Get By Jessica smith

photos By Melissa donald

Sparkle with

For a more blended look, wet your scarf thoroughly in the bowl of water. For a more marbled style, leave it dry.

Drop the scarf into the plastic bag and add just a splash of one color of paint. If you’re using multiple paint colors, start with the lightest color. Work the paint and scarf around inside the bag with your hands.

Remove the scarf from the bag and reinsert to reposition it for better results. Add a splash of a new color of paint and work it through the scarf with your hands.

Lynn Busch of Preston Arts Center gave us the scoop on one of the easiest crafty gifts you can make this holiday season: a hand-dyed silk scarf. Elegant and artistic, you might want to keep this gift for yourself!

Dyed Silk ScarfTImE: 15 minutesDIFFICuLTy: EasyCosT: $12-$20Materials:

• Plain silk scarf ($7.29 at Preston Arts Center)• Plastic bag• Acrylic dye paint or thin textile paint (Lynn used Dye-na-flow, $4.39)• Paper towels or old newspapers• medium bowl of water (optional)• silk salt or unrefined sea salt with large granules (optional)

once your scarf is to your liking, lay it out to dry. optional for wet technique: use wadded-up paper towels or newspaper to elevate the scarf slightly, then pour silk salt on parts of the scarf. Let sit until dry. The salt granules will pull the water and dye from around them and create a spotted, textured look.

once your scarf is dry, heat-set it by ironing it at the hottest temperature appropriate for the fabric. Now you can wash your scarf with no worries. Give it as a gift or jazz up a holiday outfit and prepare for compliments.

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Instructions:

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Whether you blog daily about crafts or avoid them as much as possible, there’s something about the holidays that makes women want to tap into that hand-made, time-spent, giving-of-yourself feel. Embrace that aspiration with these simple crafts to decorate and give.

Silk

Materials:

Instructions:

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use mini clothespins to clip on photos, ribbons, greenery, or other items. Let dry, display, and dreamily reminisce.

Be Bright WithHoliday Pennant BannerTImE: 2-3 hoursDIFFICuLTy: EasyCosT: $20-$30

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Burlap

susan Hoferkamp of Dee’s showed us some easy ways to decorate with burlap and other natural materials such as canvas and greenery. Adding simple embellishments you can find around the house such as buttons and photos with fabric glue makes these no-sew crafts easy, timely, and personal — as susan says, “If you can’t glue it, don’t do it!”

• Ready-made canvas banner ($12.99 at Dee’s)• Buttons• Fabric glue (susan used Fabric Fusion, $8.99)• scrapbooking paper, photos, old wrapping paper,

Christmas cards or other material to decorate letters• Letters ($1 at Dee’s or you can cut out cardboard)• modPodge adhesive/sealant• Pin• Jingle bells and jump rings (optional)

Decide what you want your banner to say. Trace around cardboard letters on scrapbook paper or other decorative material. Cut out and use modPodge to glue material to letters. Brush modPodge over top of glued material to seal. Let dry, then glue letters to banner and let dry.

use a pin to poke a hole in the bottom of each pennant. Feed jump rings through the holes and through the jingle bells. Pinch the jump rings closed. Let dry and enjoy!

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Glue buttons on banner as trim and embellishments to your liking. Try creating shapes and designs such as this simple tree.

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Memory BoardTImE: 1 hourDIFFICuLTy: EasyCosT: $20-$30

Materials:• Natural or ivory-colored canvas board (12-by-12-inch

shown), or you can paint a white one with acrylic paint

• Colored burlap (available at Dee’s)• Fabric glue• Craft rope or cord (susan used jute cord)• mini clothespins ($2 at Dee’s)

• Anchor embellishments such as these wooden snowflakes, buttons, small ornaments, etc.

• memorable items you want to display, such as family photos, greenery from your tree, wrapping paper, bows from a favorite gift, parts of Christmas cards, etc.

If you need to, paint your canvas and let dry. Cut burlap to shape and lay out on canvas.

Glue anchor embellishments down over burlap to hold it in place but still allow a loose, textured look.

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Wrap cord or rope around canvas in a

zigzag pattern. Glue cord on the edges or

sides of the canvas only to allow some

slack in front.

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Materials:

With needles and holding one strand of each yarn, cast on 10-12 stitches loosely.

Purl row 1 loosely. Knit into the front of the stitch normally, but do not take the stitch off the needle. Bring yarn forward between needles and loop around your thumb or finger.

Bring the yarn back between the needles and knit into the back of the same stitch. you’ve now made two stitches on the right needle, and a loop should be hanging in the front.

Bind off the first stitch over the second stitch. This removes the extra stitch and tacks down the loop. Repeat stitching until the end of the row.

Repeat purling and stitching until your strip of yarn is long enough to cover the face of the wreath form. Bind off and leave a tail of the burly yarn that’s as long as the strip you’ve knitted.

use this tail to whipstitch the strip to the wreath. The edges of the strip will not touch on the back of the wreath — they just need held on. It’s also okay that the inner circle of the wreath will be more scrunched than the outer edge. Decorate and proudly present your versatile wreath.

Be Warm WithWool

Patty meyer of sophie’s Fine yarn shoppe has the perfect holiday craft for you knowledgeable knitters out there. Patty says this woolly wreath can be used for other holidays simply by switching out the ribbons and decorations. If you’ve never knit before or your wreath turns out knotty instead of nice, sophie’s has classes and workshops to get you on the right track.

Woolly WreathTImE: 4-5 hours (depending on your knitting skills)DIFFICuLTy: moderateCosT: about $50

• About 200 yards of bulky weight yarn, fluffy worsted weight yarn, and glitter carry-along yarn

• u.s. size 15 knitting needles• 15-inch-diameter, 2-inch-wide styrofoam wreath ($10,

available at craft stores)• Darning needle• Decorations or ribbon

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