Search Results for: Christmas Tree

PET Lanterns

gurtner-egli PET Lanterns

Links of entry

I find the idea with the PET lanterns very nice, too, and it should be relatively safe with the Christmas tree candle holders inside :)

 

I made a short translation:
“Materials:
PET bottles, Christmas tree candle holders, wire, Wico colours*, candle

Instructions:
Cut open a big PET bottle (transparent or coloured) about one third from the bottom.
Colour with Wico colours*.
insert a Christmas tree candle holder into the bottle top. You must take apart the little candle holder and attach it with wire to the bottle top.
Prick two little holes into the bottle neck (e.g. with a hot knitting needle).
You can embellish the top cut with pinking scissors or a metal band.
Prick three little holes into the top edge (e.g. with a hot knitting needle) and attach three wires or fine chains of equal length to hang the lantern up.”

* Wico colours is Window Colours. These are those glass paints that come in plastic bottles and can be used on acetate sheets, I don’t know the exact English name.


Links:
PET Lanterns (Petlaternen) (German)

String Decorated Ornaments

crealic String Decorated Ornament

Links of entry

A nice method to create beautiful Christmas tree ornaments (and much more) shows this tutorial on how to make string decorated ornaments (French).

It’s very easy:

  1. You choose the element to be decorated ((foam) sphere, box, paper bag etc.).
  2. Paint the pattern on with PVA glue (if necessary after sketching them with a pen).
  3. Put the string on the glue and fix with pins. The glue dries transparently.
  4. After the glue has dried, take away the pins and paint your ornament (or box or what ever you decorated). You can paint the string in another colour than the element. Additionally you can paint some little decorative patterns to lighten the background.

Best if you check the photos of the instruction, they explain every thing very well.


Links:
String Decorated Ornaments (Décors divers en ficelle) (French)

Illusion knit

unikatissima Illusion Knit

Links of entry

I tried illusion knitting once (Illusion knit – Shadow Knit) – and it worked – mostly ;-)
I learned it from strumpfbina’s Totenkopf Illusion Pattern (German).
You can see the result on the photo.
As template I used an old filet crochet template showing an angel. After the first rows I realized that fine details don’t show, so I didn’t knit the wings ;-)
The rest looks like a Mensch ärger’ Dich nicht pawn :)

 

unikatissima Illusion Knit
That’s the item seen from above – rather…nice, I’d say ;-)


Links:
strumpfbina’s Totenkopf Illusion Pattern (German)

In the advent calendar of Wollke7 you can find behind door no. 3 the link to a PDF file with instructions for a potholder with a shadow Christmas tree (German).

How to design your own illusion patterns (for Hand knitting instructions scroll down)

At instructables.com: Shadow or Illusion Knitting

At craftster: Custom Illusion Knitting Tutorial – an instruction on how to design your own illusion knitting pattern

Google search result for ‘(illusion or shadow) knit’
Google image search result for ‘(illusion or shadow) knit’

Google search result for ‘schattenstricken’
Google image search result for ‘schattenstricken’

Wikipedia entry for Mensch ärger’ Dich nicht

Home-built 3-D Printer

evilmadscientist Solid Freeform Fabrication

Links of entry

Evil Mad Scientist is always good for a surprise.
He presented a kind of home-built 3-D printer which works with sugar!
Great to make your Christmas tree ornaments ;-))

I really don’t think that I will build such an item, but I found it very interesting ;-)


Links:
At Evil Mad Scientist: Solid freeform fabrication: DIY, on the cheap, and made of pure sugar

Needle felting with cookie cutters

unikatissima Cookie Cutter Needle Felting

Links of entry

Via craftzine I found a tutorial on how to felt a needle brooch using a cookie cutter.
She used flower cookie cutters, but now, where Christmas isn’t really far away any more, we can dig out the Christmas cookie cutters: stars, moons, Christmas trees, but also hearts etc.

I couldn’t try it yet, but I intend to. And if it works (what I’m assuming ;-)), I want to try to make my own ‘moulds’ from cardboard stripes.
I’m agog ;-)


Links:
How To Needle Felt a Flower Brooch
via craftzine – How to make a felted flower:

Tealight Wire Spiral

unikatissima Tealight Wire Spiral

Links of entry

I browse sometimes at WigJig University – Jewelry Making Designs and found once the Wire and Beads Christmas Tree.
It wasn’t Christmas time then, so I used the wire Christmas tree as inspiration and made me a tealight wire spiral.
It doesn’t look as beautiful as I thought with the tealight lit, because the light shines upwards and the spiral lies in darkness, but I still like it.
I suspended it on a thread and sometimes I let it turn slowly (and carefully!) with the flame burning, that looks lovely.


