Making Christmas Garland with Mesh Netting Ribbon

The Work Garland is new item just placed in stock here at Trendy Tree. They can be used to create your own beautiful garlands.  By making your own, you can create stunning decorations to use around your home, inside and out. The poly mesh ribbon is great for outside wreaths, decorating around lamp posts, mailboxes etc. While the mesh holds up well outside, it will eventually fade in color somewhat.

Deco Poly and Flex Tubing  - Craig Bachman

                                                                        

You can choose your ribbon color and style, use contrasting material if you like, color coordinate with your existing decorating theme and add in interesting accessories or even your children’s handiwork. The combinations you can create are limitless.

Work garland is made of wire and twists similar to artificial Christmas tree branches spaced at intervals along the wire. It comes in several colors. We have white, lime green and red in stock.
Supplies needed include mesh netting (we used 21″ in this demonstration), scissors, embellishments (ornaments, sprays, contrasting ribbon, poly flex tubing, beads, etc).

Place the garland on a flat surface and straighten the twists. The end is crimped and can be used to attach to something sturdy to hold the garland slightly taunt while you’re working with it. I placed this one in the pegboard attached to the back of my work table.

 In general, it will take at least one roll of 21″ x 10 yd of mesh netting. It depends on the size of your bunching or looping. It’s always best to buy a little more ribbon than what you think you need. YOu can always use the remainder for other decorations.

For this garland we started with a roll of red mesh netting and white metallic. To make sure that my two rolls will be enough to make the garland, start with one color first, then after 12″ – 18″ down the garland, start including the second color. Ribbons don’t have to be the same size.

Start by bunching up a handful of the mesh. You can leave a tail to hang down or turn it under with your first handful. Sometimes once your garland is finished, you may want to add a bow at each end to even colors out, add extra length ect. just depending on where you’re going to place it. Place the handful on the wire and twist the limbs around the mesh tightly, twist 2-3-times.

Continue bunching and working down the length of the garland. Add in your second color.

Try to keep the size of your bunches or handfuls consistent, but if one turns out looser than another, just compensate on the next one.

Avoid trying to make them exact. You want a loose effect and also the netting can be pulled and adjusted once the garland is finished.

This garland isn’t finished yet, but shows you about the finished size. I also took some narrow ribbon in red and white to fill in spaces where there seemed to be too much of one color. I may use some lime green contrast before I’m finished.  This will be used in our home for a peppermint theme.

Ornaments or other decorations can be added to make a finishing touch. This garland isn’t finished yet. I plan to use more glittered ornaments, just waiting on the grandchildren to pick out what they want))) Lollipops and candy ornaments will add more color and shine along with glittered ball sprays, and some flex tubing. To use ball sprays, cut single limbs of the spray and use the twists to secure.

You can go down the entire length of your garland with one color, then go back and do the entire length with the second. Either way works fine. You might even want to wait until your place your garland on the tree, mantle, balcony etc. to place the attachments.

Color combinations are practically endless. This blue and lime green combination works well for multicolor decorating as shown in the Santa’s Workshop collections. The garland was made on a red work garland using 21″ lime green and blue mesh netting.

This garland started out with a red and green striped metallic mesh netting, lime green crinkle tissue fabric, flex tubing and clusters of jingle bells. This is the garland shown in the tree pictured above.

The work garland is easy to work with and its a lot of fun to making your own creation! Anything that you’re not happy with can easily be undone. You can also make a basic solid color garland and just change up your accessories and contrasting ribbon to create a whole new look! If you want to take the time, it can be dismantled, accessories removed and the ribbon rolled back up and stored for next year.

The work garlands are 12″ in length and generally yields a 9″ wide garland, depending on the tightness of your bunching and embellishments. You can make it tighter or looser, whatever works best for your decorating needs.

More photos will be added as we complete our Peppermint work in progress)))

Time to Plan to Holiday Entertaining!

