GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn-- This morning, family expert and PBS host Donna Erickson shared a few of her favorite DIY Holiday craft and recipe ideas for the family. She showed us how to make a Holiday Card Family Scrapbook, Citrus & Spice ABC's, and Apple-Cinnomon ornaments.
For more great ideas, check out Donna's weekly national television show, Donna's Day, which airs every Friday morning locally at 7:30 am on TPTLife, channels 13 and 17.
Donna's weekly syndicated newspaper column appears every Saturday in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
And you can sign up for Donna's e-newsletter at www.donnasday.com.
Citrus & Spice ABC's
--Fresh, firm citrus fruit such as oranges, clementines, lemons and limes
--Whole cloves
--Ribbon in holiday colors
--Pencil
--Bamboo skewer or knitting needle
--Cinnamon sticks (optional)
Directions:
Use a pencil to draw a simple design on a piece of fruit. Poke evenly spaced holes with the skewer or knitting needle into the peeling. Using the pencil design as your guide, insert cloves into the holes, like a "dot to dot" activity.
Decorate the fruit if you wish by crisscrossing colorful ribbon around it, topping it with a loop to hang in a windowsill, on a wreath or from a Christmas tree.
Here are some design ideas to get you started:
*ABC's -- Make an alphabet letter on each piece of fruit to form a word when they are lined up next to each other. For example, spell "JOY," "PEACE" or your family name. If you have visitors coming to dinner, make a place card by forming the initial of their name, add a bow on top and place the fruit on the center of each plate.
*Snowman -- Stack a small clementine on top of two oranges, and attach together with toothpicks. Use the whole cloves to create a face on the top clementine and to represent buttons on the center orange. Tie a ribbon for a scarf and attach sticks for arms, if you wish.
Extra tip: Bundle cinnamon sticks and tie with ribbon. Add to a bowl of your decorated fruit for an eye-catching table decoration.
Apple-Cinnamon Ornaments
--1/2 cup ground cinnamon
--1/2 cup commercial applesauce (homemade is too runny)
Directions:
Mix together equal parts cinnamon and commercially made applesauce. If it gets a bit sticky, add more cinnamon. If it's too stiff, add more applesauce.
Scoop onto a piece of waxed paper. Place another sheet on top and roll it out until it's almost 1/2-inch thick.
Decide what "charms" for jewelry or ornament shapes you would like to create - stars, hearts, pine trees, alphabet letters, etc. Use cookie cutters or make templates by cutting out pieces of cardboard from a cereal box in the desired shapes. Place on top of the dough and trim away the dough around the pattern.
Use a drinking straw to poke a hole in shapes for threading later onto ribbon or string. Use a toothpick and carve details, such as scales on a fish or a smile on a crescent moon.
When complete, place the shapes on a cooling rack and allow them to air-dry for about 24 hours or more until they are very hard. Or, an adult may set them on a baking sheet and place in a 200-degree oven for about two hours or until hard.
Time to decorate! Using acrylic craft paints in squeeze bottles, create patterns of any kind on your shapes. Dry.
Fashion a pin or brooch by gluing a clasp on the back or make a necklace by stringing together a few alphabet-letter shapes or smaller charms.
Tie a string through the hole for ornaments. For gift decorations, make shapes of objects that are a clue to what is inside the package. For example, if you are giving Uncle Jim a windbreaker for sailing, make a sailboat shape. Tie it to the ribbon on the gift, and it will be like giving two presents in one.