I know it’s hot outside, so we are mentally cooling things down a little by bringing you Christmas in July!
I’ve teamed up with some awesome bloggy friends and every Wednesday in July we have been sharing and linking up Christmas themed projects! It has been a lot of fun! We wrap things up this week with an easy Silver and White Christmas Garland.
Christmas in July is being hosted at these awesome blogs:
2 Crochet Hooks
Across The Blvd.
SewCraftyCrochet
The Boondocks Blog
One Mama’s Daily Drama
My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies
Purple Hues and Me
Stone Cottage Adventures
Purfylle
Olives-n-Okra
It’s never to early to be inspired by fabulous Christmas ideas!This week I’m sharing a lovely Christmas garland. White and Silver come together beautifully with twine to create a simple yet elegant garland. If twine is too rustic for you – use a ribbon to dress it up to match your own fabulous style.
Supplies used:
Air-Dry Clay
Star Cookie Cutter
Rolling Pin
Sheet of Freezer Paper (or wax paper)
Bamboo Skewer (or a pencil or paint brush)
Jingle Bells
Twine
Fine Grit Sandpaper
White Spray Paint (optional)
When thinking up Christmas projects to share with you, I spied a tub of air dry clay I purchased months ago, but had yet to use for a project. I decided to give it a try and make the stars for this project with the clay.
I laid down a sheet of freezer paper to help keep the clay from sticking to the surface as I rolled it out. I like to use freezer paper because it is sturdier than wax paper. I used a length of copper pipe to roll out the clay because it was smooth and it was handy. What? You don’t have a piece of copper pipe? I’m sure a standard rolling pin would work just as well.
I used a medium-sized star cookie cutter. The clay did stick a little to the freezer paper as I pulled them up, and they stretched slightly out of shape too. I ended up getting a small spatula to help lift them off the paper.
The star shapes were not exactly perfect and most of the points were rounded. I took a few seconds to consider this, and decided that they were perfectly fine.
Make a hole in the top of each star for hanging. Use a bamboo skewer, a pencil tip or the end of a paint brush.
Make sure the hole is large enough for the twine (ribbon) you want to use to be able to easily pass through.
Tip: Don’t put the hole too close to the end of a star tip because the tips are more fragile.
Let the clay dry completely. The dry time will depend on the thickness of the clay. Mine took 2 days to completely dry. I used a fine grit sandpaper to lightly sand the tops to smooth over a few rough spots.
The pictures above were taken at night, and the stars look yellow-tan. They are actually a natural white color and not yellow.
I wanted stars that were ultra white, so I spray painted them with a gloss white spray paint and waited another 24 hours for the paint to dry.
To put it all together, cut a length of twine (ribbon) and alternate stringing jingle bells and stars. Hang and enjoy!
Thanks so much to everyone who has participated in Christmas In July!
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