Today I’m going to offer a few tips on decorating and finishing the decorations. Do make sure you read through the salt dough recipe I offered the other day first, and remember that if you are going to use the oven to finish off the dough, don’t be tempted to turn up the heat beyond the recommended temperature as this could very easily cause the dough to crack and become much weakened.

One thing I have heard from people is that it is possible to use food colouring in the dough to pre-colour the decorations. Yes, this is quite true, but I find that the intensity of the colour is very poor, and it is much better to add the colour to the cooked/dried surface afterwards for a better effect.

Because the temperature at which you ‘cook’ the salt dough decorations is so low you can add some things to the decorations though. If you pop down to your local craft shop you can buy a bag of little gems, usually made of glass, and even small mirrors. These can be embedded in the decorations while the dough is soft, and won’t damage when cooked in the oven, as long as you don’t turn the heat up beyond a quarter of a gas mark. These gems and mirrors can really help make the finished product catch the light and look quite magical.

The two ways I prefer decorating my salt dough Christmas decorations is either covering them with PVA glue and then sprinkling glitter over them, or using acrylic paint. Acrylic paint is the best type to use, and helps create a smooth and very strong coating. If you have a craft shop near you then you might find an outlining pen is a useful tool as well. This can be used to create slightly raised patterns such as dots or lines using gold paint, adding even more depth and interest to your decoration. Finally, as long as you remembered to make a hole when modelling the dough you can then thread some ribbon through the decoration and hang it on the tree.

More ideas to follow in the next few days, so watch this space!

Turning to his wife he said, “My Dear, look outside, it is raining.” The great Czar’s wife peered out into the cold gloominess of the night and said, “You are wrong. It is not raining, for I can clearly see that it is snowing.”

Rudolph and his wife continued to disagree as to whether it was raining or snowing, and so in order to settle their dispute they resolved to step outside into the cold to see for themselves. As they stepped outside they were immediately drenched as the rain lashed down, soaking them in seconds.

“You see Dear,” pronounced the Czar,” I was right. You really should have believed me, because Rudolph the Red knows rain, Dear!”

This is a great opportunity to berate those people who, for all their intelligence, seem to lack the one thing which ironically seems to be less and less common as the years go by. I often wonder whether common sense was so named as a sarcastic joke that most people never got. It certainly doesn’t take a lot of effort to find extraordinary examples of a complete lack of common sense. In fact, we’d love it if you would use the comments box below to submit your own personal tales!

Here’s one story we came across recently which illustrates why common sense may not be all that common. This event takes place in California, where a local airport had been suffering from a spate of thefts. To combat this a security team was employed to patrol the area. Shortly thereafter two things happened. The number of thefts went down, and fuel consumption went up. This puzzling situation continued for a while, until one night a passerby happened to notice one of the planes on fire.

The small airplane was rapidly becoming part of the runway, and nearby was one of the security guards, unconscious. It turned out that he had been siphoning off the fuel from planes in order to fuel his car, but on this particular night he’d chosen a small plane with an unusual fuel system. He’d shoved his siphon into the tank, but hit upon a baffle, and couldn’t get to the fuel. Rather than give up, he decided to get a good look at the inside of the plane’s fuel tank. As it was dark, he decided the best way of examining a fuel laden fuel tank at night was to… light a match.

So today, celebrate common sense, or at least have a laugh at the lack of it! Do send us your tales using the comments box below.

The point though is that having a quarter of a million weddings every year means more and more people are celebrating their wedding anniversary. Wedding anniversaries are very special days (as long as you remember them!) but it can be difficult to know what to buy someone, or how to decorate a room if you’re having a special anniversary meal or celebration.

To add to the confusion different countries tend to associate different things with different anniversary celebrations. For example in the UK the 1st anniversary is traditionally cotton, whereas in the US it’s paper. In the UK the second anniversary is paper, whereas in the US it’s cotton, and the 6th anniversary is sugar in the UK and iron in the US. Certainly in that case it’s easier to post someone a chocolate bar than an iron bar.

So to help anyone looking for advice on suitable anniversary gifts or themes for anniversary parties here is a complete list of anniversary gift themes by year for the UK.

