Martie's "Use What You Have Holiday" Ideas: Tin Can Centerpieces

HERB CENTERPIECE IN TIN CANS

Use old photos for placecards for your holiday dinner or for a family photo galleryA deliciously fragrant and easy way to decorate the house for the holidays... plus you can use them for gifts, too! Tin cans that you save can be covered with wrapping paper or scrapbook paper and used for planting herbs, small plants and even trees! Cluster these on the table for a centerpiece, put one at each placesetting for a favor, or wrap them up for a teacher or co-worker present, this one is a gift that keeps giving. For a wedding, just change the color to your wedding color scheme... it's perfect for so many different occasions!

For placecards or for a personal touch, add photos that you can easily attach to a stick (one from the yard is fine) with a small piece of double stick tape. You can do what we've done here and use a old photo of each guest to mark their place. This is really fun for a wedding reception. You can use old photos of the couple in grass flats or the way we have here.

MORE USE WHAT YOU HAVE HOLIDAY IDEAS:

APPLE VOTIVES

WOVEN RIBBON TABLECLOTHS

PUMPKIN SNOWMAN & ANGEL

REUSE GLASS CYLINDERS TWO WAYS

NO TIME TO BAKE? MAKE DELICIOUS DESSERT COCKTAILS

COMPANY COMING OVER? MAKE SAVORY AND SWEET GOAT CHEESE TRUFFLES

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Martie's "Use What You Have Holiday" Ideas: Pumpkin Snowman & Angel

PUMPKIN SNOWMAN & PUMPKIN ANGEL

Why toss those pumpkins you used for decorations? They make perfectly lovely Christmas decorations when you dress them up!

All you have to do is to spray paint the pumpkins and dress them up. If you want, you can use a dowel to hold the pumpkins together. I usually just use a big blob of hot glue from my trusty glue gun and it works perfectly.

You can make pumpkin snowmen, angels, carolers, and even a manger scene if you are very creative! Here are a couple of our ideas. We used buttons, scrap ribbon, silk flowers, and a few odds and ends to create our pumpkin people.

 

Make Delicious Dessert Cocktails

Use What's in the Fridge: Make Simple Goat Cheese Truffles

Apple Votives

Herb Tin Can Centerpieces & Placecards

Woven Ribbon Tablecloth Runner

Spray Painted Bottle Vases

Cylinder Vases Two Ways

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Martie's "Use What You Have Holiday" Ideas: Make Apple Votives

For those of you who could not join us this year at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show in Washington, DC... we missed you! We had a blast and even had time to explore our Nation's capital on  a totally gorgeous weekend. We hit the foodie spots like Jaleo for tapas and some of the standards like the Old Ebbitt Inn. We had a wonderful weekend and met so many nice folks!

The holidays will be here before you blink... so here are some of the ideas I included in my "Use What You Have Holiday" workshop using re-purposed items you have around the house for holiday decorating and entertaining.  

APPLE VOTIVES

6 apples, very ripe (select apples that sit up straight)

6 tealights

clear acrylic spray

These were a big hit and were the easiest thing ever. Use a teaspoon or a mini melon baller to scoop a shallow hole just slightly larger than your tealight.

You want the tealight to sit down into the apple so when the candle melts and the wax is hot, it won't spill out over the top of the apple. After you check the apple to make sure the tealight fits properly, remove it and spray the inside of the apple with the acrylic spray to keep the apple from turning brown. Once dry, replace the tealight.

Want more "Use What You Have Holiday" ideas? Try some of these:

Tin Can Centerpieces

Make a Woven Table Runner

New Ideas for Cylinder Vases

Pumpkin Snowman & Angel

Dessert Cocktails

Easy Appetizer: Goat Cheese Truffles

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Wedding or Party Decorations: Easy Paper Lanterns

Need a fast, simple, and cheap table decoration for your wedding or party? Make these paper lanterns- they are so simple and add a pop of color to your table. You can use scrapbook paper, heavy wrapping paper, craft paper, or any stiff paper that will stand. Color coordinate with your party theme; you can personalize with stamps, punch a decoration, or ribbon trim.

EASY TABLE DECORATIONS: SCRAPBOOK PAPER LANTERNS

Scrapbook paper sheets

Double sided tape or glue stick

Mason jars or other jar, vase, etc

Candles: floating candles, tealights, or other light source

These lanterns are so easy to make and can really dress up a table or customize any party for very little money! Since scrapbook paper comes in all colors and patterns, you really have endless options. Here's the how to:

Get a sheet of scrapbook paper. If it is thick, you'll want to cut in some designs so light will shine through. If the paper is thin or you use vellum, you don't need to cut in a design. You can use a hole punch or a paper cutter- or a utility knife. Use a glue stick or double faced tape along the edge of the back side of the paper to form the paper into a cylinder.

