Tropical Style

5 Most Common Mulches

The principal purpose of mulch would be to improve the soil structure and mineral levels, and also to safeguard it from humidity and humidity changes. There’s a wide array of organic substances that work nicely as mulch for gardens and landscapes, however, a handful of these substances are used more often than the remainder of residential grounds. Five of the most commonly used mulches offer many advantages to your soil and plants, and are readily available and very affordable.

Wood Products

Wood mulch is available ground, shredded or chipped. Shredded mulch is usually made of thin strips of tree bark. Ground mulch consists of very fine to medium-sized wood particles. Ground hardwood mulch is particularly dark and rich in appearance and appears attractive in the landscape. Chipped wood mulches are coarse in texture and therefore are the most commonly available kinds of wood mulch. Soft woods like pine can increase acidity in your soil, making it ideal for mulching azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Hardwood mulch tends to become alkaline, so it is ideal for just about any sort of plant that does not need an acidic soil.

Compost

Compost is commonly used in home landscapes because it is a great soil conditioner that’s not hard to make yourself. Compost is created by combining various kinds of yard waste, such as leaves, plant debris and grass clippings, and may also include kitchen waste. The substance is mixed and left to decompose until it’s a blended material rich in nutrients. Compost is also commercially available at garden centers and greenhouses. One disadvantage of compost as mulch is the nutrient content and acidity of compost changes dependent on the substance used.

Yard Clippings

Lawn clippings are generally used as mulch since they decompose quickly, enrich the soil and also cost nothing. Lawn clippings should be applied dry, but if you want to employ new lawn clippings, spread them securely so that they don’t form a crust or mat down and heat up, which can lead to odor problems. If you’ve treated your yard with pesticides, don’t use clippings for 4 weeks after application. Whether dry or fresh, apply lawn clippings in thin layers, adding new layers per week after mowing your yard. One disadvantage to yard clippings is the potential weed seeds that could be combined with the grass, so check the soil regularly for weed seed germination to remove weeds before they become problematic.

Leafmold

Leafmold is a frequent mulch material that’s available in your landscape, or by municipal composting facility. It is made up of partially decomposed leavesthat are typically composted from the autumn to be prepared for use as leafmold mulch in the spring. Leafmold is an ideal mulch for adding nutrients to the soil. Newly fallen leaves may also be used, but will take some time to decompose, so nutrients aren’t as readily available to your plants as they are with leafmold.

Straw

Straw mulch made of wheat or oat grains, winter rye or hay is commonly used in residential and farm landscapes due to its availability and low price. It can be a powerful mulch material so long as it is free of weed seeds or mould. Pine straw mulch is also widely used and can be commercially available in large bales. Pine straw is made of pine needles and is a wonderful mulch material for improving soil structure and drainage. Both kinds of straw are best for preventing erosion of the soil during winter rains or as summer mulch in vegetable gardens.

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Fireplaces

Fire Blight & the Podocarpus

Podocarpus, also known as African fern pine or yew pine, is an evergreen conifer that flourishes in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9, however Podocarpus henkelii is hardy to zone 12. The needles form dense spirals and are delicate, lush and pleasantly scented. Podocarpus takes well to pruning and can be grown outdoors or as a large houseplant. While fire blight is not normally a problem for podocarpus plants, correct treatment is critical.

Symptoms

Caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, fire blight infection spreads through heavy rainfall or is vectored to vulnerable plants by insects. The bacteria overwinter in cankers and become active as soon as the weather warms in spring, multiplying and spreading the disease. When the podocarpus is actively growing in spring, then those small to large cankers begin to ooze light tan bacterial material which turns darker when exposed to the air. Fire blight is the most active when the temperature is between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit and rainfall is frequent.

Damage

The tips of the leaves on the podocarpus plant’s new shoots can turn black and slowly bend in the shape of a shepherd’s crook. The disease may spread into twigs, limbs and branches. The blackened places remain on the plant rather than falling, giving it a scorched appearance. In case the disease spreads into the primary stem or roots, the podocarpus might perish. Fire blight generally goes from the leaf downward to the origins.

