front door. Afterwards, use the real plants if your climate is not too cold for these tropical plants.
   
4. Go ahead and purchase a huge-sized Santa and make him pose/standby near a couple of twig or wire-frame reindeer.
   
5. Try to find several empty boxes and gift-wrap it with colourful wrapping papers with ribbons, and put them all right near the front door. If your porch is not protected from the elements like rain, use coloured plastic wrap and ribbon.
   
6. Place a real or the imitation Christmas tree beside your front door porch. If there’s more space why not put two instead of just one?
   
7. Now for the way to your home, decorate the path nicely by marking it in the snow and finish it off by placing welcoming stuffs on the way.
   
8. All the railings must be solid and if possible, try to repaint railings to have a fresh clean appearance and it gives out a nice look. You can also add a hanging plant with matching containers to your front porch and if you have a large porch, also add a porch swing or comfortable seating for your guests and that would come in handy when there will be times where you will want to relax and this would be it.
   
9. Add a decorative bench to welcome your guests. Do not forget to replace pavers, cobblestones, and flagstones if it is not in good condition. Meanwhile birdhouses, birdbaths, lanterns, wind chimes, window boxes, and water features or fountain certainly add a curb appeal and further beautify the main entrance of your home.
   
10. Light your porch and walkway to make it safer and more festive for guests who visit during the long nights of the holiday season. Light fixtures are a key element when you want to add curb appeal to the front of your home. Light fixtures at the entrance and on the front porch should match the overall décor. Lining your walkway can also be a great idea, while adding flowerbeds with solar light fixtures is an added bonus to the decoration.
    

With all those decorations in place, your front porch will definitely be the envy of your neighborhood, thus making the Christmas celebration a more meaningful occasion this year.


Additional Reading:
http://www.ehow.com/how_11426_decorate-front-porch.html
http://www.cottagehomedecorating.com/add-curb-appeal.html

Image Credits:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13698188@N08/2063542286/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christmasnotebook/314409879/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26938371@N00/3189697014/

Decorating your Front Porch for Christmas is a post from: DIY Guides

Imagine the mayhem when fall season starts and you just don’t know what and where to start on your house decorations. Although, it sounds easy when you can go to any craft stores or decoration department to amp up the house but think again about the money that you can save by doing your decorations yourself. Forget about having the same mass production decors when you can create your decoration with your touches without ripping your wallet off. Find the materials in craft store or thrift store to minimize your budget. You can ask your other family members to help you because it is easy and fun to make. So here are three great decorations ideas using pinecones to make your fall and holiday season gleaming with joy and glee.

• Evergreen ball decoration

What you need:

• Ribbon
  
• T pins
  
• Evergreen ball (15 inch size)
• Hot glue gun
  

How to do:

1. First, you need to fold five 50 inch ribbons in half.
2. Then, pin the ribbons at the bottom of the evergreen ball which is along the creases.
3. Next, cover the loop of hanging wire by running a ribbon along it.
   
4. After that, secure the ribbon by pinning them to the ball on each side of the wire.
5. Finally, decorate it with pinecones all around by using hot glue gun.

• Holiday season ornaments.

What you need:

1. Pinecones
2. Evergreen sprigs
3. Floral wire
4. Screw eyes
5. Tiny glass beads (your choice)
6. Ornaments ribbons

How to make:

1. First to make the hanging, place a screw eye into each pinecone by twisting it through the pinecones.
2. Then, wire sprigs of evergreen onto each eye. To decorate the pinecones ornaments, string a few beads of your choice or small ornaments onto a length of ribbon.
3. Next, run the ribbon through the screw eye. You can hang them in a tree or along the window.

• Pinecone garland

What you need:

1. Dried pinecones
2. White pine garland
3. Floral wire

How to make:

1. First, wrap the wire around the end of each pinecone twice.
2. Let the space between each pinecone be 7 to 8 inches apart.
   
3. You can place 13 to 15 pinecones ever 10 feet of garland.
   
4. However, the amount of the pinecones depends on you, on how much density you want your pinecone garland to look like.
5. Then, decorate the pine garland with the pinecone garland by wrapping along it.
6. Finally, wrap the wire around the ends. You can add extra ribbon bow to your garland for more beautiful touch.

Additional Reading:

http://www.marthasteward.com

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wendypiersall/3151686603/

Great ideas for fall and holiday seasons decorations is a post from: DIY Guides