Homemade Winter Decorations
Make your home feel festive with homemade decorations for a winter party or just to celebrate the season. Decorations should incorporate the colors and themes of the winter, including white, snow, cold temperatures and cozy settings. Many winter decorations are simple enough for children to make and will give them something to do on those days when the weather is too bad to be outdoors, while still being interesting enough for adults to enjoy. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Large bowl
- Small plastic cup, at least the diameter of a votive candle
- Stones
- Votive candle
- Dowels, 18 inches long with 1/8-inch diameter
- Styrofoam shapes, 1 to 4 inches in diameter
- Craft knife
- Glue
Instructions
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Ice Lanterns
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1
Pour 2 inches of water into the bottom of the large bowl. Freeze the water by placing the bowl in your freezer or outdoors if temperatures are cold enough.
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2
Set the small plastic cup in the center of the large bowl and fill it with stones to keep it in place.
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3
Pour water around the small plastic cup, adding at least 3 to 4 inches of depth on top of your ice.
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4
Place the bowl in the freezer or outside again and wait until the ice is all frozen solid.
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5
Run hot water on the outside of the large bowl until it releases the ice lantern. Then dump out the stones in the plastic cup and fill the cup with hot water until it releases from the lantern.
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6
Store the lantern at freezing temperatures until ready to use. If desired, you can make additional lanterns.
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7
Place a votive candle in the space in the center of the block of ice and light the candle.
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8
Set the ice lantern on your front porch for an outdoor decoration that will last as long as freezing temperatures do. If using a lantern inside, set it on a platter and dump out the melted water occasionally.
Styrofoam Snowflakes
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9
Lay out a line of Styrofoam shapes in a pattern that looks appealing to you. The line should be no more than 16 inches long.
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10
Arrange the shapes on a dowel by sticking the dowel through the center of each shape. Leave at least 2 inches empty on one end.
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11
Repeat with five additional dowels. For the best look, make a total of three dowels with one pattern of Styrofoam shapes and three dowels with another pattern.
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12
Stick the empty ends of the dowels into a round piece of Styrofoam with the dowels alternating patterns. The overall shape of the snowflake should look like an asterisk.
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13
Remove the dowels from the center Styrofoam piece and dip the end of each dowel in glue. Insert them again and allow them to dry.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Craft stores sell Styrofoam pieces in a variety of shapes and colors, so pick some that fit the look you would like your snowflake to have. Some good shapes include cones, rings, spheres and discs.
If desired, embellish your snowflake by adding toothpicks and additional Styrofoam shapes branching off the main arms of the snowflake.
Make your snowflake sparkle by spray painting it with metallic silver or white spray paint or by gluing some silver glitter onto it.
References
- Photo Credit Polka Dot Images/Polka Dot/Getty Images