Control

Pruning out infected areas of the podocarpus in summer or winter, when the bacteria aren’t actively propagating, can help slow the spread of the disease. Pruning clippers or shears must be disinfected between cuts and between plants to avoid inadvertently spreading the pathogen to healthy podocarpus plants. The pruning cuts need to add more than only the canker. Cut off the division where the canker is and also the division to which it is attached, leaving only the branch collar of the main division. On the primary stem, you can scrape the illness by removing discolored tissue beneath the bark and also an extra 6 to 8 inches of healthy timber. Copper-based sprays might help slow the spread of the disease but generally can’t control it.

Prevention

Since lush new growth is especially vulnerable to fire blight infection, heavy nitrogen fertilization and hard pruning to encourage new growth only promote illness. Bordeaux combinations and copper-based sprays implemented since the podocarpus commences actively growing can help reduce the intensity of fire blight infection and supply some protection for plants that are healthy.

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Tropical Style

Container Fruit Tree Gardening

Growing fruit trees in containers provides an effective way for patching without the right soil or climate to grow the fruit they want from the ground. The size of fruit trees grown in containers is restricted by the size of this container. Fruit trees which are container grown require more routine care, since they’ve limited access to water and nutrients.

Containers

The drainage and space your plant container supplies limits the size of your potted tree and also has a direct effect on its long term wellbeing. You can use containers made from wood, vinyl, metal or ceramics so long as they have sufficient drainage holes. Adding drainage trays for your own potted trees is a good idea if you plan on maintaining your fruit tree indoors. You can install a layer of hardware cloth over the base of the container to prevent soil from escaping through the drainage holes.

Growing Medium

The best growing medium for fruit trees in containers is a fast-draining soil that prevents water from pooling around the roots of your fruit tree. Blending perlite, coarse sand and peat moss in equal parts supplies an effective growing medium for many fruit trees. If you are growing a fruit tree which requires an acidic soil, you may add sulfur into the mix to decrease its pH. Fruit trees grown in containers are limited to the quantity of water that the soil in your container may carry. Check the soil in your container regularly to prevent the tree from drying out. Permit the soil at the surface of the container to dry to the touch before watering it thoroughly.

Fertilizer

Incorporating a slow-release fertilizer with a balanced combination of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium in your potting mix provides nutrients for your own container grown fruit tree throughout the growing season. Applying supplemental doses of fertilizer twice a month ensures sustained healthy growth. Avoid using fertilizers with a high concentration of nitrogen, as strong doses of nitrogen applied to container grown trees may support your tree to grow more foliage than its root system can support.

Pruning

Excess loads of fruit may stunt the tree or stop the tree in fruiting from the following calendar year. Through the first year of growth, most fruit trees cannot support more than five or six fruits at one time. Removing excess fruit ensures that the tree may maintain healthful growth and produce fruit each year.

Considerations

Container grown trees may become root bound if they aren’t repotted periodically. You can remove excess roots from the outside of the root ball and repot it to prevent your tree from growing larger. If you are growing a tree you will need to move in and outside of your home on a regular basis, a wheeled plant stand can make the task easier. Over-applying fertilizer may cause a build up salt from the ground. Water your plant gradually over a period of many minutes to leach the salt out if you notice a white crust growing around the surface of the soil around your tree.

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Tropical Style

The best way to Water Vegetable Plants Correctly

Irrigation is an important component of good vegetable growing. You can offer the ideal dirt, sunlight and fertilizer, but having uneven or too much watering, your vegetables will not produce a great crop. Do not wait to water until the leaves wilt, because this will decrease harvest yields, particularly if it happens during a crucial stage of growth, such as flower growth. Water your vegetables correctly throughout the season so you can reap a plentiful harvest.

Water newly transplanted vegetables more frequently because their roots are shallow. It could be necessary to water three to four times each week for two to three weeks to keep the dirt around the roots adequately moist. Some vegetables, such as cabbage and broccoli, remain shallow rooted even in adulthood, so frequent watering is still essential. During the warmth of summer, most vegetables will probably need several waterings weekly. Otherwise, a couple of waterings per week will suffice.

Feel the dirt with your finger, about 1 to 2 inches deep to get shallow frozen vegetables, along with 3 to 4 inches deep to get more heavily rooted vegetables, such as tomatoes and carrots. If the soil feels dry, it’s time to water. If it’s still moist, don’t water. Allowing the soil dry out a bit between watering forces the roots to grow deeper and also prevents you from over-watering your vegetables.

