It’s the holidays! Are you on ornament overload? Too much tinsel to tangle with? Try trimming down your stash of holiday ornaments – it is not as difficult as you might think!
It can be done in an hour or less! Trust me!
During the holidays, have you ever come home one rainy night to see your holiday lights are out? When water gets into those electrical connections (like where extension cords connect to holiday lights), it can create a short which trips the circuit breaker – causing all your outdoor lights associated with that breaker to go out!
This Simple Holiday Survival tip is sure to help prevent that from happening!
If you have a slow cooker, you have the easy way to save space in your oven this holiday season! This is perfect for a simple holiday buffet idea – Use your crockpot to bake lots of potatoes and then set up all the fixings for a loaded baked potato bar! Fun and easy! (Also great for a football party!)
The holidays mean lots of family time! But with people of different ages coming together, how do you keep everyone entertained and interacting? Try a few, fun holiday games to bring the family together to laugh and be silly – something all ages can get into!
What You Need:
Directions:
Suspend the wreath from a doorframe about chest high. Place the bucket on floor just behind the wreath. Stand about 6 feet from the wreath. Throw the “Snowball” marshmallows through the wreath and get them to land in the bucket. You have 60 seconds to get 10 in the bucket.
Have the family play a classic with a holiday twist! Here’s a Handy Sheet you can print out and cut up to use for this classic game:
What You Need:
Directions:
Using only one hand, you have one minute to stack all 36 cups to make a Christmas tree pyramid.
This is like Jenga with ornaments!
What You Need:
Directions:
Stand the paper towel tube on one end. Place the yard stick on top of the tube, making sure to center it as best as possible (See photo below!).
Participants take turns placing ornament on either side of the yardstick. The game is over when the yardstick becomes unbalanced and it tumbles!
A funny drawing game where even the family artist will be challenged!
What You Need:
Directions:
Give every participant a plate and a marker. Each participant places the plate on their head. Next, they follow these directions (Someone needs to lead this game!):
Or you can draw this as a second round of the game:
This is sure to get people moving in this challenge!
What You Need:
Directions:
Make two slices on the bottom of the tissue boxes – large enough to thread the belt or ribbon through.
Feed the belt or ribbon through the holes.
Tie or belt the boxes onto each participant so the box is on, or near, their rear end. Place 8 bells into each tissue box and “Cue The Music”! Each participant starts shaking and moving to the holiday music – first one to bounce all the jingle bells out of their box is the winner!
I am always looking for a unique hostess gift ideas for all those holiday parties! My friend, Sue, shared this great and simple idea that is perfect for your next hostess gift this holiday season!
The Simple Solutions Diva has an answer to an age old question:
How do you get your plate back from a holiday party?
The simple answer? Don’t ask for it back — Create a Season of Giving Plate!
The concept is: you share the plate, along with the food you bring to a party. Then the host is free to use it when THEY go to a holiday party, and the plate moves from home to home throughout the holidays!
The instructions are easy: It is as simple as buying a pretty plate from the Dollar Tree Store, writing a nice verse (for suggestion, see below) on the plate in permanent marker, baking it at 350 degrees for approximately 30 mins. This baking process will set the permanent marker so it won’t wash off.
You can write whatever you would like, but if you are in need of something, try this:
In this Season Of Giving, we share so much joy,
& plates full of cookies for all to enjoy!
This plate is for giving, not keeping for one.
So pass this plate on to others, and share all the fun!
It is a beautiful way to share the love this holiday season!
Holiday Time means festive décor – including setting the perfect table for the holiday! But don’t spend upwards of $75-$100 per place setting! Check out your local Dollar Tree, THE holiday headquarters for affordable decorations, and get some holiday inspiration! And since everything at Dollar Tree is just $1.00, you can create some beautiful tablescapes without ruining your holiday budget!
Here is a traditional look using Dollar Tree items, including a gold charger plate, gold-rimmed plate, bowl, coffee cup, and wine glass. Traditional stainless steel flatware and a red table runner finish off the look. Plus I’ve created a simple centerpiece (see below) using three glass candle holders, fresh cranberries and hydrangeas. I’ve used a pinecone ornament as a place card holder. This cost only $15.00 for everything (not including the flowers and cranberries!) from Dollar Tree!
