The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 5: Simple Wooden Star Ornaments
Inside: A versatile little craft, these Clothespin Stars are a great project to make with the kids this Christmas season.
This post first ran in December of 2020. I love the homespun elegance of these simple wooden star ornaments. I think you will agree.
How to Make Clothespin Stars
Oh my stars! Clothespin Stars, that is. It’s day 4 of our marathon 12 Posts of Christmas, and we have a great little craft project for you. Making star ornaments from ordinary clothespins. Mom put together a couple of these last year, and I liked mine so well that I left it out all year long. So when she suggested this for our ornament project, needless to say, I was all in.
What You Will Need:
- 6 – 8 clothespins (the kind with metal springs) per star
- cardboard to make 1 3/4 inch circle (cereal or cracker boxes work great)
- materials for decorating the stars: raffia, ribbon, buttons, wooden cutouts, Christmas card cutouts, pine cones, paint, tea for staining. Editor’s note: Not all of these materials are needed. Get creative! Choose the materials you want.
- glue gun and glue sticks
Making the Stars
- Remove the metal spring from the clothespin by grasping the ends while simultaneously twisting and pulling them away from each other (like you’re forming an X with the sticks) and pull off the spring.
- Paint or tea stain sticks and allow to dry before gluing. You can also choose to leave them plain, as we have done with one of the stars.
- Glue the flat sides of the sticks together to form the points of the star.
- Take your cardboard and cut out a circle about 1 3/4 inches in diameter to make a base for the pins. (You don’t want this to show. Mom suggests coloring it was a magic marker to match the color of the sticks.) Note: A variation of this step is to make a larger circle (2 3/4 inch diameter) from some other material, such as the galvanized steel circle Mom used for one of the stars, in which case you want it to show. This might take the form of plain or painted wood, colorful cardstock, painted cardboard, Christmas card cutouts, tin, galvanized steel, etc.
- Glue points of the star together on circle base. (See photo.)
Glue pins together as shown. - Decorate the star. Here’s where you want to unleash your creativity. We like the natural look, so I formed a bow out of three strands of raffia and glued it to the center. Then I chose a thin piece of red ribbon to glue on top of that bow. I finished up with a tan wooden button glued to the center. (I was actually inspired by Nordic ornaments I have seen with splashes of red on straw-colored materials. Picture above.) If you like glitzy and shiny things, I’d suggest painting the star and applying glitter. Or use a wooden cutout, which are easy to find in hobby stores, to glue in the center as in this 6-point star Mom also made last year ( picture below).
- Attach a hanger to the back by making a loop from jute or ribbon that matches the look of your star and hot gluing it to the back of the ornament. Make sure it’s centered properly so your star will hang right.
Simple 6-point star with wooden cutout. Easy peasy. Now, post-haste, go find a tree on which to hang your masterpiece. Stand back and admire the work of your hands! Happy Christmas decorating!
The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 4: A Peppermint Pie for Christmas
Inside: It just wouldn’t be Christmas without a quick, easy, festive, and thoroughly delicious recipe. Here’s our offering: Peppermint Mocha Pie.
A Peppermint Mocha Pie for Christmas
So we’re halfway through the yearly marathon of Christmas posts, and I’m finally hitting my stride. This is the fourth year I’ve done these posts, and I really do enjoy them, though I think I’d be better off with some advance planning to avoid all the late nights and writing on the fly. This was a last-minute idea, really, though the recipe is one I’ve made often in the past.
Today I found myself thinking about the other 12 days, meaning “The 12 Days of Christmas,” trying to remember the various items for each day. While I wouldn’t want to make six of these, one of them definitely hits the spot! I can’t think of a better gift for day six than this delectable Christmas pie. It’s either that or six geese a-laying. Trust me, you’ll have less mess with this option! And some beaters to lick, too.
The Recipe
The ingredients are rather simple–cocoa, cream cheese, sweetener, eggs, sour cream, almond flour, butter, peppermint extract, and peppermint candies. The steps to this recipe are easy, too. While I’m noticing a rise in “no-bake” dessert options on the Internet, let me be the first to confess: I like baking! Maybe it stems from my childhood days playing with my Easy Bake Oven (a Christmas gift), but something magical happens when you slip a combination of ingredients into the oven and, after so many minutes, remove a masterpiece. Okay, maybe masterpiece is a stretch, but after one bite, you’ll be happy with your work of art!
