Before you pack up all those holiday arrangements, bows and decorations, stop for a moment and take a closer look. There may be a way to recycle some of the items you don’t really want to store for a year into a festive New Year’s Eve kissing ball.
Kissing balls are traditionally made of mistletoe, holly, ivy and small pieces of evergreen, but there’s no reason why we can’t expand our thinking to include a few faux flowers or other reusable frills.
If you can’t bear to throw out a wreath that has seen better days, but know deep down that it likely won’t adorn the door next year even if stored, check it out for flowers, berries, bows and seasonal adornments that can be added to your creation.
And don’t overlook gift bows and package decorations that are too good to toss but not quite up to storage standards.
To make our festive spheres, you’ll need a collection of the above-mentioned items, a small Styrofoam or florist’s foam ball and some ribbon, yarn or heavy thread.
For our red sample, we used small velvety poinsettias from a wreath, a couple of wired-ribbon bows, greenery and gold wire flowers from a table arrangement, and some sparkly white holly we’ve had in our supply stash for a while.
Our blue sample combines white faux carnations and blue hydrangeas from a springtime arrangement that we’ll never display again with some of the same seasonal greenery used in our red sample.
All you need to do is push the items into the foam ball until it is round — or as close to round as you can get — and attach a hanger.
Hangers can be added in several different ways:
First, you can make a loop out of ribbon or yarn and secure it in place with a couple of long, heavier pins. This method works well if the kissing ball is on the light side, but isn’t suitable for heavier creations.
A second method is to tie a length of heavy thread, fine ribbon or yarn around the ball — hiding it beneath the decorations — and tying it into a loop at the top.
Or you can run a length of yarn or thread through the ball using a long specialty needle (4 to 7 inches in length) and tying a loop at the top. You’ll need to stabilize the thread or yarn at the bottom by attaching a small button or making a knot at the end.
Post holiday postcards
Let’s face it, some greeting cards are just too pretty to destroy, but instead of tucking them away into a dark drawer where they’re likely to stay for decades, recycle them into postcards.
By turning your favorite holiday cards into postcards, you can share them with others and save yourself some postage as well.
To make postcards, cut off the greeting half and recycle the picture half (provided there’s nothing written on the back). Cut it to the size you want, keeping in mind that the postage amount will change for larger cards.
Postcards measuring up to 6 inches in length by 41/4 inches in width cost 26 cents for domestic first class postage; cards larger than 6 by 41/4 inches cost 41 cents.
Visit the United States Postal Service Web site at postcalc.usps.gov/Postcards.aspx to double check rates and sizes from time to time.
If it’s been a while since you’ve sent one, take a look at the reverse side of an actual postcard to judge how much writing space versus address space you’ll need.
And a final note…
In this, the last column of 2007, we want to take a minute to thank all of our regular Craft Corner readers for sticking with us through another year of crafting. As always, it’s been great to speak with and meet many of you.
Here’s wishing you and yours all the best in 2008 and we look forward to hearing from, and possibly meeting, many more of you during the upcoming year.
Cheers! — to a very safe and happy New Year!
Contact Jonetta Coffin at jrocoffin@aol.com.
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