Decorations to make
UNWIND FROM THE SEASONAL RUSH WITH SOME SIMPLE BUT SATISFYING CRAFT PROJECTS THAT ADD A PERSONAL TOUCH TO YULETIDE FESTIVITIES.
GIFT WRAPPING
It’s the same story year after year – your precious gifts need to be wrapped. For some, this is a fun and creative task, while others couldn’t be happier to have their gifts wrapped in the store. Unfortunately, a lot of commercial wrapping paper is anything but sustainable. And sustainability is worth a thought or two, considering that most presents are torn open and the wrapping paper is thrown straight into the recycling bin. One option is to wrap your gifts in pretty fabrics or scarves, which adds a generous touch. Or read on for an alternative to conventional wrapping paper.
MATERIALS
Black hand-made sustainable or natural paper (available online or from art supply shops) Adhesive tape or glue Cypress stems
Paintbrush
White craft paint Light-coloured natural string or twine
1 Carefully wrap your gift in the natural paper. Arrange evenly sized cypress stems in a star pattern on top of the wrapped gift and attach them with a piece of tape or a little glue. Once all stems are in place, decorate the top with dots and splashes of paint by dipping the paintbrush into the paint, holding a finger horizontally above the gift and firmly tapping the top of the finger with the brush a few times just below the bristles for better control. You might want to try this out on plain paper first to get a feel for it. Leave the paint to dry.
2 Wrap the natural string or twine around the gift a few times, just below the cypress stems. Tie the string at the back of the gift. Finish by sliding a photo, gift card or postcard underneath the string.
OUR-TREAT ADVENT CALENDAR
Making an Advent calendar for a loved one has a long tradition. We think it doesn’t always have to include a treat for every day. If you only include four little gifts, it’s much easier to make them really special. One little bag for each Advent Sunday, filled with a little surprise each, to be grandly revealed in company.
MATERIALS
1 twig (e.g. birch)
Twine (e.g. black, or black and white) 2 nails
Hammer Plain-coloured jute Scissors
Black cardboard
Hole punch
White permanent marker Foliage, stars, etc., for decorating
1 Attach a piece of twine, about 10cm long, to each end of the twig. Tie the twine ends to make loops. Hammer the nails into the wall where you want to have the calendar and hang the twig from the nails.
2 Cut the jute into four circles, matching the size to the gifts you have in mind. Tie the gifts up in the jute and seal the parcels with twine. Cut four small circles out of the black cardboard and make a hole in each using the hole punch. Label the cardboard circles with the numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 in white permanent marker and then tie the labels to the gift parcels.
3 Tie the parcels to the twig with more twine. Decorate the calendar to your taste, for example with wooden stars or paper shapes. We made a garland out of twine and spruce greens. Get creative! TIP Coffee bags are often made of jute. Ask your local coffee roaster if they have any old bags to spare. You can also upcycle old fabrics or pieces of clothing instead of using jute. PLACE CARDS
Pretty place cards make for a very special and personal welcome for your guests and put a smile on their face even before they sit down to your feast. They are a way of expressing the host’s joy in, and appreciation of, the shared company, especially when the host took the time and effort to make them by hand.
MATERIALS
Small sprigs of fir or cypress
(one per guest)
Green floral wire
Black craft paper
Scissors
Hole punch
White permanent marker or crayon Black twine
1 Shape the fir or cypress sprigs, one per guest, into small rings about 5–7.5cm. Hold these together with a little wire.
2 Cut the craft paper into 5cm circles. Use a hole punch to make a hole in each of the circles, about 5mm from the edge. Write the guest names onto the paper circles with permanent marker or crayon and attach the circles to the twig rings with twine. 3 Arrange the place cards on your festively set table.
TIP Experiment with different types of foliage, coloured paper or twine – use whatever you like best.
SALT DOUGH DECORATIONS
Salt dough Christmas decorations, which were all the rage in the 1980s, deserve to be updated for the 21st century. The dough is very quick and easy to make, and hugely fun for children to work with in the pre-christmas season. Salt dough decorations also make great gifts, but it’s just as much fun to stash them away for a year, only to rediscover and reminisce over them next Christmas.
MATERIALS
2 cups (300g) flour – white type 405 flour for light-coloured decorations or wholemeal type 1050 flour for darker ones
1 cup (220g) fine salt
1 cup (250ml) water
1 tablespoon sunflower or canola oil ½ cup (90g) potato flour (optional,
but it makes the dough more pliable) Ribbons for threading
Colour for painting (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 130°C. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl, combine and knead very well. Once the dough is soft and pliable, roll it out about 5mm thick.
2 Cut out your favourite cookie shapes and transfer them to a baking tray lined with baking paper. Use a toothpick to make holes for attaching ribbons or twine later. Make sure you leave enough distance to the edges so that they won’t tear. 3 Transfer your little works of art to the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Once cooled, the decorations turn hard so you can paint them or decorate them with ribbons.
TIP Add a few nice beads for a lovely decorative effect. Pull a ribbon through the prepared hole and string a bead onto it on either side. Hold the beads in place by tying the ribbon in knots, then tie the ribbon ends together.