Shall we bake?
- ¼ cup of butter
- 1 cup of almond flour
- ¼ cup + ¼ cup of cocoa powder, divided
- pinch of salt
- 4 teaspoons + ⅔ cup of sweetener (Truvia), divided
- 2 eggs
- 2 – 8 ounce bricks of cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup of sour cream
- 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract
- 2 tablespoons of crushed peppermint candies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In the microwave, melt butter in a 9-inch pie plate.
- Mix in almond flour, ¼ cup of cocoa powder, 4 teaspoons of sweetener, and pinch of salt with the butter until thoroughly mixed.
- Press evenly into the pie plate, covering the bottom and the side up to the top. Put aside.
- In a large bowl combine eggs, ⅔ cup of sweetener, cream cheese, sour cream, remaining cocoa, and peppermint extract and beat with mixer until smooth.
- Pour mixture into the pie plate and bake for 25 minutes.
- Cool the pie enough to place it in the refrigerator and chill for 2 or 3 hours.
- Sprinkle crushed peppermint on top.
- Enjoy!
Notes: You can increase the peppermint extract for a stronger flavor. If you have no dietary restrictions, then by all means use regular sugar. While this is a low carb recipe, you might notice I didn’t use sugar free peppermint candies. The reason is that the sugar-free candies often contain ingredients that disagree with me.
Take this delicious pie with you to your Christmas parties and family get-togethers. Or keep it for yourself to make your Christmas just a little merrier!
The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 3: Tree Hunting
Inside: Is it possible to find the perfect pine worthy of being a Christmas tree? Some thoughts on conifers and people while in pursuit of perfect pines.
This post originally ran five years ago. It means even more because our favorite farm tree was sold, so the tradition of finding our tree at Brushy Fork Pines is now just a wonderful memory.
Tree Hunting
Every year it’s the same–the search for the perfect pine. And in my mind’s eye, only the best will do.
Something without a bare spot. No missing branches. A vibrant green color. No dead spots or brown needles. Our assignment is pretty clear. We’re not some first-timers.
We head for the white pines. Something in the six-foot range. We approach each pine expectantly, Mike standing beside to measure height. One’s too tall. Another’s too wide. Branches are missing in this one. Too many brown spots in that one.
We continue the search as the land slopes below the Christmas tree farm shop. It soon becomes abundantly clear, as it does every December, that the perfect pine is elusive. We need to make adjustments. Decide what we can live with and make the best of nature’s imperfections. We settle on a tree with a bare spot toward the top, minimal brown needles. Height is just about right as Mike stands beside it. The color is good. This pine, we decide, will become our Christmas tree this year. I smile at our selection. Mike begins to saw. . .
Trees are a lot like people. We’re looking for that perfect person, whether for a spouse or a best friend or the salesclerk at a department store. Often we come with huge expectations. You must meet my needs. You must act appropriately. You must never disappoint me. But like the pines at the Christmas tree farm, we’ve got branches missing, some bare or even dead spots. Just as there are no perfect trees, there are no perfect people.
There is only one such spotless individual. And He’s the reason we’re trudging up and down hills on this beautiful day, sun on our faces, searching for the perfect not-so-perfect pine.
The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 2: Simmering Scents of the Season
Inside: Night has settled in. The Christmas lights are glowing, and there’s a light, spicy scent wafting through the house. Festive simmering potpourri. Let’s make a batch.
Simmering Scents of the Season
Enjoy this repost from five Christmases ago!
The house is quiet, and the lights on the Christmas tree are softly glowing. A light scent fills the room. Cinnamon and cloves with a hint of orange and cranberry. Nutmeg and rosemary round out the fragrance.
This potpourri is easy to make, and you likely have the ingredients on hand already.
For this Festive Simmering Potpourri, you will need:
- 1 orange cut into slices
- 1 cup of cranberries
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 2 tablespoons of whole cloves
- 2 teaspoons of ground nutmeg
- 1 quart of water
Assemble the following in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. You can also put the ingredients into a Crock Pot and keep on warm or low, or simply make the potpourri in the Crock Pot to begin with, though this will take longer for the scent to permeate the room.
Check the water level every so often and add a little more to replace what has evaporated. The potpourri will last a couple of days if you store it in the refrigerator when not in use.
Enjoy the lovely scent. Particularly after dark when the house is quiet, in the glow of the Christmas tree lights.
