See, Love, Pin It

The world has frozen over. At least, in Northwest Arkansas, that’s how it seems.

For a crafter, spending a week snowbound may seem like a dream come true, until the realization hits: One can’t go to the store for supplies.

Homebound and resourceless, the crafter may not think there is anything to make. Luckily, there is Pinterest.

Pinterest.com, a content sharing service, allows users to upload their own craft ideas, how-to’s and photos through personal collections. These collections are in the form of pin-boards, which are organized according to a theme. Members can also view other users’ pins and search for projects to add to their personal collections.

According to the Pinterest website, the most popular pins relate to food, but home decor, particularly for the holidays, is a close second.

All projects below were made from craft supplies found at home and took a total working time of less than 30 minutes each.

Be aware, Pinterest can be addicting. Please use with moderation.

NEWSPAPER CHRISTMAS TREE

Two daily newspapers

Three foot straight branch, about 1/2-inch thick

Thin cardboard

Large festive planter

Floral foam, cut to fit snugly in planter

1 yard Christmas ribbon

Insert floral foam into planter, securing with glue if needed.

Whittle one end of the branch to a point. Then insert the other end into the floral foam. If the branch does not fit snugly, secure with glue.

Cut eight square templates from the cardboard, starting with a 10 inch square and going down an inch at a time to a 3 inch square.

Using templates, cut 30 squares of each size from newspaper.

Push 10 inch cardboard template down onto stick and push to top of floral foam. Follow by placing 10 inch newspaper cut outs one at a timedown on the stick, leaving some space between each page. Then push 9 inch cardboard template down on the stick and follow with 9 inch paper cut outs. Continue to add cardboard and paper in this manner until all pages and templates have been used. Be sure to not press the pages together tightly. The pages should not line up evenly.

Tie ribbon into a bow on the point of the branch and let the extra cascade down the tree.

Note: This took a lot longer than half an hour and made a huge mess, but the result was a tree fit for a newsroom or living room. I scrunched a few of the pieces of newspaper every inch or so to fl uff the pages out. This kept the tree from looking to full and heavy (and reduced the number of pages I had to cut).

POM-POM GARLAND

Twine

20 pieces of yarn cut into 2 yard pieces

20 pieces of yarn cut into 6 inch pieces

10 foot string of Christmas lights

Wrap long yarn pieces around pointer and middle finger (be sure to leave small space between fi ngers). The yarn should wrap around 20-25 times.

Tie shorter yarn around yarn between the two fingers. Slide yarn off fi ngers.

Using scissors, cut loops of yarn on both side of center. Fluff out ends of yarn and trim any long ends.

Tie pom-poms onto twine every six inches. Wrap pom-pom garland around length of string of lights.

Hang garland around Christmas tree or over a fireplace mantle for a sparkly, festive addition to regular lights.

Note: This was the simplest garland I have ever made, and it looks like it took hours. Wrapping the finished garland around the lights makes the yarn stand out from the tree. Using different colors of yarn, or glittery silver yarn, would really make this pop.

The garland could be used year round depending on the colors chosen.

ANIMAL ‘SNOW’ GLOBES

Clear, glass jar without lid

Salt

Christmas figurines and gold garland

Silver or gold glitter

Fill a clean and dry jar with 3/4 inches of salt. Mix in two pinches of glitter.

Arrange figuring in salt “snow.” Sprinkle a small amount of glitter on top of salt if desired.

Cut garland into small, 2-4 inch pieces. Arrange behind figurine like trees.

Note: Super easy, super cute and can be made with almost any small Christmas decoration. The hardest part was not getting salt all over the place.

RIBBON GARLAND

100 12-inch scraps of Christmas ribbon in 5 to 7 colors

10 foot string of Christmas lights

Beginning 6 inches above the first light, tie ribbon in the middle onto the lights.

Continue tying ribbon onto garland every inch, alternating between colors.

Hang garland around Christmas tree or over a fi replace mantle for a sparkly, festive addition to regular lights.

Makes a 10-foot garland.

Note: The closer together the knots, the denser the garland. For a more simplistic look, use only three diff erent color ribbons and space the knots two inches apart. This garland would also be pretty year round with other colors. SNOWY CANDLES

Pillar candles

Hurricane vase

Elmer’s glue

2 cups salt

Gallon size Ziploc bag

Paint brush

Paper plate

Fill bag with salt and place open on paper plate.

To make snowy pillar candles: paint Elmer’s glue thinly around bottom of candle, leaving 2 inches from top and at least 1/4 inch from bottom without glue.

Slowly and gently roll candle around in bag of salt. Knock off excess by tapping candle gently over the bag.

To make snowy hurricanes: paint Elmer’s glue thinly and evenly around outside of hurricane vase, leaving 1/2 inch from top and at least 1/4 inch space from bottom without glue.

Slowly and gently roll hurricane around in bag of salt. Knock off excess by tapping glass gently over the bag.

Decorate with garland or ribbon if desired.

Allow to dry at least 2 hours.

Note: Be sure to leave a 1/4 inch unsalted at the bottom of the candle to keep the salt from scratching tabletops and other surfaces. This is a very messy project best done in a kitchen, but the eff ect is lovely.

SHEET MUSIC CANDLES

Pillar candles

White tissue paper

8.5x11 inch card stock

Elmer’s glue

Printable sheet music

Hair dryer

Cut plain white tissue paper 81/2-by-11 inches. Tape to the top a piece of card stock. The tape allows the printer to catch the paper. Print sheet music onto the tissue paper/card stock.

Remove tissue paper from card stock and cut to fit height and circumference of candle.

With a thin bead of glue, attach one end of tissue to the candle. Pull the tissue snugly around the candle then glue the other end. Gently heat the candle surface with a hair dryer so the wax begins to melt and saturate the paper.

Note: Printable sheet music can be found on my Christmas decor DIY board at Pinterest.com/scatteredplans. If the paper wrinkles, simple pull off gently.

LOVED ONES LUMINARIES

6 inch square glass hurricane

White tissue paper

81/2-by-11-inch card stock

Elmer’s glue

Small candle or votive

Four family photos in sepia tone

Cut plain white tissue paper 81/2-by-11-inches. Tape to the top the a piece of card stock. The tape allows the printer to catch the paper. Print photo onto tissue, making sure the printed is at least 6-by-6 inches. Remove tissue paper from card stock and cut to fit height and width of each side of hurricane. Repeat with three more photos.

Apply a thin layer of Elmer’s glue to the outside of one side of the hurricane. Starting at the top, gently smooth photo over side. Repeat with other sides.

Note: Be sure to use a small candle that sits more than an inch from the inside walls of the hurricane. Any closer and the tissue paper will begin to change color from the heat.

FOLLOW ALLISON CARTER AT PINTEREST.COM/ SCATTEREDPLANS FOR UNIQUE HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS GIFTS, DIY LUMINARIES AND MORE BUDGET-FRIENDLY HOLIDAY FOOD AND DECOR IDEAS.