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December 2017
author: Hannah Burgess
Some Handmade Tree Decoration Ideas
Scented dried orange slices are a great addition to the tree, the vibrant orange against the green pine is really striking. They're super easy too..
Just slice up your oranges (around 1cm is fine). Lay them down onto baking parchment on a baking tray. You could add cloves into the slices at this stage for added festive scent but without works too! Make a hole at one end of the slice with a knife for your string later on. Put your baking tray in the oven at it's lowest setting (around 60 degrees centigrade should do it) for 4-5 hours. Leave them to cool and fully dry (they may feel a little tacky straight out of the oven but that should soon disappear). Once cool, thread your string or ribbon through the hole you made - et voila. Hang on your Christmas tree, gift a set to a friend or tie onto presents as a little tag!
As in our most recent wreath craft kit, we were painting the tips of some pine cones white giving them a charming snowy effect - this is a really lovely and simple way to bring a bit of Christmas into the home. these look lovely on the mantlepiece, in a glass bowl with others or attached onto your wreath!
As well, our kit this month is two little embroidery creature decorations for your tree or all year round, take a look here!
Edible Christmas Presents
Getting a bake on at Christmas is a great way to make your friends and family presents. There's an abundance of ideas but we love the idea of gifting little handmade packs of truffles. There's a tonne of recipes for truffles out there and most require only three very simple ingredients - good quality chocolate, double cream and unsalted butter. You can then roll them in coatings like cocoa powder or hazelnuts. Not the healthiest snack but if you can't indulge at Christmas when can you! Once made, wrap them up in cellophane and tie some raffia or string and a dried orange slice as a little tag..
Alternatively, a slab of chocolate with lots of added extras in is another lovely idea. Melt down some of your favourite chocolate (a mixture of white, milk and dark looks great). Find a baking tin or tray and marble and swirl the still melted chocolate into the tray. Now add in anything you like, goji berries, raisins, freeze dried raspberries, chocolate orange segments, chopped hazelnuts - the world's your oyster! Pop in the fridge to set then chop up into sizes you want and wrap in parcel paper or cellophane and stick with some festive washi tape.
Linocutting Wrapping Paper, Gift Tags and Cards
If you got involved with our linocut craft kit you'll have the tools you need (and maybe some ink left over), you'll just need a new block of lino if you wanted to do a new design. Just grab some brown parcel paper and carve your lino, dab over some ink (metallics would be very festive!) and print your wrapping paper in repeat patterns- try a snowflake, some antlers or a Christmas tree! You could even use your lino block to create handmade Christmas cards for your friends and family or gift tags to attach with string.
A little spruce from your Christmas tree or some eucalyptus tied into your string or ribbon is a lovely little touch to add to a gift!
We hope you found a little inspiration in this for crafting this festive season. For more handmade ideas we're constantly updating our Winter/Christmas board on Pinterest so go take a look. Have a creative, homemade and crafty run up to Christmas one and all!
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December's kit will be shipped by Friday 14 December.
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