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Free Easy Holiday Crafts
by Laine Doss
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Overview
Many people like to decorate their homes for the holidays. Although decorations are available to purchase at stores, making decorations and holiday crafts at home is both easy and inexpensive. Using items readily available in your home and obtainable for free, these easy craft projects are enjoyable for the entire family to work on together and will make your home look great for the holidays.
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Scented Pine Cones
Gather pine cones from your local park or neighborhood. Bake the pine cones at 200 degrees on a baking pan for one hour to dry out any sap and kill any bacteria. Allow the pine cones to cool. Place the pine cones in a large plastic bag, laying them out on the bottom of the bag. Lightly spray the pine cones with a spray adhesive, then sprinkle the pine cones with a 1/2-cup mixture of spices (pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg work well). You can also add glitter if you want your pine cones to sparkle. Close the bag and shake well. Set the pine cones on newspaper to dry. Once dried, place the pine cones in a decorative basket, vase or bowl.
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Clove Spiked Oranges
Take a large orange and carefully place whole cloves into the orange. You can cover the entire orange with cloves or make a pattern, like a tree or star. Place a red ribbon around each orange and place them in a decorative bowl or basket. Use as a table centerpiece.
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Chocolate Covered Spoons
Pour one bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in a glass bowl and melt in the microwave. Using 30-second bursts at half power, stir the chips and repeat until the chips are completely melted but not burnt. Add 1 tsp. of shortening to the chips and stir. Dip a clear, heavy plastic spoon into the mixture and lay it on wax paper to cool. Repeat with each spoon. You can also decorate the spoons with drizzles of melted white chocolate, chopped nuts or color sprinkles. Serve these spoons with coffee or cocoa or give as gifts.
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Bottle Cap Ornaments
Collect bottle caps (both plastic and metal work well). Center a bottle cap over a small picture that you like (old holiday cards are perfect) and trace the outline with a pencil. Cut out the picture and glue the picture into the center of the bottle cap. The picture might be a little large, so trim if necessary. Decorate the outside of the bottle cap with glitter or paint and glue a ribbon or pipe cleaner to the top to hang from the tree.
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Ornament Bowl or Vase Centerpiece
Fill a large vase or glass bowl with holiday ball ornaments to use as a table centerpiece. Choose a color theme or add random glass ornaments in different colors and sizes.