Water vegetables thoroughly so it seeps into the ground to encourage deeper, stronger root systems. For shallow-rooted vegetables, water with about 1 inch of water. For deeply frozen vegetables, water with 1 to 2 inches of water. When watering, do so at the base of the plants, even if possible, to prevent fungal diseases that can develop on the foliage. Water vegetables in the morning so that the foliage can dry out during the day.

Quit watering vegetables, such as onions, potatoes and winter squash, near the end of growing season if they will need to heal or dry out before harvesting.

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Tropical Style

Slow Growth Avocado Trees

Healthful avocado trees (Persea americana ) don’t grow gradually. In reality, roughly 36 inches each year grow. Pruning branches out to try and control expansion promotes the tree. Pruning also eradicates the abundance of leaves the tree demands for avoidance and return of sunscald. Avocado trees provide shade and only produce fruit in sites with full sun.

Dwarf Trees

A potential solution to the speedy growth of avocado trees at U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and 11 is planting dwarf trees. They don’t grow as tall as avocado trees, but still grow at a rate of approximately 36 inches each year. The most productive and best exterior rainbow avocado tree assortment is”Gwen.” It does well in containers and develops 14 feet tall. “Whitsell” reaches 12 feet tall, bears fruit every other year and generally just does well outside in containers or in a greenhouse.

Short Avocado Trees

The variety drymifolia and the cultivar”Mexicola” typically grow 35 feet tall, but some specimens of both of these trees have grown 72 feet tall. Both have reduced canopies that form an oblong, curved or umbrella shape. Drymifolia has expansion, resists oak root canal and develops in USDA hardiness zones 9 and 10. “Mexicola” bears small fruit with top quality flesh and contains large seeds. It’s the hardiest cultivar recovers rapidly from frost damage and known. “Mexicola” defoliates at 20 degrees Fahrenheit, the trunk expires at 17 degrees Fahrenheit and it does best in USDA hardiness zones 8a through 10.

Thin-Skinned Fruit

“Duke” and”Fuerte” have thin-skinned fruit and generally develop 50 feet tall, but some specimens of both of these trees have attained 72 feet tall. Both have curved, oval or umbrella-shaped canopies. “Duke” has branches that resist breaking in temperate places as well as the fruit has excellent flesh. It develops in USDA hardiness zones 9 through 10a and recovers from frosts down to 22 degrees Fahrenheit. “Fuerte” bears large fruit with good flesh, but occasionally only in alternate years. It resists frost down and develops in USDA hardiness zones 8.

Thick-Skinned Fruit

“Hass” and”Pinkerton” have thick-skinned fruit and generally develop 50 feet tall, but some specimens of both of these trees have grown 72 feet tall. “Hass” bears medium-sized fruit with great flesh that are the current industry standard. It’s more sensitive to damage from weather and only resists temperatures down to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. “Pinkerton” prolifically creates variable sized fruit. It resists frost damage to 30 degrees Fahrenheit better than”Hass” does, also develops in USDA hardiness zones 8 through 10.

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Fireplaces

How to Close in an Apartment Balcony

The traditional flat fireplace is an open environment surrounded by a waist-high wall of some kind. Sometimes this barrier is not anything more than a railing, but a lot of times it is a waist-high concrete block wall. If you want to enclose your flat fireplace, you will need to build a roof to enclose the whole project, providing privacy and a greater level of comfort within a controlled atmosphere.

Balcony Base

The fireplace base is the main part to any fireplace, because before you can build any walls or even a construction in addition to the balcony base, you must first ensure that the foundation is powerful enough to confirm what you want to place on top. Consult a structural engineer knowledgeable about city building codes and the building’s architect, if possible, to ascertain whether or not you need to make additional shoring steps to further strengthen the foundation of the fireplace. In most cases, balconies are built strong enough to handle some simple framing weight added on top, but always check first so that you do not have any injuries down the road with the fireplace falling out from beneath the weight.

