DIY Mardi Gras Ornaments

I wasn’t ready to take down our Christmas tree this year and so I  decided to decorate the tree for Mardi Gras. I had plenty of beads and some trinkets from past visits to New Orleans and I found a few after Christmas half-price decorations that were the right color and I made some mask to add to the tree but felt it needed a few more ornaments.  I didn’t want to spend any more money so I decided to make a few ornaments. Plus this is a great activity to share with the younger children in your family.

. Since I wanted them to last for a few years I decide to use an old recipe that we used when the kids were small. I figure anything I made from this recipe will probable outlive me since I still have items that were made over 30 years ago. Back then we baked them in the oven so this is much quicker!

Plus I have all this stuff in the kitchen and art room.

4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. salt
1 1/2 c. water

Tempera or acrylic paint (gold, green, or purple)
String or ribbon
Clear acrylic or varnish

Do not eat the ornament.

Mix all ingredients in large bowl with your hands. Roll into a smooth ball.

Roll dough 1/4″ thick with rolling-pin on waxed paper.

If sticky, sprinkle more flour on wax paper. If sticky, sprinkle more flour on wax paper, cut out shapes with cookie cutters or table knife. Use a pencil or a straw to make a hole for a string to go through. Smooth the sides and make sure the shape is correct.

Bake in 20 second intervals in microwave on high. Do one at a time. The time needed and the size/thickness can be changed for different projects. When cooled they can be painted with tempera/acrylic paint.I added food coloring to the dough to make things quicker. Then spray with clear acrylic paint (or varnish) to seal out moisture. Store in cool, dry place when not being used.

Finished project on the tree.

Today’s organization assignment is to declutter plastic cups and water bottles. I did this last year and have not added any new ones to what I have, We also have not used many of them during the year so cleared out a few more of them.

Christmas Downer

We all know the feeling of anticipation that builds as Christmas get closer and we all know the let down after Christmas. It is not that our Christmas wasn’t all we wished for, but the fact that it is over and we are left with returning to our regular lives.

The house is empty as all the kids and their families have gone to their own places and the presents are all gone from under the tree. Decorations are slowly being packed away for another year and we are left with putting everything back to normal.

I usually pack everything except the tree away before the new year but that isn’t happening this year.  I got hit with sinus problems about two-week before Christmas which made things a bit stressful before Christmas. Then on Sunday morning, after Christmas, I got hit with the stomach bug that is going around town. The next three days were a bit of a burr and I missed a few events that were important to me, like a friend’s funeral, but I am finally starting to feel more normal. Today was my first day out and I made my much-needed hair appointment. It is amazing how getting your hair cut and washed by someone else can make you feel – thank you Christy!

The decorations that have been taken down are piled on the dinning room table because the basement is flooded (it seems it has been raining the whole time I was sleeping). I never got prepared so I will not only have to disinfect the floor but also wash the few throw rugs that are down there. The good thing is that the water level is very low this time and the plastic tubs on the floor have not tipped over which will help with the clean up. I usually place the floor tubs on top the table when I expect the basement to flood.

One way to beat the after Christmas downers is to continue the celebration by decorating for Mardi Gras!. Mardi Gras is on Tuesday, February 9, 2016.  The Epiphany, Jan. 6, marks the end of the Christmas season and is the deadline to put away the Christmas tree for many people. However, Jan. 6 is also known as Twelfth Night the start of the Carnival season and the time to swap out Christmas ornaments for Mardi Gras ones.

Changing the Christmas tree to a Mardi Gras tree is simple and some people use many of the Mardi Gras decorations for Christmas.

The main thing to remember is that the trees usually are decorated in Mardi Gars colors: gold, purple, and green. The lights can be any colors but white lights are nice. I do not mind a few red lights so I will just leave my regular Christmas lights on the tree.

Here is the fun part – you can use anything that relates to Mardi Gras on your tree. I use beads that we got during our Mardi Gras visits.

And lots of masks, both ones I got from New Orleans and homemade ones, in the correct colors.

 

Crosses of all types, bows, Fleur-de-lis all make great decorations. You can even order special decorations if you do not have a change to visit New Orleans or make your own. This is a great place to get ideas  for your tree.

Paper chains or feather boas make great garland for the tree.

And don’t forget the King Cakes!

If the weather is still keeping you indoor with cabin fever that Mardi Gras tree can easily be changed into an Easter tree. Easter is March 27, 2016. Of course I can’t do anything until the water goes out of our basement.

Now you have a reason to keep from putting that tree away for another three months.