Country Christmas Idea: Milkweek Pod Poinsettia Ornaments
Country Christmas Idea: Milkweek Pod Poinsettia Ornaments
Country Christmas Idea: Milkweed Pod Poinsettia OrnamentsAt first glance, milkweed plants and poinsettias don't seem to have much in common. If you live in an area where milkweed grows wild, however, you can use the dried milkweed pods to make poinsettia ornaments for your Christmas tree. Here's how:1. Collect some dried milkweed pods. In the fall, the milkweed plants have already gone to seed but the dried pods will still be attached to the plant. You will need six "halves" of a milkweed pod for each poinsettia flower that you are going to make.2. After you have collected the milkweed pods and have brought them into the house, put them in a warm spot for a few days or a week to dry out more. This is especially important if it has been rainy and damp outside.3. Glue the milkweed pod halves together side-by-side in a circle so that they look like a flower. A hot glue gun works well for gluing the pods together.4. Decorate your poinsettia flowers with spray paint and glitter, or, if you don't want to spray paint your poinsettias, just use glue and glitter. Mix and match and experiment with colors.5. Glue a loop of string, yarn, twine or ribbon to the back of the poinsettia flower. Once the glue is dry, your ornament is ready to hang on the Christmas tree. You could also give these as gifts - four or six to set, or however many you want to give.About The AuthorLeAnn R. Ralph is a freelance writer in west central Wisconsin. She is the editor of the Wisconsin Regional Writer (the quarterly publication of the Wisconsin Regional Writers' Assoc.) and is the author of the book: Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a Wisconsin Farm) (August 2003; trade paperback). Share the view from Rural Route 2 and celebrate Christmas during a simpler time. FREE SHIPPING on autographed copies. Free sample chapters on-line. http://ruralroute2.com; bigpines@ruralroute2.com
Incredibles Kid Birthday Party Idea
Incredibles Kid Birthday Party Idea
Mr. Incredible and Elastiwoman to the Rescue.
The Incredibles based on the hit Disney movie has become a favorite fun kid birthday party theme.
The Incredibles Invitations
Have fun creating a "top secret" message as your Incredibles child birthday party theme invitation.
You might say something like this. "Calling all superheros... The Incredibles need your help!"
"You're invited to help Mr. Incredible and Elastiwoman protect our city from the evil villain, "syndrom" at (insert the first and last name of your birthday child)'s birthday party... And we're celebrating with The Incredibles." "The superhero birthday action begins on (date of party)."
"Our superhero birthday party location is top secret and will be known only to our superhero guests... Only by holding this invitation up and facing it toward a mirror will you be able to decode this secret address message."
(Write the address backwards on the invitation so it will appear correctly when held up to a mirror).
"Our superhero birthday party fun begins at (time) and will end at (time)."
"Superhero refreshments will be served."
"All superhero party guests are requested to RSVP using the secret telephone number known only to our invited superhero guests.(phone number)"
"Every party guest wearing an Incredibles costume will be given a special secret party favor."
Have fun and be creative with your invitation. Your guests will quickly get the idea that this party is going to be special. They won't be able to wait for your birthday party!
The Incredibles Decorations
Yellow, red and black are the main colors for The Incredibles.
Get your Incredibles birthday party theme started right.
Decorate with yellow, red and black balloons, and crepe paper... Put "superhero" signs all over the place. Next to your telephone put a sign that reads "telephone for superheros only." On the door to the restroom put up a sign that reads, "Superhero Restroom."
Have fun, be creative, it's an Incredibles superhero party!
On your front door, attach yellow, red and black balloons and a sign that reads "Secret Location, (name of your birthday child)'s Incredibles, superhero birthday party."
Incredibles Birthday Party Theme Costumes
Costumes are a great way to get everyone into your Incredibles birthday party theme.
There are excellent online party stores and costume stores where you'll find a great selection of costumes including The Incredibles...
Or you can try putting together your own costume... Using yellow, red and black as your main colors, put together your own creative version of Mr. Incredible or Elastiwoman.
Say Cheese
Remember your camera, digital camera and video camera... You're going to want to take lots of pictures and video of your birthday child and all their friends in costume. You'll want to remember how everyone looked in their Incredibles birthday party theme costumes.
Get Your Incredibles Party Started Right
You want to start your party as soon as the first guest arrives... Don't sit around waiting for everyone else, start having fun.
Have a large glass or glass jar filled with yellow and red jelly beans and tell each guest to use their superhero X-Ray vision to guess how many jelly beans are in the jar...
Write everyone's name on one piece of paper and put their guess next to their name... Then just before your party ends, announce the superhero guest with the best X-Ray vision. (whoever guessed closest to the actual number of jelly beans in the jar wins.)
And remember to actually count the number of jelly beans you put in the jar before your birthday party begins... Then write the actual number on a piece of paper and put that piece of paper somewhere safe and where you can easily get to it.