Current Walls

If your existing balcony walls reach to about waist height, you can probably tie into the existing walls and then continue the setup up to the roof. However, in case there are just railings of some kind, these will have to be ripped out first so that you can build your walls. An existing basic block wall enclosing a fireplace is the best platform for wall framing to continue as much as a roof. From here, it is possible to mount wall framing with bolts and attach a roof to the top of the timber framework. Current wood frames can also be acceptable as a platform as long as they follow the traditional framing rules using vertical studs set at 16-inch intervals. From there you can just add fresh wall framing and then work your way up to the selected height of the enclosure.

Framing Versus Block or Brick

A fireplace enclosure isn’t the same construction as a full-length house that has an extremely heavy roof or even a second level above it. In short, the walls of the fireplace enclosure do not support tons of weight, however they’re still restricted in some aspects because they’re a part of the fireplace, meaning the help of the fireplace as it juts out from the building is that the support you have to work with. Though some improvements can be made to shore it up, the most suitable choice for balcony enclosures would be to utilize wood framing, just like wood is used in a normal dwelling. Full-height block and brick walls are too heavy to be considered because of the walls of a fireplace, because they would put too much weight on the foundation.

Roof

After you have framed the walls and the roof of the fireplace, you have to tie it into the present siding of the building so that it is possible to ensure everything stays waterproof. Install flashing and guttering around each one of the perimeters, and also install flashing underneath the wall siding of the building in which it meets the new roof of the fireplace, and down beneath the layer of shingles or other roofing material you use to cover the fireplace. All these could be asphalt shingles, clay or concrete tile shingles, or even raw all-natural stone shingles. Everything needs to be waterproofed, flashed and tied into the present siding for waterproof protection.

Siding

Protect the outside of the fireplace by installing some type of siding material. The very same principles apply as when siding a home, and that means you can use the same type of materials, like vinyl strip siding or wood shake siding. You can also opt for metal siding or for timber panelling. Tie in any new siding with the present siding of the building via flashing that underlies each separate material.

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Fireplaces

The Best Bedroom Wall-to-Wall Carpets to purchase

Your bare feet deserve a cushy, comfortable surface to land on when you swing out of bed every morning. And your bedroom decoration requires the ideal colour and texture underfoot to ground it and help pull things together. Choosing wall-to-wall rug for the bedroom is easier when you examine your options and budget, before falling in love without thinking about the long-term dedication.

Ask the Right Questions

It is your bedroom, and your rug choice should make you happy and not blow the budget. Bedrooms are low-traffic areas so that you don’t require a rug together with the durability of cast iron. Just a little luxury is a much better choice. Consider the amount of sunlight the space gets and how much the light changes throughout the day when picking colors. Look for a rug that will dampen noise, cushion footfalls, wear well, not fade, and texture soft. Generally speaking, wall-to-wall carpeting blocks noise, insulates from cold or heat and conceals an unfinished ground, saving you the hassle and cost of replacing it.

Why Wool

Know your fiber to appraise possible bedroom rug. The fiber content is recorded on the company’s label on the sample in the industry. Wool is el supremo — it comes at every weave, colour and design; is naturally flame-retardant and stain-resistant; contains low-to-no toxins, based on the dyes used; also stays luxurious longer. Wool is hypoallergenic, resists crushing, helps to regulate humidity because the fiber breathes, and it even deters bacteria increase. The fiber sets the market standard, so that you may expect to pay more for the value in a nice wool rug. Regard wool Ebay as a investment. With normal maintenance and cleaning, wool rug will keep its attractiveness enough to add to the resale value of your house.

Acceptable Alternatives

Nylon is a crowd favorite; it has many of wool’s qualities with no high price tag. Nylon is easy to clean and very colorfast. It has great resilience so that you won’t put on a path from the door to the closet or the en suite toilet. The fiber adapts to most styles — shag, loop, textured and frieze. It may be recycled, a great attribute for Emptying buyers. A bit cheaper but still a reasonable choice, olefin or polyester is competitive with cotton but not as bouncy. It is a really soft fiber and cleans up well. Polyester carpet takes dye well and comes at a huge array of styles including cut and closed loop along with other plushy designs. Some polyester is created sustainably from recycled plastic pop bottles — a win for the earth and for your own bedroom and price range.