This snowflake setting is so cute! A blue placemat layered with snowflake placemat sets the theme. Add a snowflake plate and matching coffee mug, a simple red wine glass. A funky red floral Christmas clip/decoration creates a napkin ring. Stainless steel flatware with a hammered look completes the festive place setting. In addition, I created the centerpiece (see below) from floral stems, containers, candy canes and holiday ornaments. Including the centerpiece, this cost a total of $24.00.
I LOVE this simple contemporary look! I’ve used a cool plastic tray as a charger to create the contemporary look, plus a crisp white plate and sleek stainless steel flatware. I’ve taken the martini glass and filled it with pompoms, plus topped it all off with the cute present place card holder (which is just a Christmas ornament). In addition, I have created a contemporary centerpiece (see below) using glass vases, votive candle holders, more pompoms, and mirrored candle holders. Total cost, including the centerpiece: $21.00.
While I was shopping at Dollar Tree, I overheard one woman say, “Dollar Tree really has stepped up their Christmas selection!” — and they have! They have stockings, plus everything you could want to stuff in those stockings, like candies, toys and more, gift wrap, boxes and bags. Serving pieces and holiday decorations for the home!
With everything in the store just $1.00, Dollar Tree will help keep a little jingle in your wallet this holiday season! Visit ileavehappy.com for more holiday inspiration!
Thank you to Dollar Tree for sponsoring this project, and to WTLV-TV’s First Coast Living for inviting me on to share these Holiday ideas!
Ringing in the New Year is a fun tradition, and Simple Solutions Diva has a few simple ideas on how to bring in the New Year with a little style and not a lot of money! A BIG thank you to WTLV-TV’s First Coast Living (Weekdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m) for inviting Simple Solutions Diva on to share these ideas!
New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be about loosing weight or radically changing behaviors. Those types of resolutions are much harder to keep because they require drastic changes. Try making nicer resolutions that are more like goals you work towards all year. Need some ideas? Print out this Nicer New Year’s Resolution Worksheet below; it includes prompts to help you get your creative juices flowing! (Be sure to print it out in landscape format!)
This is a great idea for a family celebration! Each family member submits several family volunteering ideas for 2014; Use New Year’s Day to decide, as a group, what volunteer opportunities the family will commit to for 2014 and schedule them into your calendar. Giving back and helping others really makes life enjoyable!
Create a Decorative Jar filled with memories collected over 2014; near New Year’s 2014, open the jar and relive the fun memories from 2014!
Supplies Needed:
Instructions:
Clean the jar and remove all sticky price labels. Let dry. Apply the chalkboard label to the glass jar. Write 2014 on the chalkboard label. Add blank bookmarks or cards and a pen. Place Jar in active place in the house (ours is in the kitchen). As fun events or memories happen, write them down on the blank cards and place them in the jar. At the end of year, sit down with family and revisit all the fun times over 2014 by reading the cards aloud. Wipe 2014 off with a slight damp cloth, and write the new year and start all over again!
Pick a time in the early evening to invite the kids over and toast the New Year early with DIY Noise Makers and a Cookies & Milk “Midnight” Toast!
DIY Noise Maker Supplies:
Instructions:
Add a handful of craft beads to the empty water bottles and secure the top. Lay out the stickers and let the kids decorate their own shaker.
Cookies & Milk “Midnight Toast Supplies:
Instructions:
Using a knife or back of a spoon, rim the top of the glasses with room-temperature hot fudge sauce. Pour sprinkles into a bowl or small plate. Roll the fudge covered rims of the glasses in the sprinkles, so sprinkles adhere to the glass & fudge. Fill with milk. Place a cookie on top of glass and serve.
Try a Dessert & Champagne Party! Simple Solutions Diva featured a whole “how-to” video and outline to create a simple party. Click Here to see the video and all of the suggestions to make a party easy for you!
Need some simple ideas to ring in the New Year? Catch Simple Solutions Diva Monday, December 30, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., on First Coast Living, WTLV-TV/Ch. 12! Five great ideas to ring in the New Year with a little style, without having to spend a lot of money!
