Very little sewing required. Hooray for easy crafts!
• Purl Bee
Tag: crafts
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Recycled Paper Bunting (and a Giveaway)
I have a great giveaway for you today (sponsored by Windows Phone 7), but more on that in just a bit. First I want to share a little project with you.
Supplies
- paper (can be new, or can come from magazines/catalogs)
- ribbon (grosgrain works nicely)
- ruler or drafting triangle (optional — see the second step for clarification)
- pencil
- scissors
- decorative edged scissors (optional)
- glue (plain Elmer’s is fine)
- sewing machine or needle and thread (optional)
Instructions
- Determine how long your garland will be and cut the appropriate length of ribbon (mine is nine feet long). Be sure to leave some extra length to hang down on the ends or to tie into bows.
- Cut a triangle out of paper to use as a template. The sides on mine were seven inches long. You don’t have to measure, but a ruler is helpful for making straight lines. I used a drafting triangle, but that is totally unnecessary unless you are persnickety about making true equilateral triangles (*ahem*).
- Trace your template onto different papers to make as many triangles as you need. I cut nine triangles from catalogs and nine from pink card stock.
- Figure out which triangles are going to be the top layer (the patterned ones in my case), and mark off the top one inch from each. Fold it along the line and snip off the little ends that stick out.
- Line up each smaller triangle with a larger one and glue them together along the top to make your flags.
- After I made mine, I decided that they would look even better with a decorative edge so I used my pinking shears. You can leave them plain though, or even draw on a border (dots would be cute).
- Glue or sew your completed triangles to your ribbon, remembering to leave some length along the ends to hang.
- Finished!
And that’s how I made a recycled paper bunting using items from around the house, doing more with less. Speaking of which…
Windows Phone 7 Giveaway
The new Windows Phones are helping people Do More with Less, and I have one to give away to you! You can enter to win by leaving a comment on this post. One entry per person, per day, until November 29. Please see the official rules for more details.This giveaway is brought to you by the new Windows Phone 7. Less tech tired. More tech trendy: Learn more about Windows Phone online and see it in person at local T-Mobile stores today.
* 11.30.10: Congratulations to the winner, TracyCK!
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Fabric Twist Ties in Gifted
Have you looked at Gifted yet? It’s the newest e-magazine on the block, put out by the talented and lovely Ez of Creature Comforts. I was really impressed, and I found a ton of inspiration inside. The feature on Fabric Twist Ties in particular that had me saying “I’m going to make that”.
There are more ideas for using them and full instructions in Gifted, starting on page 97. And you’re going to love the rest of the magazine too.
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Autumn Leaves Napkin Rings for BHG
This is the second craft project I’ve made for Better Homes & Gardens this fall (the first was the Halloween mask). I, along with the other three bloggers, was tasked with creating something out of real or fake autumn leaves. And just as last time, you can vote for your favorite at bhg.com.
Wouldn’t these be great for setting the table on Thanksgiving? Here’s how you can make your own.
Supplies
- faux fall leaves
- faux berries on wire stems
- felt
- ribbon
- pinking shears
- hot glue gun and glue
Instructions
- For each napkin ring, cut a 3″ circle out of felt with pinking shears. I find it’s easier if you make an outline of the circle with chalk before cutting.
- Glue a single leaf to the felt circle, leaving 1/2″ of the stem hanging down.
- Glue a few sprigs of berries to the leaf, wrapping the end of the wires around the leaf stem to strengthen it.
- Cut a 24″ length of ribbon, and tie it at its center to the stem of the leaf.
- use the ribbon to wrap around a napkin and tie the ends in a bow.
And remember, you can see the other three projects made with autumn leaves and vote for your favorite at bhg.com!
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Halloween Mask for Better Homes & Gardens
Remember when I mentioned that I would be crafting four Halloween projects for Better Homes & Gardens? Well I’m thrilled to finally be able to share the first project with you: a Halloween mask.
Above is the mask as it appears on BHG.com and as it will be in the magazine. It looks great, but I actually had to cut it in half at the last minute. See, it originally looked like this:
The other three bloggers each used masquerade masks (which I did not know until after I had completed mine), so as the odd duck out I was asked if I could cut my mask down to size. You have no idea how nervous I was as I took scissors to it! Looking at the others I suppose I should have cut into the nose more, but I didn’t have a reference to work off of so I winged it. Luckily I managed to pull off the last-minute alteration without destroying the mask in the process. Phew!
You can view all four masks at BHG.com, and you can vote each day for your favorite until October 10. After that, there will be three more Halloween craft projects, with a winner for each. One overall winner will then be chosen to commission an exclusive design for the October 2011 issue of Better Homes & Gardens! That would be amazing, but I’m honored just to have taken part and thankful to Better Homes & Gardens for this fun opportunity. And I can’t wait to share my other projects with you.
{ click here to view my mask and vote for your favorite at BHG.com }