Trending at Toe-Level

The colour and weave is the place where you get to play with footfall and eye candy. Carpet comes in cut, looped, or cut and looped patterns, and carpeting finishes imply a deep lavish pile no longer takes full-time servants to keep clean. Cut pile is denser and much more resilient with higher spin levels. Velvet-soft plush shows footprints but can be easily fluffed back up. Textured plush is a bit more practical because it conceals vacuum trails and footprints but still pampers your feet. Berber is an elegant, compact loop pile that wears nicely but is harder underfoot than looser weaves. Shag is for your inner bohemian — the pile is long enough so that you’ll feel as if you are walking in tall grass. Because wall-to-wall is a huge design existence within the room, err on the side of selecting a subtle shade that will complement your current decor, and look just as great with your following color scheme.

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Fireplaces

The way to Organize Dinnerware in a China Cabinet

A china cabinet gives you an perfect place to store your heirloom dinnerware, and if looking for display, it becomes a matter of beauty in your property. China cabinets typically have dinnerware storage space at the lower half behind closed cupboard doors, but also the upper half offers you the opportunity to exhibit your fine china, decorative plates, and teacup and saucer sets behind glass on lighted shelves.

Clean and Organize

Before you start to organize your fine china or dinnerware from the closet, eliminate everything to wash out the cabinet first. Wipe the shelves down with a damp rag to remove dirt and dust. In case you have glass shelves, then clean them with a solution of vinegar and water to avoid streaking. Arrange all of the dinnerware in accordance with type — big dinner plates, salad or dessert plates, saucers, cups and bowls. Set the serving utensils aside for the moment, like serving bowls, soup tureens and gravy boats.

Select Display Items

Based on the type of display areas in your china cabinet, choose individual pieces for exhibition under the lights. To show plates vertically, you’ll need special holders unless your china cabinet has a ridge to set them in and lean them against the back inside wall. You can use this area for seasonal accessories or alter it out as needed to enhance the decor in the room. Set the things for demo aside. When you have any specialty bowls or glassware, like hand-cut crystal or hand-blown glass bowls, then add these as accessories arranged in key places.

Dinnerware Storage Organization

Begin at the top of the storage region that’s behind closed doors. Leave a space to store your own silverware in its container to one of the top storage shelves. In case you have sufficient room, add fine crystal glasses you use only for holiday or formal dinners for safekeeping. Insert the dinner plates, salad and dessert plates, saucers, teacups or coffee cups to the second shelf. On the bottom shelves of the china cabinet in the storage area, store the dinnerware accessories not on display. Set the largest pieces in first, like large serving platters, to make room for things you will arrange on top of them.

Exhibition Pieces

Set the largest pieces for exhibit in the china cabinet to begin with to create the base. Center a big serving platter on the bottom shelf, a soup tureen over the shelf above with covered gravy boat and pitcher on the next shelf, if you have them. Insert a different serving platter or decorative plate or a favorite cut-crystal bowl on the upper shelf. When you have room to either side, then set a plate in a holder or include teacups and saucers on each shelf.

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Decorating Guides

What Color Do You Paint Your Back Door?

The rear door is a sort of “also-ran” when it comes to decorative picks such as a particular paint color. But, if it leads to your garbage station or a magical backyard Eden with lush gardens and a sparkling pool, the rear door deserves a little love — and perhaps a brand new coat of paint. It may not bring about curb appeal, but a colorful back door may cheer you up when you are sitting around the rear patio as well as taking out the trash after dinner.

Match Point

Paint the rear door to coordinate with the exterior colors and trim of the house — pick up one existing color and use it for the door. A white clapboard house with charcoal trim and a black roof remains neat-looking with a door in charcoal or shiny black. A mint stucco cabin with a terra-cotta tile roof receives a terra-cotta painted door with forest-green trim. Your light iris painted woman with red trim and a light-blue rear porch appears pulled-together with a red or light-blue door.

One Big Garden

Combine back-door decor with the nature overtaking your backyard. Paint the door soft sage, pastel bluebell, gray thistle or heather. Reflect the deep green of the lily pads in the pond, or the creamy pink of the lotus blossoms. The rear door might be a bright extension of the pumpkin patch in autumn or the brilliant blue of cornflowers. If you are feeling artistic, paint the door like old copper that is likely to verdigris, with streaks of metallic and powdery color. If you’re a trick — or not so secret — hippie, then capture a rainbow on the rear door, then paint every one of the patio seats in a different rainbow color.

