Hanukkah Garland Craft and Decoration for Kids!

Hanukkah is quickly approaching – it starts on December 20^th! Have you decorated the house yet? Here is a fun activity that everyone in the family can take part in! Plus its fun to decorate the house together. Did we mention our Le Top “Starry Night” Collection midnight blue velour dress would be so cute for Hanukkah too? Check it out HERE!  

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Keeping the Christmas Tree Allergens in Check

There are holiday gifts and holiday cards but have you ever heard of the holiday allergy? 

Yes, it’s kind of a ‘grinchly’ thing to say but when the Christmas tree is set up in the home a segment of the population seems to experience a rise in allergic symptoms like itchy watery eyes, coughing, and the sniffles.

It’s hard to tell exactly what the source of the problem is but when it comes to both real and artificial trees the two most probable culprits are mold and dust.

For real trees mold is simply a part of nature and it’s very unlikely that during the time they are cut, stored and purchased that mold will just go away. Even if the mold level is low on the day a tree enters a home it could grow dramatically throughout the following few weeks.

Combine mold growth with the fact the tree is sitting in the center of an enclosed home and you have what could be a nightmare for people with allergic sensitivities.

When an artificial tree is being used allergies could be from mold but the deciding factor is usually dust related and directly connected to where the tree came from and how it was stored.

As we all know dust allergies are extremely common and no matter how well a home is kept once a tree that’s been sitting in the basement or attic for the last eleven months gets brought upstairs its prime material for an allergy attack.

Le Top "Santa's Helper" Collection Dress

That said, the best way to try and preempt issues from mold and dust on both real and artificial trees is before bringing them into the house hose them down well outside and let them dry in the sun. It may not remove mold permanently but will significantly reduce spores and wash away dust.

Le Top "Elves" Collection

That way when the family and friends are gathered for pictures and the kids are dressed up in Le Top’s elves or Santa’s little helper outfits playing around the tree everyone will breathe easier enjoying the time together.  

Finally, if you are worried about pollen check with the seller as to the variety of trees available since most blossom other times of the year and shouldn’t cause concern. Aside from pollen additional rare allergies that arise around Christmas from the tree are connected to sap and to pine itself.

Jakob Barry writes for Networx.com. He covers various home improvement topics including house remodeling and custom woodworking.

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Pine Cone Turkeys – the perfect autumn kids craft!

Fall is no-doubtedly in the air and the hot weather here in New York City has passed. I noticed the leaves only started to change in New York City the past two weeks, but it still seems as if it were only September. With Halloween about to pass and moving into November and Thanksgiving, I was trying to think of a classic kids craft that you could make now that would last as a home decoration through November – a pine cone turkey! Easy and super cute. Here you go….

Pine Cone Turkeys

These little turkeys are fun to assemble and provide colorful decorations for your home, neighborly gifts or even the Thanksgiving table.

Supplies:

• Pine cones
• Pipe cleaners
• Feathers
• Googly eyes, white school glue or hot glue gun, other embellishments (optional)

How to:

Step 1: Use glue to attach feathers to back of pine cone.
Step 2: Curl top of pipe cleaner to form head.
Step 3: Attach googly eyes to either side of head.
Step 4: Attach head to front of pine cone.

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America, America! Flag Pin Craft Fun!

Hope you are enjoying this wonderful holiday!  Did you know that Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day? It is a day of remembrance for those who have died in the service of our United States nation.

Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, but it’s difficult to prove the origins of the day. An interesting tid bit is that there is also evidence that a women’s group in the South decorated graves before the end of the Civil War. All in all, Memorial Day is intended to honor those who have given their all in service to our country.

Show your patriotism and make this beaded flag pin that is fun and quick.  You can hand out these pins at your Memorial Day BBQ party or have it as a fun and fashionable way to show your American pride with the family!

Follow the instructions below to create your own red, white and blue flag pins.

Items Needed:

• red, white, and blue seed beads (you can find at Michael’s or local craft store)  Note: Make sure you get seed beads with holes large enough for the pins to go through.
  
• a dozen large safety pins. (The exact number will vary a bit depending on your safety pin size.)

Steps to make your Flag Pin:

1. On your first safety pin, you will load thirteen 13 seed beads. Seven will be red and six will be white. Alternate them as you put them on the open pin: red, white, red, white, red, white, red, white, red, white, red, white, red.
2. Repeat that six more times, so that you have a total of seven safety pins with thirteen red/white beads on each of them.
3. On the eighth safety pin, you will start making the blue ‘stars’ section of the flag. It’s important that you load the blue beads first; otherwise your flag will be wrong side up. Put seven blue beads on the pin, and push them towards the hinge-spiral. Then add 3 red and 3 white, alternating. From hinge to clasp should be blue, blue, blue, blue, blue, blue, blue, white, red, white, red, white, red.
Repeat that three more times, so that you have a total of 4 pins with flag sections above the stripes.
With your last pin, you will string all the others, by putting the opened pin part through the hinge-circle of the other eleven. Put all the pins with blue beaded sections on the pin first (with the open sharp part of the pin facing your right), followed by the red-and-blue striped ones. BE CAREFUL FOR THE SHARP POINT!
Close the safety pin, and double-check that your flag is hanging correctly.
Pin on a loved one and enjoy!

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