Enchanted forest

Hi friends,
I promised you a few weeks ago that I would share with you something really cool so here it is. I was planning the first Family Dance for my daughter's school and, I wanted to be beautiful but we didn't have a lot of money as you know most schools are straggling financially. So, I decided to make the decorations from nature things and call it the "Enchanted Forest". I bought Christmas lights, tissue balls, paper plates, napkins, decoration paper rolls and, serving trays (some I had). The total I spent in decorations for this party was less than $100. All the rest I took from around my home we leave in the forest and I have 4 different kind of pines, but you can buy pine cones at the craft store.

My favorite project was the little enchanted forest, I'm sharing this because as a country a lot of families are having financial difficulties and the holidays are approaching and the stress starts to get more and more for parents. This is something you can make for your children and play with them, If you are religious instead of a forest you could make the Nativity set or try to make the Arch with the animals.

The Gnomes are made with acorns , I separated the 2 parts and glued them back with the opposite side on the shell. The hat it's a piece of something in a potpourri bag from the 99c Store, you could use a piece of fabric.
The tent is made of little branches and a felt piece of fabric $0.50 at Walmart or you can use something you already have at home, bark, pine needles or more branches. the base it's a slice of a log but you could make it out of a box and painted like  a log.

The slide and the swing are made out of bark, but you could make them with cardboard. trees are different sizes of pine cones dipped in green paint. Mushrooms are made with acorns. Turtle is made out of acorn top. Skunk and butterfly are made out of a piece of a potpourri.

The dad deer and the deer baby are made of a small pine cone, acorn and small twigs. Bears are made of small pine cones cut the top and flipped it with the pint to the front so it looks like the nose. ears are pieces from the same pine cone.

I had a great time making this and Bianca is having a good time playing with them :o)
Enjoy your Holidays, things are not what it would make it special, read a story book, watch a Holiday or Christmas movie, make cookies, make ornaments. Your kids will remember those things, they will not remember what they got for Christmas.

The other things I use for the party:

Hanging star made out of pine cones, wood logs to set food.

 

 Back drop made out sheets, pine cones flowers, white flowers are made of fabric petals from the 99c Store and acorn tops.

It was a great party and we didn't break the bank!

                                                                          Have fun!!!