DIY Christmas Centre-Pieces and Baking Ideas

[Anonymous]

Tis The Season!

Unsure of What To Do For Christmas?

This entry is basically going to talk about Christmas, DIY home decor and some good ol’ fashion baking treats for those lovely Christmas get-togethers.

Now Christmas usually is one of the most expensive times of the year (and stressful), though it may seem true here are some ideas that YOU can do for Christmas that will have you save some money. Also if unsure check out either www.etsy.com (they have really good deals = low prices on Christmas décor) or www.pintrest.com to check out DIY Christmas décor.

So what I am going to start with in this entry is talking about Christmas.

What is Christmas? Why do we celebrate it? Well here is a bit of what, why and how Christmas came about before we get into the fun stuff.

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December 25th . It is a religious/ cultured celebration among billions of people around the world. Christians believe that Jesus is the light of the world, so the early Christians thought that this was the right time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. They also took over some of the customs from the Winter Solstice and gave them Christian meanings, like Holly, Mistletoe and even Christmas Carols!

Now that we got the What, Why and How out of the way let’s get into the fun stuff. So here are my Top 5 DIY Christmas Décor.

1. Wine Glass Centre Pieces

Now usually I prefer to drink a nice Glass of Rose Wine, however this DIY Centre piece is very easy, quick and classy. Just simply have a few wine glasses (depends on how big your table is), red small candles and add some mistletoe (To make it really fun. Have your children make the mistletoe so that way they can be a part of the Christmas Decorations).

2. Pine-Cone Fish Bowl

Now this sounds silly, however it’s pretty cool. Have a empty fish bowl (because honestly I don’t think your pet fish would want to share its bowl with a few pine-cones), pour some sand inside or even some small rocks from outside, add some pine-cones and finally in the middle place a candle securely in the middle.

3. Cup Cake Stand

So this is really cool. You basically take any glass or silver Cup Cake stand that you have and place ornaments around it or bake a bunch of cupecakes and use that to create a gorgeous centrepiece (i.e. the picture for best example).

4. Mason Jar

Very simple. You take any old Mason Jars from pasta sauces (make sure to clean them thoroughly). You hot glue some ribbon on the top, add the jingle bell. Finally place a candle inside the Mason Jar and you have a gorgeous centre piece that gives off a nice rustic feel.

5. Board It

This centre piece is also very fun. Basically you take any piece of wood (make sure you take off any harsh edges, smooth it out into whatever shape you desire). Add some sand onto the board and place ornaments, pine-cones and even mistletoe or some evergreen onto the board with some candles to add some warmth.

Now that we have my top 5 DIY Christmas Décor, here are 2 cool, easy baking ideas you can do for this upcoming Christmas Holiday:

1. Peppermint Twist Cupcakes

· Make icing one day in advance for more vibrant color.Prepare medium consistency buttercream icing following recipe directions. Divide icing in half; set aside one half that will not be tinted. Use red icing color to tint other half red.

· Bake and cool cupcakes.Prepare batter following recipe directions. Bake and cool cupcakes in baking cups following recipe directions.

· Prepare icing bags.Fill one decorating bag 1/4 full or less with white icing and another 1/4 full or less with red icing. Use scissors to cut bags 1/2 in. from end. Flatten bags slightly.

· Place tip 1M in a third cut decorating bag. Place the filled icing bags in the third bag, making sure tips of smaller bags are nestled in tip 1M. Twist tops of bags together.

· Ice cupcakes.Pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake. Each double-filled bag will ice 4 to 5 cupcakes.

2. Snowball Cupcakes

· Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 14 cups of 2 standard (12-cup) muffin tins with foil liners. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring. Let cool completely. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl; set aside.

· Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Mix in buttermilk and vanilla. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the eggs and yolk. Add melted chocolate; mix until smooth.

· Spoon batter into liners, filling about one-third full. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 12 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.

· Assemble the cupcakes: Spread a thin layer of frosting on each cupcake. Using a 2 1/2-inch ice cream scoop dipped in hot water, place a smooth mound of frosting on top of each cupcake. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Let stand until frosting is set, about 3 hours. Cupcakes can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 day.

Please feel free to comment, share some of your own DIY Christmas ideas. Also if you would like for me to make an entry about something please feel free to let me know and I’ll write about it. Thank you guys for reading and god bless xo :) <3

[GirlsLie]

These are cute, I love decorating, I can't wait for Christmas.

[DamnCurtis]

Wine Glass Centre Piece.
Oh that's just the sexiest thing I have ever seen.
Stealing that one =D.

[myTake Owner]

Of course you may "steal" it lol it is very intimate :)