Make it Yourself. Yes You Can!

How to Make a Pine Cone Garland

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pine cone garlandThis pine cone garland is very easy to make and has the added advantage that it is made from natural materials, as well as looking and smelling beautiful!

Pine cones are usually easy to find as long as there are the right kind of trees near where you live!

Dried fruit can often be bought at craft fairs, but it is easy to make your own. Instructions for how to do this are here.

You Will Need: 180 cm cord, raffia or twine, pine cones, dried fruit slices, dried whole clementines, tape, 50 cm ribbon, a darning needle or a small piece of wire.how to make a pine cone garland

I used 7 pine cones, 4 dried clementines and 20 dried fruit slices.

My finished garland was 80 cm long including loops for hanging.

How to Make a Pine Cone Garlandpine cone garland

1. If you are using cord, wrap some sellotape around the last 2 cm at either end. This will stop it from fraying and also make it easier for threading on the dried fruit.pine cone garland

2. Fold the cord in half to find the middle. Tie the cord around a pine cone so that the pine cone is in the middle of the cord.pine cone garland

3. Onto the cord thread 5 dried fruit slices. Arranging the fruit slices so that the larger slices are in the middle and the smaller ones are at either end will give a better shape.pine cone garlandpine cone garland

4. Tie another pine cone onto the cord. It is easiest to tie the cord into a loop, slip the pine cone into the loop and then pull it tight.pine cone garlandpine cone garland

5. Next, thread a dried clementine onto the cord. This can be a bit tricky. Either using a darning needle or a piece of wire to thread the cord through will help.pine cone garland

6. Tie another pine cone onto the cord.pine cone garland

This is the pattern now: pine cone, slices, pine cone, clementine, pine cone, back to slices again.

7. Keep going until you run out of cord/ fruit and pine cones/ get bored.

8. Repeat for the other half.pine cone garland

9. Fold one end of the cord over to make a loop. Use a piece of tape to hold it in place.pine cone garlandCut the ribbon in half so that you have 2 pieces measuring 25 cm. Tie one piece in a bow round the cord to hide the tape. pine cone garlandRepeat for the other side.

10. Find somewhere to hang your pretty garland!

Tips

If the holes in the dried fruit are not big enough, enlarge them using a knitting needle or a small screwdriver.

Make the holes through the centre of the clementines before threading.

If the cord you are using is to thick for a darning needle, wrap a piece of wire around the end of the cord and use that to thread it through.

Attaching the pine cones is easier if the loops are tied first, then the pine cone slipped inside the loop and the cord pulled tight.

Instructions for making a garland just from dried fruit and without pine cones can be found here.fruit garland

You might also like to make some decorations using dried fruit. The instructions for these are here.dried fruit decorations

How to Make Dried Fruit Decorations

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dried fruit decorationsDried fruit decorations are both easy and cheap to make. Dried fruit slices can often be obtained from craft fairs, but better than that, you could make your own! Instructions for how to do this can be found here.

All you need are a few inexpensive bits and pieces and half an hour, and you will have natural decorations that look lovely and smell amazing!

The simplest thing to do is an orange slice, thread it onto a piece of ribbon and tie the ribbon into a loop.

Or you might like to try some of these ideas below!

How to Make Dried Fruit Decorations

You will need: dried fruit slices and whole citrus fruit (you could buy them or make your own, instructions here), pine cones, cinnamon sticks, raffia, ribbon, cord (not so easy to find, I got some from Wilko), tape.dried fruit decorations

Dried Fruit Decorationdried fruit decorations

1. Take a piece of cord 30 cm long and tie a knot at one end.dried fruit decorations

2. Cut a piece of ribbon 25 cm long. Tie it in a bow around the cord, just above the knot.dried fruit decorations

3. Thread on 5 dried fruit slices.dried fruit decorations

4. Fold the top of the cord over to make a loop. You might wish to use some tape to hold it.dried fruit decorations

5. Cut another piece of ribbon 25 cm long. Tie it in a bow to hold the loop (or to hide the tape if you used tape).dried fruit decorations

Dried Fruit and Clementine Decorationdried fruit decorations

1. Cut a piece of raffia 50 cm long. Fold in half and tie the ends in a knot.dried fruit decorations

2. Using a darning needle thread a dried clementine onto the raffia.dried fruit decorations

3. Thread 5 fruit slices onto the raffia.dried fruit decorations

4. Tie the raffia into a knot.

5. Cut a piece of ribbon 25 cm long. Tie in a bow over the knot.dried fruit decorations

Dried Fruit and Pine Cone Decorationdried fruit decorations

1. Cut a piece of raffia 30 cm long. Tie one end around a pine cone.dried fruit decorations

2. Thread 7 fruit slices onto the raffia.dried fruit decorations

3. Fold over the end of the raffia and tie to make a loop.dried fruit decorations

4. Cut a piece of ribbon 25 cm long. Tie in a bow over the knot.dried fruit decorations

Dried Fruit and Cinnamon Decorationdried fruit decorations

1. Tie a piece of raffia round 3 cinnamon sticks.

2.Cut another piece of raffia 30 cm long. Thread it through the raffia holding the cinnamon sticks.dried fruit decorations