The Holiday season is soon to be upon us. Time to start making plans for that special dinner or casual brunch, the family get together, or throw down)))  Here's a few suggestions to get your started on your way.
First, get out your calendar and start thinking about dates and what kind of event to host. As the host, you get to make the decisions! Think dressy or casual? Family or friends? Or both? Children? Keep it simple and plan the event around your calendar because you will be doing most of the work.

The Cocktail Party: Adult guests, have a predetermined start and stop time, usually a couple of hours in the early evening or after dinner. Perhaps after an evening out to a concert or event. Serve a few special drinks and light hors d'oeuvres or a special dessert and gourmet coffee for a non-alcoholic party.

Casual Open House: This type of party allows you to have a larger guest list and works well to include families with children. Set a start and stop time and invite folks to drop in as they can.  This function is flexible, a "come and go" event. Guests aren't expected to come and stay the entire time of the party. Provide small snacks and hors d'oeuvres with a mix of tasty and sweet items. Be mindful that children will be present and have something they will definitely like. It's nice to have a special table apart from the buffet or serving table just for the little ones with snacks they will like. Their special area can be decorated with "kid" stuff. Keep the sweets to a minimum and provide other healthier fare. If you have the space, provide a table adjacent to their snacks and cover the table with white paper and set out some crayons, Christmas coloring books or pages, simple Christmas games, puzzles or toys. Small favors to take home will make you a star! Just keep the games or toys simple, you don't want to get tied up explaining things or acting as a referee!

Brunch:
This is one of my favorites! People get tired of ham and turkey dinners so quickly! A brunch can be put together with many make ahead recipes and heated up right at the last minute. Set up a buffet and sideboard so guests can serve themselves. Mini muffins and tiny biscuits with bite size meats are always a hit. Exquisite jellies and jams displayed in your best crystal and silver add an elegant touch to crusty, buttery, homemade biscuits! Create a coffee or hot chocolate bar separate from the food. Great time for bringing out those gourmet coffees and delicious hot chocolate. Provide chocolate spoon stirrers or candy canes. Always have a sugar substitute also.

Elegant Holiday Dinner: Time to put out the good china and crystal or holiday dinnerware. No paper plates or plastic. If you only have nice plain china, invest in some colorful gold, silver or red chargers. No crystal? No worries. Just use clear glass tea or wine glasses, depending on the beverage being served. We're not wine drinkers, so I can't help you there. Our wine glasses are used for delectable desserts! Elegant dinners can be buffet or plates can be served. Just depends on your seating arrangements and your guest list. Always use candles. Dim the lights and show off your festive holiday creations! Don't forget the light fixture over your table. It's a perfect point of interest. Hang fresh garland around the light "carefully." Depends of course on the type light you have. But if the light lends itself well to decorating, this is the perfect spot to hang shiny, colorful ornaments with streams of glittering ribbon. Fresh greenery can be carried out as a decoration down the center of the table with candles, ornaments, twigs of berries etc.  Spend some time on your menu. This probably isn't the best time to try something new for the first time! Test it weeks before on your family or friends before you  decide to serve it to your guests. Keep in mind any particulars about your guests with special dietary needs ...diabetics for example. Not saying you have to provide a sugar free dessert, but perhaps have a second dessert consisting of a natural fruit sorbet or something similar. Allow enough time to enjoy the meal. Don't take the plates away too quickly. But do clear the dinner plates and bring on the dessert and coffee!

Invitations: Write down your guest list, or else risk the chance of leaving someone out. Give plenty of notice and if it's a sit down dinner, request RSVP. You can mail your invitations, or make a phone call or send an e-mail. For any occasion, a written invitation can make it even more special.

Plan your Menu: Once you know about how many people to expect and what kind of meal you're having, you can start getting your recipes and grocery list in order. Offer a balance of colors, textures and flavors.

Beverages: For our dinners, it's usually iced tea, sweet and unsweet, or water.  Punch is great for open house entertaining. When serving alcoholic beverages, always have a non-alcoholic beverage on hand.