The Incredibles Movie And CD Fun
Set your Incredibles birthday party theme right away by having The Incredibles movie DVD or video playing on your TV as your guests arrive. (You can turn the sound down low or off)... You can also surprise your birthday child by announcing that The Incredibles DVD or video is one of their birthday gifts...
For music during your birthday party games and activities, play The Incredibles movie soundtrack CD. This is an excellent way to keep your Incredibles birthday party theme going... You can also make the CD a gift for your birthday child.
The Incredibles Coloring Book
Depending on the age of your group, you can pick up an Incredibles coloring book and some small boxes of crayons... Take pages out of the coloring book and let your party guests choose pages to color... This is also a fairly quiet activity.
The Incredibles Puzzle
Kids love puzzles and what better way for your guests to get to know each other than working on a puzzle together... Having a puzzle that fits your Incredibles birthday party theme is an added bonus.
The Incredibles Superhero Food and Drink
Even The Incredibles superheros need to replentish their energy after a long day of saving the world from the villainous "Syndrom."
Consider these fun superhero foods
How about a "superhero sandwich?" Let each guest build their own (super) hero sandwich... Keep it simple and put fun superhero labels on everything.
"Power Bread"
"More Power Mustard"
"Red Energy Sauce" (ketchup)
"Power Pickles"
"Total Energy Turkey"
"Super-Sauce Mayo"
"Mr. Incredible Celery"
"Elastiwoman Cheese Slices"
"Raw Energy Raisins"
"Power Packed Carrot Sticks"
The Incredibles Superhero Energy Drinks
Try mixing Ginger Ale with cherry ice cream for a colorful superhero drink.
Punch can be re-named "The Incredibles Super Sauce"
For a fun and creative drink project, let your party guests mix three different and colorful Cool Aid drinks and Ginger Ale into their very own superhero drink... Cherry and Lime anyone?
For extra fizz, let them add pop-rocks...
Your Incredibles birthday party theme is going to be a big hit!
For more FREE kid birthday party ideas visit us at: Fun-Kid-Birthday-Parties.comMike Dougherty "Grandpa Mike" is a television and motion picture writer/producer/director who is now webmaster on Fun-Kid-Birthday-Parties.com and a movie based web site Best-DVD-Movie-Club.com
Join A Songwriting Forum – Its A Good Idea!
Join A Songwriting Forum - Its A Good Idea!
If you are a songwriter looking to get "plugged-in" to where the action is, consider joining a songwriting forum. This is a great way to meet other songwriters, share your ideas, promote your songs and/or lyrics, find resources and much more! As the Good Book says:"iron sharpens iron," which simply means that we grow and learn from the exchange of new ideas with others. A songwriting forum is a great place for this kind of exchange to take place and will also provide you with an opportunity to get some feedback on your material. Because songwriting is often a very personal experience, the idea of being vulnerable and exposing yourself may seem a bit scary at first. Many would rather keep their songs to themselves than face the possibility of rejection. But there will be little reward without some level of risk. In other words- "nothing ventured, nothing gained." So, don't allow yourself to be short-changed. Make a move to get involved and conquer your fear!When you do decide to join a songwriting forum, think of yourself as a student and be willing to learn. Also be willing to accept constructive criticism and try not to take it too personally. When reading someone's critique of your lyric, you should always strive to be objective. It can be very beneficial to look at your song through someone else's eyes, but don't feel you have to agree with everything they say! You are the only one who really knows your song and the history behind it. Don't feel that you have to compromise anything unless you see the benefit of doing so. But do carefully consider what others have to say because they might notice something that you have overlooked. It's important for you to be prepared to rewrite you lyric if necessary!If you have advice to offer to someone else in the songwriting forum, be gracious, but honest. No one will profit from your comments if you are not willing to share what you think. But having said that, you can do it tactfully. Always try to look for something good about a song in order to balance out anything negative you might have to say. Critiquing someone else's song can be another great way to hone your skills because you will learn to be more observant. Through the process of analyzing and then explaining your thoughts, you are bound to gain new insights for yourself. It's also likely that you will recognize different styles of writing and perhaps even learn to use words and phrases in ways that you never thought of.As you probably know, anyone who has a desire to be a professional recording artist should seriously consider developing this skill. Songwriting can "make or break" a career, so the more your learn about it, the better off you'll be. Songwriting can be another means to enhance your guitar playing too. So, whether you currently write your own songs, or just want to learn how, a songwriting forum may be the key to getting you started. Why not break out your pad and pencil and join one today!FREE Reprint Rights - You may publish this article in your e-zine or on your web site as long as you include the following information:Kathy Unruh is a singer/songwriter and webmaster of ABC Learn Guitar. She has been writing songs and providing guitar lessons to students of all ages for over 20 years. For free guitar lessons, plus tips and resources on songwriting, recording and creating a music career, please visit: http://www.abclearnguitar.com