String of Stars Tutorial

This is my first foray into Christmas decorating this season.  The Christmas bin is still in the garage, but I was ready to hang something festive in the window.

This string of stars garland fit the bill.  The concept is simple enough to come together quickly.  In fact, it's simple enough that my three-year-old could help.

If you'd like to whip up your own string of stars you'll need:
- wooden popsicle sticks
- glue gun and glue sticks
- yarn in your choice of colours
- more yarn or jute twine (not shown) for stringing the stars

Begin by hot gluing five popcicle sticks into a star shape as shown above.  You'll only need a bead of hot glue at each of the five star points.

When the glue has set, tie one end of the yarn to the star leaving a tail of 2 or 3 inches.

Keeping track of the yarn tail, start wrapping the yarn around the corners of the star.  Wrap around the star in one direction for 3 or 4 turns, then switch to a different corner and wrap another 3 or 4 turns.  Somehow I ended up with a mini star shape in the centre of my star, but random patterns are fine too.

Don't forget to wrap the points of your star too.

Remember that tail of yarn that you left when you first tied into the star?  You'll need it now.  When you're happy with the look of your star, cut the yarn and tie the two ends tightly together across the back of the star.

Trim the ends.  This is the back of your star; the knot is not visible from the font.

Make a constellation.

I mentioned that my three-year-old helped.  After the hot glue was dry, she chose this blue-green yarn.  I tied the first end for her and she wrapped to her heart's content, which turned out to be just one star.  Then the markers came out and she decorated another one her way.

To make your stars into a garland, thread a long piece of jute twine through several strands of the wrapped yarn at the back of each star.  This is easier if you tie a knot near the end of the jute.  The stars will hang more evenly if you thread the jute near the edge of the star as shown above.

Continue in this way  until all your stars are strung.

My garland is hanging in the dining room window, but it also looks nice across the mantel.  

DIY Non-Plastic Easter Basket Fluff

An Easter basket just isn't an Easter basket without a few handfuls of fluff to nestle everything into.  Fluff.  You know, those strands of coloured plastic that the box stores sell in small bags beside the chocolate bunnies.

It's Easter basket tradition.  But this year I just couldn't bring myself to buy it.  Plastic fluff may be pretty, but it's still plastic.  We pay good money for it, use it once and contribute it to the landfill.

No longer!  I made my own this year.  It cost virtually nothing, took only seconds and looks great.  Here's how:

You'll Need:
- A paper shredder.  We use this small one for our receipts.
- Several sheets of newsprint paper.  This is the dollar store stuff that my daughter uses for colouring.  it's cheap and made from recycled fiber.

Watch your fingers and shred away.

If the colours are important to you, try shredding coloured paper or letting your kids draw all over the paper before shredding it.  I prefer to let my coloured eggs shine bright against a neutral backdrop.

Best of all, when Easter is over you can add your Basket Fluff to the compost pile instead of the landfill.

Happy Easter!

Autumn Candles

My mom says that candles provide the illusion of warmth.  She's right, of course.  They do.  So I light them and huddle nearby with a mug of steamy tea, acting out the tableau of the chilly night, as I saw my mother do so many times.  That's just what I was doing last night when my Little Miss wondered over to point at the candles and declare, "pretty".  Thirty years from now, she'll do the same.

This particular candle arrangement came together an hour before Thanksgiving dinner with almost no planning.  Some of the best ideas come off extempore, but if you'd like to make your own version, here's how:

DIY Instructions

Begin by placing three pillar candles on a pedestaled cake plate and wrapping several layers of hemp string around them.  Tie a pretty bow or knot and, if you like, add a seasonal tag.  Then arrange fallen leaves and acorns around the candles, taking care to keep leaves well away from flames.

Now make some hot tea and enjoy your illusion of warmth.

On This Rainy Sunday

It's been raining for two days and nights, a strong, steady rain.  The Great Wet has begun.  I try not to think of the dark days that will come, focusing instead on cozy, inside things.  Fall.  Thanksgiving.  Christmas.  Quiet evenings by the fire.

