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Thoughtful DIY gifts—plus our guide to hosting a rollicking holiday party
Get Crafty!
PHOTOGRAPH BY SETH SMOOT; STYLING BY STEPHANIE HANES; CRAFTING BY JODI K AHN
Save big this season with pretty presents you can easily make yourself.
Create these candleholders for barely $2 a pop. The trick to transforming plain glass votive holders($1 each; pier1.com)? Humble upholstery webbing (80 cents per yard; onlinefabricstore.net). Simply cut a piece of webbing to the same length as the holder’s circumference; then trim the webbing a tad bit shorter than the holder’s height. Coat the webbing’s raw edges with Mod Podge to prevent fraying; let dry for 20 minutes. Next, affix the webbing around the holder with thin lines of hot glue and let dry for five minutes. Package a few of these beauties together with scented candles inside and cross someone off your list. Written by Jourdan Crouch
Continued on next page > DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012
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Fashion a chic chandelier prism necklace—fast. A dime a dozen at flea markets and antiques shops, cast-off prisms make for stunning pendants. First, use pliers to remove any existing wiring. Then tightly wrap 22-gauge gold craft wire ($5.95 for 20 yards; amazon.com) around the top of the prism, as shown below. Form a wire loop for your necklace chain; then, using pliers, cut the wire two inches past the loop before securing its end inside the wrapped wire. String a length of gold-plated chain (for similar, from $4.50 per foot; tohoshoji-ny.com) through the wire loop. Attach a gold S hook ($2.79 for 20; amazon.com) to each end of the chain. For a fanciful finish, present the necklace inside a velvet pouch (for similar, $2.99 for 10; pouchmart.com).
Play your cards right with a fetching memory game. For this clever project, CL contributing editor Cathe Holden’s already done most of the hard work—assembling a slew of vintage images (courtesy of graphicsfairy.blogspot.com) into four easy-to-print PDFs, available at countryliving.com/memorygame. Print out two copies of each PDF onto 8½" x 11" card stock. With a foam brush, apply Mod Podge to the back of each card-stock printout before adhering it to colored mat board ($3.50 for 20" x 32" board; dickblick.com). Let dry for two hours, then top with an additional coat of Mod Podge (test your printer ink to ensure it doesn’t smudge before applying glue). Allow another hour drying time. To keep game pieces from sticking together when stacked, lightly wipe both sides of the board with baby powder and a cloth. Finally, cut out the game pieces with an X-Acto knife, then stash them in a cute catchall, like this toy truck.
58 . COUN T RY L I V I N G.C O M . DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012
PHOTOGRAPHS BY (FAR LEFT) K ATE MATHIS, STYLING BY SCOTT HORNE; (BOTTOM AND OPPOSITE PAGE) SETH SMOOT; STYLING BY STEPHANIE HANES; CRAFTING (OPPOSITE PAGE: PILLOWS) BY JODI K AHN
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Make a petite pillow with photo finish Your little sister (that’s her with the bangs) will get a kick out of this clever project that makes use of cool printer-friendly fabric. Using a scanner, upload your photo to a computer and insert the image into a Microsoft Word document. Adjust the photo to the desired size, and make sure to leave a ½ inch border around the photo for seam allowance. Print the image onto the printable fabric sheet ($9.99 for 5 sheets; amazon.com). If desired, trim the fabric down, then cut a same-size piece of backing fabric like linen or broadcloth. Pin the two pieces of fabric together, right sides facing. Stitch all the way around the pillow along the seam allowance, leaving a four-inch-wide opening on the bottom side. Use small scissors to clip the corners, then turn the pillow right side out. Push out the corners, iron out any wrinkles, and then fill the pillow with loose fiberfill stuffing ($6.76 for 20 ounces; amazon.com) before blind stitching the opening closed.
Stitch up picture-perfect throw pillows. Spark a trip down memory lane with an old family photo and cool printer-friendly fabric. To begin, scan and upload the photo to your computer, then place the image in an 8½" x 11" Microsoft Word document. Adjust the image as desired, leaving a half-inch border around it for seam allowance. Print onto an ink-jet fabric sheet ($9.99 for five 8½" x 11" sheets; amazon.com). If necessary, trim the fabric, then cut a same-size piece of backing fabric, like linen or broadcloth. Pin the two pieces of fabric together, right sides facing. Stitch around the pillow along the seam allowance, leaving a four-inch-wide opening on one side. Use small scissors to clip the corners, then turn the pillow right side out. Push out the corners, iron out any wrinkles, and stuff the pillow with loose fiberfill stuffing ($4.33 for one pound; amazon.com) before blind-stitching the opening closed.
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