Art & Design
Festive Crafts for the Creative Elf
C hristmas day is creeping ever closer, and if you’re anything like us, you may have recently come to the deeply distressing realisation that you have not purchased a single present, and do not even know where to begin. Well, lucky for you, we art editors have decided to give the gift of nothing this year, and have opted to create a list of DIY crafts that you yourself will have to expend time and energy upon. After many hours spent foraging on Pinterest, we have compiled for you a selection of easy, cosy, and very fun crafts that your nearest and dearest will love just as much as your wallet will.
ORIGAMI SNOWFLAKES
These origami snowflakes are just a grown-up version of the paper doilies you used to hack out of a refill pad page in primary school, but are actually pretty and much more likely to be greeted with genuine enthusiasm when gifted to a family member. Materials: Thick but flexible paper Scissors String Needle Strong glue Cute little beads Instructions: 1. Cut a rectangular (65x10) piece of plain, colored and patterned paper. 2. Fold 1 cm accordion pleats starting from the narrow side of the paper. If you want the snowflake to have cutouts or a non-circular shape, cut these out now the way you would for a traditional paper snowflake. Leave space at the long edge of the accordion. 3. Glue the narrow sides of the accordion together. Thread two strings near the edge of an accordion pleat, repeating through all the folds. Leave a lot of string between the folds. Pull the snowflake into shape and tie the string firmly. 4. You can glue a smaller ‘snowflake’ in the middle of the bigger one. Put beads in the centre if you wish! 5. Attach a piece of beaded string to the top of the snowflake. Hang it wherever you want!!
BENDY CANDLES
These candles are minimal effort for maximum reward, look truly incredible, and are just the thing to make when you need an excuse to guzzle some wine. Materials: Long tapered candles A basin of warm water Candle holders/wine bottles A lighter Instructions: 1. Place the candles in a basin of warm water for around 15 minutes, or until they’re malleable (you may need to place something heavy, like a dish, on top of them to keep them submerged). 2. Begin shaping them! You can make a spiral shape, twist the candle, etc. 3. Place in a candle holder/bottle, and run the lighter over the candle to get some wax to drip down. 2