3. Thread both ends of the raffia through 5 dried fruit slices. Knot the raffia just above the fruit.dried fruit decorations

4. Cut a 2 pieces of ribbon 25 cm long. Tie one piece in a bow between the cinnamon sticks and the fruit, and the other over the knot above the fruit.dried fruit decorations

5. Tie the ends of the raffia to make a loop.

Dried Fruit and 2 Clementines Decorationdried fruit decorations

1. Cut a piece of cord 30 cm long. Tie a knot at one end.dried fruit decorations

2. Cut a piece of ribbon 25 cm long and tie in a bow just above the knot.dried fruit decorations

3. Thread a dried clementine onto the cord. I wrapped some sellotape round the last 2 cm of the cord to prevent it fraying and also to make it easier to thread on the clementine.dried fruit decorationsdried fruit decorations

4. Thread on 5 dried fruit slices.dried fruit decorations

5. Thread on another clementine.dried fruit decorations

6. Fold over the remaining cord to make a loop. You might like to use some tape to hold it.dried fruit decorations

7. Cut a piece of ribbon 25 cm long and tie in a bow around the base of the loop.dried fruit decorations

Tips

Wrapping some tape around the end of the cord will stop in from fraying and make it easier to thread.

Using a darning needle makes threading raffia easier. If you do not have a darning needle, wrapping tape round the end will work well here too.

If the holes in the fruit are to small, they can be easily enlarged using a knitting needle or a small screwdriver.

Arranging the dried fruit slices with the larger slices in the middle and the smaller ones at the top and the bottom will give the decoration a better shape.

These are only suggestions as to what you can do with your dried fruit as the possibilities are endless!

Several decorations like these can be joined together to make a garland. Instructions for the dried fruit garland I made last year are here!fruit garland

You might want to keep some slices back for making a Christmas door wreath!

How to Dry Citrus Fruit

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how to dry citrus fruitDried citrus fruit is great for making Christmas decorations. There’s something wonderful about using natural materials for making stuff. As well as the end result looking lovely, the process is fun, they smell amazing and they don’t contribute to landfill. Providing they don’t get damp and warm (and green and furry as a result!), they last for a few years.

The dried fruit can be used to make garlands, wreaths and decorations, which is what I am planning to do with mine!

The first step in the process is to dry the fruit out. So here is how to dry citrus fruit!

How to Dry Citrus Fruit

Drying Fruit SlicesIMG_1341

You will need: citrus fruit (I used oranges, lemons and limes), chopping board and sharp knife, oven on its lowest setting.how to dry citrus fruit

1. Start at the stalk end and cut parallel with the fruit’s equator. That way you will have the middle of the fruit in the middle of the slices which will make them easier for threading.how to dry citrus fruit

2. Slice the fruit thinly. The chunkier the slices, the longer they will take to try. Aim for a thickness of 1/2 cm max.how to dry citrus fruit

3. Poke a skewer or a cocktail stick through the middle of the fruit. If you forget, it doesn’t matter, it’s just easier to make the holes before the fruit has dried.how to dry citrus fruit

4. Put the oven on its lowest setting. Remember you are drying the fruit out, not cooking it! Arrange the fruit slices straight onto the racks without a baking sheet. This will allow the warm air to get to both sides of the slices and they will dry quicker.how to dry citrus fruit

The fruit slices will take about 4 hours to dry, depending on how thick the slices are. If the fruit slices are not quite dry, they can be left out to dry in the air. A radiator or a sunny windowsill will help the process along.

Drying Whole FruitIMG_1338

You will need: small citrus fruit (I used clementines. Limes and small lemons would probably also work), a sharp knife, oven on its lowest setting.

1. Make 8 cuts into the fruit, spacing them out evenly. The easiest way to do this is to cut at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock, then 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock, then half way between each cut. Take care to leave the skin at the top and the bottom of the fruit intact.how to dry citrus fruitIMG_1306IMG_1307

2. Push a skewer through the middle of the fruit. Making a hole through the fruit from top to bottom now will make it easier to thread once it has dried.how to dry citrus fruit

3. Put the fruit in the oven on the lowest setting. I actually had a mishap with my first batch of clementines. Husband heated up an apple and blackberry crumble in the oven on 220 C for 20 minutes. It was nice, very tasty. Unfortunately the clementines were still in there. Charred clementines were not what I was going for!

how to dry citrus fruit

Charred clementines

So if you are tempted to whack up the temperature to speed things up, I would not recommend it!

