Give your tree a unique and festive touch with bells!

Bells are a long standing symbol of Christmas tradition. The ringing of bells has announced the beginning of the holidays and the winter season for centuries. Not only is the sound of a ringing bell reminiscent of an angel getting its wings, they also add a touch of festive decor!

Try adding a few ornaments bells to your tree for a special holiday flair!

We offer candy cane bells, Santa bells and wreath bells.

Making your own door bell from a dexter bell is a great way to alert you when a guest enters the room and serves as a cheery holiday decoration to boot! Simply take a large dexter bell and thread some colored ribbon through the top holes of the bell. Tie the ribbon into a pretty bow at the base of the bell and pull the remaining ribbon through the top to form a hanging loop. You can find this large jingle bell at www.bell-outlet.com.

How to Potty Train Your Puppy Using Bells

Photo by TintedGlass

Training a puppy to let you know when he needs to go outside to potty doesn't have to be a hard task. You just need to train your puppy to associate ringing the bells with going outdoors.

What you will need:
Bells (small jingle bells or craft bells will work)
A length of sturdy string or ribbon to tie or sew the bells to.

Be sure that the string or ribbon is long enough for your puppy to reach with his nose or paw so that he can ring them. Sew or tie the bells firmly to the string or ribbon, you do not want them to be able to fall off and cause a choking hazard for your pet. Affix the bells to your door, being sure your puppy can reach them.

Training:
To get your puppy to associate the bells with going outdoors, be sure to ring them every time that you take your puppy outside. It will be especially helpful if you can get the puppy to ring them when you take him or her outside, however, even if you are doing the ringing, be sure that the bells are rang each time, then open the door to go out. After a few days of this, most puppies will learn what the bells mean and you will soon hear the bells ring and find your puppy waiting patiently by the door.

However, if your puppy is not learning to associate the bells with the door, he or she may need some positive affirmation in the form of treats. For more info on this visit: http://www.wikihow.com/Potty-Train-Your-Puppy-Using-a-Bell

How to Hang a Wind Chime

When decorating the exterior of your home, a wonderful addition to a porch or patio area is a wind chime. These beautiful ornaments are not only decorative, but create music for you and any guests with just the slightest breeze.

To hang your wind chime, you will need:
Screw Eye Hook
Metal S Hook
Length of Chain (optional)

Directions:
Find the location where you want your wind chime to be located. The eaves of your home or porch is a good option, especially if they are wooden, just screw in the screw eye hook to use an anchor for your wind chime. If your home is covered with vinyl siding, you have an option of screwing the hook through the siding, or you can hang your wind chime from the gutter with an S plant hook. If you want your wind chime to hang lower, use a length of chain to attach the wind chime to the screw eye hook.

A simple project that will help add some simple beauty to your home.

DIY Super Simple Bell Bracelet and Necklace

Bells make adorable jewelry. For a super quick super simple necklace or bracelet just follow our easy instructions:

We used:
Ribbon
Small Liberty Bell

Bell Bracelet:

Cut enough ribbon so that it will easily tie around your wrist. Center the bell on the piece of ribbon (to keep the bell from sliding, you can tie a not around it.) Tie ribbon around your wrist and voila, you have a bell bracelet.

Bell Necklace:

Cut enough ribbon so that the necklace will hang where you want it to, and still have enough left on the ends to tie the ribbon around your neck. Center the bell on the ribbon, if you do not want the bell to slide, knot the ribbon around it. Tie the ribbon on and your bell necklace is complete.

See, we told you it was super simple. You can experiment with a variety of bell colors and shapes as well as ribbons. If you make one, let us know, we would love to see it!

Using Garden Decor Indoors

There are many beautiful garden decor items that can also double as interior decor. Wind chimes, small statues, gazing globes, even outdoor furniture can double as indoor furniture.

This works well if you want a garden feel inside your home, or want to link a sun room to the outdoors. Wind chimes can be hung where a breeze from the door opening and closing will make them chime for you. This can add a soothing feeling to coming home.

There are also many different outdoor rugs that would be a welcome addition to the inside, many of these rugs are easy to clean, which make them perfect for high traffic/high mess areas, such as a dining room or foyer. Garden statuary also makes for a nice addition to the indoors, smaller pieces can adorn bookcases or fireplace mantles, while larger pieces can greet people as they come in the door, or decorate a forgotten corner of an office or living room.

What pieces from your garden have you already brought indoors? Statues? Potted Plants? Fountains? We'd love to hear your decorating ideas!

Music on a Breeze

Bells and breezes seem to go together well. Especially when you are talking about wind chimes. Wind chimes are really nothing more than bells created in a way to catch the wind to make music for us.

Wind chimes can be created from many objects, whether you string together small cowbells or craft bells, use found objects such as seashells, or recycle objects such as aluminum cans, each material has its own sound when the wind gently rattles the pieces together to create sounds specifically for you and your world on your porch, patio, or balcony.

Spring is definitely the time of year when most people spend time on their porches, having visitors, reading a book, enjoying a barbeque, so this is also the time of year that many rush off to gather trinkets to decorate their yards with, to improve their curb appeal. Don't forget while decorating to think about the sound aspect of your yard or garden.

History of the Chuck Wagon

Chuck wagons became a necessity out west, they were mobile kitchens that fed farmhands on huge ranches, were part of wagon trains, or fed loggers on the job. The first Chuck wagon was invented in 1866, and quickly became a hub at campsites for social interaction among the men as well as a place for food.

Common equipment in a chuck wagon:
Dutch Ovens
Sour dough keg
Buck saw
Portable pantry
Graniteware Coffee Pot
Coffee grinder
Tin plates and cups
Water dippers
Burlap sacks
Pot scrubbers
Water Barrels
Tarps
Dinner Bell
and whatever else the cook needed, personal or otherwise.

Most meals fixed on a chuck wagon consisted of biscuits, coffee, beans, and beef. Occasionally the cook would make desert from dried fruit.

Old Wagon Train from US National Archives