Put the light source into the jar. LED lights work great but you don't want to see the clunky base through the paper so use a dense paper with a design at the top. You won't even need a container if you use the LED lights. If you opt for candles, including tealights or votive candles, make sure to put some sand or salt in the bottom of the vase, glass, or container to keep the candle off the bottom of the jar so that it does not get too hot. A great use for canning jars, you can cut the paper to different lengths to stagger the height of the

This is a great use for floating candles or even glo-sticks!

Place the paper cylinder over the jar.... and you have a customized lantern!

Design your paper lantern so light will shine through using a punch or create your own design!Use LED lights or flameless candles for long-lasting light! Put them in a clear canning jar or vase so the wind does not blow them over!

Talk of the Town Nashville Summer Special: Recipes & How-To Tips

Happy 4th of July!

For those of you watching our TV special on Nashville's Talk of the Town, here are links for some of the recipes and ideas we showcased today! Scroll all the way to the bottom to see the how-to video from the show.

Infuse your summer with flavor!INFUSED LEMONADE

Take your lemonade from ordinary to extraordinary when you infuse the simple syrup with flavor. Get the recipes:

VANILLA BEAN PLANTATION LEMONADE

INFUSED SIMPLE SYRUP

For even more lemony fun, make a lemonade station for your party with lots of mix-ins and libations! Get the how-to...

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Popsicles and ProseccoPOPSICLE-PALOOZA!

Hi-tech, low tech, and low tech ways to make your own frozen treats for kids and adults this summer.

POPSICLE HOW-TO

POPSICLES AND PROSECCO

Once considered just a kiddie treat, the popsicle has gone exotic! Whether you make your own popsicles or buy them, this elegant presentation takes popsicles to a whole different level. The perfect way to end a summer dinner party or wedding reception.

Some other great homemade popsicles to make include:

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE POPS

S'MORES POPS

16 HOMEMADE POPSICLE RECIPES

Watch our how-to video from Talk of the Town!

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BACKYARD CAMPING PARTY

This one is so much fun for just about any occasion... birthday party, neighborhood party, team get-togethers, and more. It is even a fun date night. Watch the video...

This is a super inexpensive "stay-cation" for those staying home this summer. You'll feel like you went away... and best of all, your bed and the air-conditioner are just steps away!

Here's the simple recipe for the hobo packs that you can throw right on the fire or grill:

LOW COUNTRY HOBO PACKS

This is a similar taste to a one pot boil but even easier. Since shrimp cooks faster than the potatoes and the corn, it is best to pre-cook those so that you don't overcook the shrimp.

For 6

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on

1 large onion

3 ears of corn

12 medium red potatoes

Old Bay Seasoning

2 lemons- one cut into wedges for serving

1 Beer (you can substitute water if you like)

butter

salt and pepper to taste

Parboil the potatoes and corn for a few minutes on the stove in boiling water. Do not cook completely. You just want to give them a bit of a head start so that all of the food in the pack has an equal cooking time. I usually cook the potatoes for 8 minutes and add the corn. Cook 4 more minutes and remove from the heat.

Tear large squares of aluminium foil to make the packs. Layer the potatoes, onion, corn, and shrimp. Add a dot of butter, salt, pepper, and a dash of Old Bay seasoning. Turn up the edges and add about 1/4 cup of beer to each package. Squeeze some lemon juice over the top and seal the packs well on all sides. Cook over medium coals for about 10 minutes until the shrimp are cooked. You can put these directly on the edge of a campfire, too.

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Scrapbook Paper LanternEASY TABLE DECORATIONS: SCRAPBOOK PAPER LANTERNS

Scrapbook paper sheets

Double sided tape or glue stick

Mason jars or other jar, vase, etc

Candles: floating candles, tealights, or other light source

These lanterns are so easy to make and can really dress up a table or customize any party for very little money! Since scrapbook paper comes in all colors and patterns, you really have endless options. Here's the how to:

Get a sheet of scrapbook paper. If it is thick, you'll want to cut in some designs so light will shine through. If the paper is thin or you use vellum, you don't need to cut in a design. You can use a hole punch or a paper cutter- or a utility knife.

Use a glue stick or double faced tape along the edge of the back side of the paper to form the paper into a cylinder.

Put the light source into the jar. For tealights or candles, I like to put sand in the bottom to keep the candle off the bottom of the jar. This is a great use for floating candles or even glo-sticks.

Place the paper cylinder over the jar.... and you have a customized lantern!

 Custom banner made of flags and ribbonCUSTOMIZED BANNERS

This is one of the easiest ways to dress up any area in your party colors.  Using flags, ribbon, or scrapbook paper, simply make a pretty line of color to decorate a fence, a tent, or patio.

For the paper banners, fold over to make a triangle. Fold over a piece of clothesline, twine, rope, or string. Secure with a piece of Velcro or double stick tape. I like using a Velcro dot so I can use these over and over again; sometimes in different color combinations! You can make these directional banners or signs, too by lettering them... lots of fun and very affordable.

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