Tips

  • Thinner slices will dry faster
  • Whole fruit takes longer to dry than slices. Smaller fruit like clementines and tangerines will dry quicker than oranges and grapefruit.
  • Put a hole in the centre of the fruit before putting it in the oven.
  • Fruit that isn’t quite dry can be left to dry in the air.
  • Keep the oven turned down low. Turning it up will cook the fruit rather than dry it out and might burn it to a crisp.
  • A lot of juice will come out of the fruit while it is drying and it may well end up on the kitchen floor, so putting down some pre-emptive tea towels or kitchen towel might be an idea.
  • Once dry the fruit will keep for ages as long as it is kept dry and cool. Putting almost dry fruit in a tin next to the radiator will result in mouldy fruit, as I discovered when I did this last year!

Once dry, the fruit can be used to make garlands, wreaths and other decorations. More on that another time!

Wire and Bead Christmas Decorations part 2

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Following on from my last post on how to make wire and bead Christmas decorations (which you can read here), here is another tutorial for making a wire and bead decoration.

It requires the same materials and the same kind of techniques, it’s just a bit more fiddly!

Christmas Tree Christmas DecorationPicMonkey Collage tree decoration

You will need: beads (I used small round green beads, small faceted beads and slightly larger red beads), florists’ wire, tape, ribbon, needle and thread, round nosed pliers (optional).IMG_1333

1. From the florists’ wire, cut 2 pieces measuring 11 cm, 2 pieces measuring 15 cm and 2 pieces measuring 18.5 cm.

2. Take one of the pieces of wire and bend the end into a loop.

IMG_1267

 

Continue to bend the rest of the wire round into a short, open spiral.IMG_1268

Repeat for the other pieces of wire. The overall effect of the finished ornament will be better if the spirals on the shorter pieces of wire a tighter than on the longer pieces.IMG_1272

4. Start threading the beads onto the wire. I used a mixture of round and faceted beads with some larger red ones to give the impression of baubles. Leave a couple of cm of wire at the top to allow for joining the pieces together.IMG_1311

Keep going until you have threaded beads onto all the pieces of wire.IMG_1310

5. This is the fiddly part! You might want to move your decoration bits onto a tray at this point. I did not and as a result ended up grovelling around under the table picking beads up off the floor when I dropped them!

Cut a piece of tape and lay it on the table sticky side up. Place the pieces of wire onto the tape so that the unbeaded ends are on the tape and close together. Wrap the tape around the ends to hold them. Bend or trim any wire protruding from the top.IMG_1317

6. Wrap some ribbon round the top to hide the tape. Tie in a bow.IMG_13207. Sew a few stitches into the ribbon at the back of the decoration, leaving a tail several cm. Tie the ends together to make a loop. IMG_1335

You might need to adjust your decoration by bending the branches of tree.IMG_1324

It might make a nice gift for somebody. What do you think?

 

 

Wire and Bead Christmas Decorations

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It’s good to have some sparkle on your Christmas tree, right? Non sparkly tree decorations are fine, but we also need some twinkly ones! how to make wire and bead decorations

Here is 2 tutorials for making your own sparkly, twinkly Christmas decorations. They are very easy to make so get the kids on board too! They are both made in the same way. Just bend the wire into the shape you want (cookie cutters ahoy!), thread the beads on and add a loop of ribbon.

How to Make Wire and Bead Christmas Decorations

You will need: wire (I used florists’ wire), beads, ribbon or strong thread, star shaped cookie cutter (optional), round nosed pliers (optional).

Star Shaped Christmas Decorationstar wire and bead decoration

1. Bend a piece of wire around a star shaped cookie cutter. If you do not have one, you could either just bend it into a star, or you could draw a star shape and use that as a template. Leave some wire spare for making loops at the top of the star.star wire and bead decorationstar wire and bead decoration

2. Thread beads onto the wire. I used a variety of larger seed beads and small faceted beads. You might need to unbend your star a little bit to get the beads round the corners.star wire and bead decoration

3. When you have covered the star, make a loop at either end. If you have round nosed pliers, you could use those. Otherwise you could bend the ends round a pencil.star wire and bead decoration4. Thread a piece of ribbon through the loops and tie the ends together.star wire and bead decoration

 

Spiral Christmas Tree Decorationspiral tree wire and bead decoration

 

1. Starting at one end of the length of wire, bend it into a loop. Leave a little bit of wire at the end.spiral tree wire and bead decoration2. Keep bending the wire round so that it makes a flat spiral.spiral tree wire and bead decorationspiral tree wire and bead decoration

 

3. Take the end in the middle of the spiral. Using round nosed pliers, make a small loop. If you do not have round nosed pliers, bend the wire round a skewer or a cocktail stick. Stretch the spiral.spiral tree wire and bead decoration

 

4. Starting at the bottom, thread beads onto the wire. I used a mixture of small round and faceted green beads and some larger red beads. spiral tree wire and bead decoration

 

5. When threading on the beads, leave a little bit spare to bend around the last bead to hold.

Happy sparkly crafting!

 

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