Seating: For casual open house, people can use small luncheon or cocktail size plates and wander around mingling with them in their hand. Your dining table, bar or kitchen counter may be used for buffet style gatherings. Move the chairs away from the table so guests can circle around the table. Have a "starting point" where plates are stacked creatively and go from there ending up with picking up a beverage last. Place your chairs through the living room or other rooms that are open to your guest. Keep the lights off and doors closed to rooms you prefer not to have traffic in.  Remember than an open house is very casual and all your rooms should probably be lighted and open except for a nursery, office, sewing room etc. Try to place chairs beside small tables when you can. Provide coasters, remember the mantle and place easily visible coasters there too. If you have a piece of furniture you can't bear a wet glass sitting on, cover the top with a Christmas cloth, scarf, napkin or table runner. The number of guest you can serve at a seated dinner will determine that guest list. Card tables with folding chairs provide adequate space for 4. You may want to move some chairs out of a room to make space for folding tables.

Stay Organized: Make your shopping list and a "to do" list marking off as you accomplish the tasks. Assign tasks to someone else when you can!

Lighting: Lighting is essential. Dim or turn off overhead lights and use lamps, candle (battery powered or lighted). Extra strands of clear, white miniature Christmas lights along mantels, banisters, even molding and baseboards creates a dramatic effect. Use along your buffet table if it's against a wall, sideboard, under or on top of your kitchen cabinets if your food is being served in the kitchen. Keep candles a safe distance from linens and out of the way of guests. If children will be present, use the battery powered candles.

Music: Music definitely sets the mood. Plan your music ahead of time and create a CD or MP3 file or whatever it is that you play your music on. Begin with soft music and depending on the style of party, increase the volume and energy level once the party is in full swing. Too soft is better than too loud. No background TV! Threaten to cut the ears off anyone who turns it on no matter what team is playing! Unless you're having a before or after game party))

Holiday Scents: A fireplace with crackling fire and orange embers exudes warmth, cheeriness and peace. You can throw in some pine scented incense, but I like the natural smell of the fire better. Be careful not to let your room get too warm. Make the fireplace a nice place to cozy up to, not to get away from! A simmering pot of wassil smells heavenly. Be careful with scented candles. Use very light fragrances. Pine and cinnamon are good for entryways and bathrooms. Use unscented candles around your food so there is no competition with food aromas.

And last, but certainly not least, ENJOY your party! If you've take all the proper steps to make sure you have enough food and drink.....what else do you have to worry about! These are your friends, and your family. They will enjoy the party more, if they see you are relaxed and enjoying it too. And remember, "what goes around, comes around." Next time you'll be the guest!

Strawberries and "Whupped" Cream!

Our grandchildren start putting in requests for Sunday dinner (noon-time meal in the South) early on Sunday morning. A very frequent request is strawberries and “whupped” cream. They all three love it, so I fix it. C’mon grandmothers out there…..you do it too! We fix what they want, when they want it and are happy to do it!
Anyway I thought I’d share with you my very, very easy version of whipped cream. Yesterday we added a few sugar cookies to the strawberries….I guess just for a few more calories!

To make whipped cream, use 1 pint of whipping cream (purchased in the dairy counter, comes in a pint box). When whipping cream it’s important to keep the cream cold, it whips better. I use  stainless steel bowl. Start the whipping slowly and increase to the fastest speed. Don’t give up! You’ll think at first that it isn’t going to whip. Then it will slowly start getting thicker and creamier. Whip until it forms stiff peaks.

Measure about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and slowly blend in with the mixer. Stop a time or two to taste along the way and sweeten to your taste. Add in extra powdered sugar as needed. Calories can be reduced by using a sugar substitute (I substitute about half and half with sugar and Splenda).
Keep the whipped cream cold until serving. Very easy to make!

Maggie pouring her Great Grandaddy some iced tea - another memory to store))

The Three Amigoes - not much talking going on!

.

Ideas for Using Paper Shred

 Ideas for Using Paper Shred

Red Green Blend

Gift Sacks: Partially fill a colorful gift or party sack with shred. Place crumpled tissue paper in the bottom to take up space, so you use less of your shred. Fill to where the shred shows at the top of the sack and nestle your gift down in the shred.