I spent the morning tidying my life and my kitchen.  Produce is still trickling in from the garden, a reminder that summer hasn't quite left us.  This morning I sliced two trays worth of tomatoes for drying.  Miss S watched from her high chair, munched a handful of diced tomato, and asked for "mo".  

I haven't dried tomatoes before this year, but I don't know why not.  It's easy and the results are yum yum yummy.  I core and slice the tomatoes, sprinkle them with kosher salt, thyme and a little brown sugar.  Then it's low and slow in the oven -- about 5 or 6 hours at 225.

Last night was Craft Night.  That consisted of three girls, a bottle of wine, some snacks and a DIY wreath project.  This is mine.

Don't you love the texture?  All those paper circles are punched from a thrift store version of Wuthering Heights.  That little detail really thrills me.  All that bluster up on the moors makes Wuthering Heights the perfect novel to punch to pieces on a blustery fall night.  Of course the wreath isn't quite done.  I want to add a bit more fullness around the outside edge and some sort of banner or bow.

By the way, the DIY instructions for this project came from Make Life Lovely.  Thanks to my friend, Amanda, for making Craft Night happen.  Let's do it again.

Wishing you a warm and cozy remains for the weekend.

Animal Key Ring Toddler Toy, a Tutorial

Do you know a little person who will want to handle this mini menagerie?  I'm pretty sure that Miss S, at one year old, will appreciate the varied shapes and colours.  She hasn't actually seen them yet, and she won't for another week as I'm busy laying in a stash of car seat-friendly entertainment for a road trip.  I'll let you know how they go over.

This toy is appropriate for very young babies (make it into a mobile or hang the animals from an activity bar) as well as for older toddlers who could name the animals and engage them in imaginative play.

What You'll Need

• a fabric panel or print with animals that can be cut out individually*
• heavy-weight fusible interfacing
• quilt batting
• matching ribbon
• large binder ring (the type that opens on a hinge; look in an office supply store)

*Choosing suitable fabric is important.  Look for quilt panels or applique panels where the animals are meant to be cut out.  You could also use a fabric with a large print (like this or this).  And don't limit yourself to animals; make a ring of pretty flowers or fruit or geometric designs.  Finally, I used a printed cotton panel that included reverse images of each animal.  This allowed me to make double-sided animals, but might be difficult to find.  Consider using an animal on one side and coordinating fabric on the back.

Ready.  Set.  Go.

Roughly cut out two reverse printed animals (or an animal and a backing), leaving lots of extra fabric around the edges.  Apply heavy-weight fusible interfacing to the back of each.

Sandwich a piece of quilt batting between the animals.  Right sides should face OUT.

If you're using reverse printed images, make sure they are lined up perfectly on top of each other.  This is a little fiddly, but worth the effort.  If you're using a coordinating fabric backing, your job will be much easier.  secure the three layers together with pins, then hand baste with contrasting thread, taking care not to baste too close to the edges.

Cut 2 inches of ribbon and fold it in half to make a loop.  Place the loop wherever you want the finished animal to hang from (see next picture) and insert the cut edges of ribbon into the middle of the sandwich (NOT on top as shown in the picture).  Secure with a pin.

 

Use a sewing machine to zigzag, through all layers, around the animal shape.  If your machine allows for it, lighten the pressure on the presser foot to make it easier to maneuver the fabric. It's ok to stitch over the animal itself a bit.  It's ok to lift the presser foot when the needle is down and rotate the fabric to get around a tight corner.  

I took care to keep my stitching well inside the darker blue area of my cutout so that no lighter blue would show in the final product. Depending on your fabric, this may not be an issue for you.  

Remove the basting thread.

Cut out the animal shape, leaving only a narrow margin around the stitching but being careful not to cut it.  When you get to the ribbon tab, cut the top and bottom layers separately (see picture) to avoid cutting off the loop.

Ta Da!  Make as many animals as you like, then use the loops to attach them all to the binder ring.  Your little person can play with them all together like a set of keys, or you can separate them for different games.  Either way will be loads of fun, so get sewing, and be sure to let me know how it turns out for you.