Thrifty crafty Christmas

Slowly but surely, we are getting the cabin decorated for Christmas. We weren’t able to set out most of our decorations designed to sit on a table; there just weren’t the places for it here, and my three little people can barely leave things alone. Really, the prime place for Christmas decorations is the great stone fireplace. Problem was, I really didn’t have much to put up there. At the time that we began our Christmas decorating, we were having terrible windstorms, so we didn’t want to hang the wreath outside. Instead, we made it the focal point on the chimney. But it looked kind of lonely up there. We had a few strings of silver beads (originally table decorations from our wedding) that I laid across the mantel to give it some sparkle. But we still needed something else. Embarking on our ninth month of no income, we’re not in a position to purchase new decorations, but I’m not letting that dampen my crafty spirit. Some soup and green beans later, we had new decorations. What, you don’t measure time in increments of food?

Ready, set, tin-punch!

It’s such a simple craft. The supply list is short and easy to come by: a hammer, a nail, an empty tin can, and a scrap of paper for your design. I did fill each can with water and then set it in the freezer overnight. The ice gives the can some structural integrity while hammering the nail through. Then, once the design is punched, run some warm water through the holes to melt the ice block just enough to slide out. Let the can dry, then pop a candle in it and you’re done! I think it was on Martha Stewart where they spray-painted the cans gold or glittery silver to dress them up a bit. That’s nice and all, but I don’t have paint and I’m trying to do this for free. Maybe next year I’ll paint the cans, but for this year, I think they look pretty good as is.

More cheap-as-free decorations to come! Granota and I took a walk in the woods the other day and collected a few interesting things to use. I have one more item on my forest foraging list before I can start that project. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find it in the next day or so! Stay tuned… you just never know what I’m going to come up with.