Jars: Use clear jars for those gifts of dry ingredients with recipe cards attached. Just hot glue a clump of shred to the lid. After it dries, turn upside and shake to remove any loose strands, then place the lid on your jar. Kraft paper shreds look great with cookie or soup ingredients.

Kraft Brown

Easter Baskets: Great fillers in practically any color.

Diaper Cakes: A trendy decoration for baby showers and parties is the diaper cake. These cakes are wildly creative! Some come topped with plush toys or other nice gifts. A couple of the most creative I've seen had a jungle and Noah's Ark theme. The brown and green colors were a fresh change to baby blue! The Noah's Ark had a collection of animals on top and the jungle theme had a plush monkey with its tail and legs hanging off the side. Brown and green crinkle paper was used as "icing." Very unique diaper cakes.

Flower Pots and Glass Containers: Using metallic shred in clear glass containers adds sparkle and shine to your floral creation and covers up the stems of your flower or decorative pick. A collection of glittered ball sprays in a tall clear glass container filled with shred makes a stunning bright spot on any table. Green or other colorful paper shred can be added to a flower pot filled with silk or paper flowers.

Baked Items: Cookies, breads, cakes, candies - all look scrumptious when placed in a clear poly bag nestled among white or Kraft brown shred. Fill small wicker basket, tins or boxes to hold your goodies. Any food or fruit gift basket looks better with items resting on a bed of shred. Poke small clumps in between items to fill the void. Shred helps to lift the items up for better visualization and separates them from each other. This makes your basket fuller, more pleasing to the eye and adds the perception of more value. A gift bag of whole or shelled nuts looks great on Kraft, black or white shred.

Christmas Ornaments: Remove the tops from clear glass ball ornaments and fill with sparkling gold, silver or iridescent shred. You can also add shred that compliments your Christmas decorating color theme. A gift of a Christmas ornament looks great packed in a clear poly bag filled with shred and tied with a bow. Christmas packaging can't get much quick and simpler than this! Clear poly bags are great for those difficult to wrap items and gifts that you don't have boxes for - toys, trucks, soaps, makeup items, etc.

Birthday Party Favors: Children generally leave birthday parties with a little gift or "happy sack" that says thank you for coming to my party! Your birthday party theme can be carried right out the door with a clear poly bag filled with small trinkets or candy, using paper shred that matches your party theme. Red/blue for Spiderman; black/blue for Batman; yellow for Sponge Bob; sparkly colors for little divas, etc. If you can find a mix of the color you need - mix your own. Combinations are seemingly endless.

Wedding and Anniversary: Wedding favors range from keepsake items, something dated or engraved with the bride and grooms name, tidbits of delectable treats or something related to the couples work, hobbies or cause. Clear poly bags with shred make a nice base for anything from a Christmas ornament to a small bag of gourmet coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Chocolate brown or Kraft looks great for gourmet coffees and chocolate anything. Wedding colors can always be used.

White Silver Blend

A simple personalized gold or silver ball Christmas ornament packaged in a clear bag with metallic foil, or small box, makes a great anniversary keepsake for friends and family of the happy couple.

Halloween Treat: Take preprinted or clear Halloween cello bags and add a handful of orange, black, white or Kraft shred before filling with your goodies. Same goes for Valentine treats. Purchased bags can be made even more personal if you take the time to create a personal note card. Hand write on a blank business card or if you're creating a number of treat bags, create a note on the computer and print on business card. Punch a small hole in the corner with a paper punch and tie on to the bag with ribbon. For the Halloween bags, you could also tie a spider ring, etc into the loop for a little extra spooky touch!

Pretty Boxes: Have a pretty glossy box that's just to pretty to wrap? Hot glue a small bunch of shred to the top. Metallic shred looks great on glossy boxes.

If a more natural look is your bag, wrap in Kraft paper and string. Use red and green colored paper shred hot glued to the top. Add a sprig of greenery, twig or cluster of red berries to top it off. Old Christmas wreaths and decorations that you were going to toss or sell at your next garage sale are perfect resources for small decorating needs. I can think of a few that are wasting away in my attic right now!