Hip and Sexy

Paint a party vibe on the rear door with a dip of vibrant color that electrifies the backyard. Chartreuse is surprising and invigorating. Sexy purple pink is jazzy and Caribbean. Grape — not aubergine and not imperial purple but pure reddish grape — is as joyous as a punchbowl and exotic as orchids. You don’t need that blast of color to come out of nowhere, so make your decision depending on the more sober colors of the house and yard. Try a brilliant teal door for a gray house with white trim; warm pink for your yellow house with blue shutters; tangerine against a cream-colored house with slate or charcoal blue trim; chartreuse against stained wood shingles and red trim.

Feng Shui Color Palette

In feng shui, the principal or front door is that the mouth through which good chi enters the house. When you use the rear door for most entries and leaves, it takes on the role of welcoming and pulling strong positive chi. Feng shui provides clues to the best color for a frequently used door. Fiery red stands for courage, high energy and prosperity; orange is extroverted, exuberant and welcoming; green is a balancing, healing and young-at-heart color; blue is calm, peaceful and as expansive as the sky. A yellow door represents great cheer, positive energy and sharp intellect; purple means wealth, powerful position and high spirituality. White doors are about freedom, cleansing and fresh beginnings. Black is protective but has a feeling of mystery and surprising possibilities; and brownish pulls a grounded, nurturing, rooted energy for keeping the status quo.

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Decorating Guides

DIY Winter-Themed Centerpieces for a Kitchen Table

A winter-themed centerpiece adds the essence of seasonal beauty to the table. Create your own decor using twigs and branches, faux ice and simulated ice to get a wintry view without frigid temperatures.

Branching Out

Scour the yard for loose twigs or branches little enough to display in a vase, or purchase twisted or unusual divisions from a craft store’s floral department. Jazz them up with homemade synthetic ice — spread clear vase-filler crystals or gems in a shallow tray or tub; then brush craft glue above the areas of the branches you would like to decorate. Dip the branches to the vase filler to give them an ice-like coat. Opalescent, nice white glitter scattered over the wet adhesive adds a sparkling ice effect. For another look, first paint the divisions silver; subsequently give them the icy therapy. Display the divisions in a white, ice blue or clear vase across the kitchen table. Dangle a few snowflake-shaped decorations out of the divisions, if you prefer.

Ornamental Display

Fill a transparent cylinder vase or apothecary jar with silver, frosted white and ice blue ball ribbons to get a screen suitable for the entire winter season. Rather than a jar or vase, use a long, narrow bowl usually employed for nuts or fruits for another look. Arrange the decorations so that their tops face so they look more like balls than ornaments. Faux pearls in white, blue or silver may be used to fill a transparent, narrow stem vase to get a smaller centerpiece, or use fake ice cubes for yet another winter-inspired look.

Under a Dome

A glass cloche or dome creates a miniature surroundings in centerpiece size. Paint several pedestal egg cups white and put a pine cone in each after dipping the tops of the cones in school glue and white or silver glitter for a snowy effect. Screen the pine cones beneath the cloche. If the cloche includes a foundation or rack, sprinkle extra glitter onto it for artificial snow. Create a wintertime fairy garden or village by making a miniature igloo in a 1-inch clay pot painted white. Fill the base of a plant tray with salt or sugar; then soften the grass sideways, leaving half of it exposed to create a tiny abode. Place sprigs of pine branches or miniature fairy figures in the seasoning snow, as if they’re miniature trees. Utilize the glass dome to protect the tiny atmosphere.

Festive Foods

Create a centerpiece from edible items to get a creative tabletop screen. Use a foam cone for the foundation; subsequently fasten gumdrops to it in white, blue or green, using toothpicks to keep the gumdrops set up. The end result resembles a wintertime pine tree sparkling with ice. Create an edible gingerbread-style house using graham crackers or saltines for the walls and roof. White or light blue icing serves as the glue that holds the cracker arrangement together; mixture 1/4-teaspoon cream of tartar into each cup of frosting to make the frosting firm, but still edible. Decorate the house with white nougat or taffy-style candy cut into little pieces for embellishments like window frames or a doorknob, employing the icing glue to ensure the pieces. If you are using the centerpiece for a delicious treat, make sure it gets eaten in a day or 2; otherwise, then the crackers may become stale.

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