Links:
WigJig University – Jewelry Making Designs: a fantastic compilation of wire jewelry projects!
Wire and Beads Christmas Tree

Advent Calendars

It’s time to think about Advent calendars, therefore I compiled a list:

Older Advent calendars
I presented Advent calendars before.

Origami box Advent calendar
On the picture you can see my Advent calendar that I’m using for a couple of years now. I folded 24 Origami boxes (but I can’t remember where the instruction came from) that I’m filling every year anew.
Addendum: In the comments of the German entry Monika said, that you can get the instruction here.
unikatissima Advent Calendar

Boxes ‘Winter Village’ Advent calendar
In the same way as these picture boxes you can easily make a whole winter village with 24 houses ;-)
Art Attack Advent calendar.jpg

Octagonal Advent calendar
via: Projects gallery advent calendar
That’s no instruction, but I find it a beautiful inspiration.
Two Peas in a Bucket Advent calendar

Story Advent calendar
I don’t have a picture from this: quite a long time ago I selected a story where I knew that the addressee will like it, bought a pocket book with the story and cut the pages from the book.
I put the pages into 24 little packages, so that the addressee could read a part of the story every day.
Admittedly I found it very hard to destroy the book ;-)

Printable Advent calendar
There seem to be a lot of these, if I can believe the results of the Google search for ‘Printable Advent Calendar’ and the results of the Google image search for it ;-)

Another printable Advent calendar
This one simply looked a bit different ;-)
Petit Elefant Advent calendar

Initials Advent calendar
via: Creative Advent Calendars
I find the Advent calendar initials simply wonderful :)
Vincent Caplier Advent calendar

Easy graphic Advent calendar
via: Advent Round-up
Happy Mundane Advent calendar

Envelope Advent calendar
via: Advent Round-up
d Sharp Journal Advent calendar

Paper garland Advent calendar
via: Advent Round-up part deux
mer mag Advent calendar

Coloured window Advent calendar
via: Creative Advent Calendars
The Quince Tree Advent calendar

Photo Advent calendar
The Crafts Dept Advent calendar

Cookies Advent calendar
Of course you can always make a cookies Advent calendar with your favourite cookies receipe ;-)
FamilyFun Advent calendar

Gingerbread Advent calendar
They’re baking here a gingerbread tile and glue on beautifully decorated gingerbread cookies with sugar. Every day you’ll get a gingerbread cookie and on the last day the gingerbread tile.
Gingerbread Fun Advent calendar

Knitted Bag Advent calendar
via: Julkalender 2009 Christmas Calendar by Johanna Wallin
Knit every day a little piece and get a cute bag on Christmas :)
jdw blog-city Advent calendar

Knitted Hats and Mittens Advent calendar
Apron Strings Advent calendar

Knitted Little Hats Advent calendar
The last link on the page is the PDF file (~ 370 KB) with the (German!) instruction.
landlust Advent calendar

Jeans Pocket Advent calendar
via: fun advent calendars (round up)
The link to the original Advent calendar doesn’t work any more, but the photo is inspiration enough ;-)
roadside scholar Advent calendar

Socks Advent calendar
Once I bought 12 pairs of cotton socks that fitted the addressee’s feet ;-), attached them to a cord and filled them.
It looked funny ;-)

3-D Sugar Sculpture

craftster 3-D Sugar Sculpture

Links of entry

I find this idea of making palm trees from candy really great again!
She suggests in her instruction to use the technique for ‘suckable’ Christmas wreaths.
Then it should be possible to make edible Halloween wreaths as well?! ;-)

If you want to have other shapes than leaves you can use the home-built 3-D printer ;-)
And as addition to the wreaths you can make the candy shot glasses.

I think that it would be as well interesting to try the special shapes from aluminium foil or the positive moulds from pebbles.

And somehow the whole thing should be possible to be made with chocolade instead of candy, just as the edible stucco, don’t you think so?

Well, somehow this all would be very interesting, wouldn’t it? ;-)


Links:
Life Saver 3-D sugar sculpture made easy! (tute)

Here at unikatissima:
Home-built 3-D Printer
Candy Shot Glasses
Edible Stucco
Special Shape Castings
Making Positive Plaster Moulds