Glitz and Shine! Need a little extra touch of sparkle? Add a bit of spray glitter to your shred. Also a less expensive way to make your metallic shred go farther (metallic is almost twice the price of colored shred) is to mix your own shred. Take solid shred and mix in the metallic. It doesn't even need to be a 50:50 mixture. Four or five handfuls of regular shred and only 1 handful of metallic makes a very nice mix and adds that bit of sparkle.

Balloon Centerpiece: Helium filled balloons make great party decorations and centerpieces. But admit it, how many times have you tried to use balloons on your birthday table and wound up tying the cluster around a vase, chair back or anything stationary on the table! It's okay, we've all done it. Well here's a better idea.

Fill a party bag or gift sack that goes with your party theme 1/2 full with anything that will hold it on the table. Dried beans, macaroni. I just hate to use sand or kitty litter even if its sterile on the food table. But that's just me. Cut your curling ribbon and tie to your balloons using staggering lengths. Use an odd amount of balloons - 3 - 5- 7. Gather all your strands of balloons and tie to one balloon weight. This can be anything that will hold them that you have around the house, even a piece of silverware. Stick the weight down in the container and fill the container to the top with shred. Overfill a little so it spills out the top. Now, you have much better looking balloon centerpiece!

We only have a few colors of paper shred now at Trendy Tree, but look out.....we're going to explode into a rainbow of colors soon!

We hope these suggestions will give you some ideas on using paper shred and we look forward to your comments. Please share with us how you've used paper shreds and we'll add it to the blog!

Building a Snowman!

Building a snowman......in Mississippi? Well.......not exactly. Only on rare, rare occasions do we get enough snow to build a snowman.....or maybe a snowbaby))) When you live in Mississippi in the wintertime, you get so envious of those who live in snow country......so much fun playing the snow, making snow angels, snowball fights, building snowmen.....enough snow for snow families! So, alas, this new product is for you. I'm not expecting any Mississippi sales on this one!

Snowman Kit in a Pail

Everything you need to build a snowman.....except the snow! All contained in this neat pail with a cheery snowman's face painted on the front. Great family gift. A another nice gesture would be to fill with collectible Snowmen.......so after the snow melts......they have lovely keepsake ornaments)))

 Dressed to the Nuts by Inge-Glas of Germany

Free Shipping on Old World Christmas Ornaments at Trendy Tree!

August Newsletter

Free Shipping on Old World Christmas
Ornament Orders $25 or more!

Beat the summer heat and shop online! No coupon code required so please share this special with your friends. Shipping will be ground, USPS First Class or Priority Mail, or UPS Ground depending on size and weight of package. No rain checks.Orders that include items other than Old World Christmas
ornaments will incur regular shipping fees.  (Free shipping does not apply to international orders)

Good August 1 thru 31, 2010

New Value Priced Products!

Retreat to the 60's and 70's with these funky, whimsical Christmas ornaments and decorations! All are value priced and some even have quantity discounts!

Peace Signs in Silver, Red, Gold

Funky Flowers

Win Free Gifts!

Win Free Gifts! Beginning in August we're giving away a free gift to a lucky subscriber every month! All you have to do is sign up for the Trendy Tree Newsletter, browse through the Blog and make one comment on any Blog entry. You don't have to say anything other than "I was here!" if you like. We do look forward to reading your comments and contributions however so please participate take a chance on winning a free gift! An e-mail will be drawn each month from the comment section. You're e-mail isn't exposed on the
Blog, it is visible only to us. Our standard privacy policy applies. We would never share, sell or expose your
personal information.

Just sign up for the Trendy Tree website  Newsletter  and you're already half-way there! Browse any Trendy Tree Blog entry and click on "comment" or it may say "no comment" if you're the first person to comment. You will be taken to our Word Press page, then register (just a user name and e-mail).

An automatically generated password will immediately be sent to you and you can change this once you sign in. Any other information on the profile is purely optional. We only need your e-mail for the drawing. The winner will be notified by e-mail for name and shipping address. Be sure to check your spam folder in
case our e-mail automatically goes there. We look forward to blogging with you!

More RAZ Arriving this month!