• 1st Anniversary – Paper
• 2nd Anniversary – Cotton
• 3rd Anniversary – Leather
• 4th Anniversary – Linen
• 5th Anniversary – Wood
• 6th Anniversary – Iron
• 7th Anniversary – Copper
• 8th Anniversary – Bronze
• 9th Anniversary – Pottery
• 10th Anniversary – Tin/Aluminium
• 11th Anniversary – Steel
• 12th Anniversary – Silk
• 13th Anniversary – Lace
• 14th Anniversary – Ivory
• 15th Anniversary – Crystal
• 20th Anniversary – China
• 25th Anniversary – Silver
• 30th Anniversary – Pearl
• 35th Anniversary – Coral/Jade
• 40th Anniversary – Ruby
• 45th Anniversary – Sapphire
• 50th Anniversary – Gold
• 55th Anniversary – Emerald
• 60th Anniversary – Diamond

We have a wide selection of room decorations and table decorations, including table confetti and serviettes which will match many of these anniversaries. We also sell balloons, including helium balloons, which can really help to decorate a room or table in a suitably colourful way. This list is helpful not just for those people looking to find out which sort of gift to buy, but also for those trying to identify how they should decorate a table or room for an anniversary celebration.

For occasions such as the 1st anniversary, 2nd or 4th anniversary a white theme is ideal, whereas a brown theme is perfect for a 3rd or 5th anniversary. A silver theme is ideal for 10th, 11th and 25th anniversaries, with bronze or copper colours being used for 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th anniversaries. Obviously special occasions such as jade, ruby, gold or emerald anniversaries speak for themselves when it comes to theming the decorations for the table or room, and most of the others can easily be themed using any of the colours or styles of decoration we have on our main website.

Remember, if you’re looking to buy helium balloons the cheapest and most convenient option is to buy our helium balloon kit which includes a disposable helium tank which you can use to inflate the balloons at the location where and when you need them. Don’t forget to pick up some string and balloon weights too – and even these can be bought in a range of colours to help complement the colour theme of the rest of the room.

Little Elsie had really been looking forward to her birthday party. Her grandmother had spared no expense, with a special caterer, a band, and even a hired clown. Preparations were underway, and all was looking really good. However, just before the party two men turn up looking for a handout. Feeling sorry for, Elsie’s grandmother explains that there are some logs at the back of the garden which need chopping for firewood, and so gratefully the two guys head off to get started.

As the party approaches, Elsie’s grandmother gets a call from the clown to apologise, and to explain that he is stuck in traffic and may not be able to make the party. Else is grandmother is disappointed, and tries hard to entertain the children herself, but not terribly successfully. Looking up, she glances out of the window and sees one of the guys doing fantastic cartwheels across the lawn. As she watches in awe, he swings from tree branches, flips across the lawn and leaps high into the air.

Running out into the garden, Elsie’s mother approaches the other guy and says, “What your friend is doing is fantastic, do you think that he would consider doing that again for the children at the party?”

The guy says, “I dunno, let me ask him…” Turning to his friend he calls out, “Derek – for £50 would you chop off a another toe?”

So next time it comes to holding a children’s party, or even having a party where the whole family comes round, why not try out the cocktail below that’s specially designed to be fun, tasty and completely alcohol free? Of course not only is it great for the kids, and tremendously popular, but it’s also great for adults, especially those who might be designated drivers.

Appleade:
For this recipe you just need a couple of large apples, a little bit of sugar and some boiling water. It’s quick to make, and extremely tasty. Simply chop up the two large apples and then pour about a pint of boiling water over them. Next, sprinkle a dash of sugar over them and leave the whole concoction to stand for a few minutes.

After a few minutes strain the liquid thoroughly and leave it to cool. Although making this drink doesn’t take long, it’s sensible to prepare it plenty of time in advance because it will take a while to cool down. But don’t worry, because the wait is well worth it!

Once your Appleade has cooled down make sure that you serve it with plenty of ice, and a little apple or lemon garnish as well. Slicing one apple into thin segments means that you can is pop a slice of apple onto the edge of each glass in which your Appleade is served. Don’t forget if you’re serving this up to children to include a straw!

Perhaps the only downside to party poppers is that they’re not especially pretty, and can look a little out of place in some settings. Fortunately the party popper has come of age, and as well as stocking the traditional mini explosions of confetti and paper streamers we’re also delighted to offer a range of fantastic holographic cone party poppers. These snazzy little devices look very pretty, and are available in a wide range of colours to enable you to tie them in with the theme of your party or event.