Holiday Crafts for Everyone

Easy Harvest Candles
By Katie Brown
Nothing adds more ambiance than candles. Try using these harvest-inspired tips to create a Thanksgiving feel out of simple white pillars. CAPTION: Decorate candles for your holiday table. Brush a layer of silicon gel over both sides of the leaves, covering them completely. Drill through the center of the chestnut using a small drill bit. (You could use a nail and hammer to make a hole through the chestnut, but make sure the chestnut is semi soft so it won't split.) Spread 3 to 4 leaves into a fan with the tops of the leaves in different directions. Center the leaves on the pillar candle. Secure them with copper wire, circling the wire around the candle twice. (Leave enough room at the top for the candle to burn a few inches without hitting the leaves.) Twist the wire together to hold, leaving approximately five-inch-long tails. String a chestnut onto one of the wire ends and slide it down onto the center of the leaves. Pull the second tail over the outside of the chestnut and string it through. Twist the wire tails together with needle-nose pliers to secure. (The twist should be small and delicate.) Silicon gel is a heat-resistant material that protects the dry leaves form the heat of the flame. Collect and press your fall leaves so that they become flat. You can keep them between layers of cardboard until you need them!

Set a Holiday Table
Excerpted from Garden House by Bonnie Trust Dahan
There is nothing simpler and more satisfying than using the natural elements of the outdoors to set your seasonal table. Use these tips to incorporate crab apples, rose hips and natural lighting for beautiful holiday decorating. From glimmer to greenery, the table setting in a garden house is laid with special attention to lighting and table accessories that recreate the mood of the day or the season in the garden. When extra illumination is needed in the soft light of early spring or the dim light of mid-winter, it might be provided by miniature kerosene prism lanterns, a grouping of multilevel tapers or beeswax candles, or a table candelabra of votives. When the sun sends its rays and solar warmth through the windows, and extra illumination is not required, the candles may remain just for their own beauty and their promise of light. In summer a lush bough of grape leaves may be grandly spread along the center of the table. More modestly, a ribboned nosegay of lavender sprigs holding name cards may be delicately set on each plate. Two apples, one shiny red pomegranate, or a bottle of special olive oil may serve as simple centerpiece. In this autumnal setting, the table is decorated with fall colors and seasonal offerings. Crab apples and rose hips arranged on a tiered candy server provide the centerpiece. Bouquets of fresh herbs perfume the table. A crackling fire in the background provides warmth, extra light, and a comforting sound that sings of autumn and the failing light.

Silver and Gold Ornaments
By Carol Scheffler
Looking for a way to spice up your Christmas tree? This holiday, turn a simple Styrofoam ball into a glittering tree ornament. These ornaments are made using 4-inch diameter balls, but any size can be adapted to this technique. Choose a design for your ornament – or create your own design: Spiral: Starting at the top, draw a spiral around the ball, down to the bottom. Snowflake: Randomly draw asterisk-shaped snowflakes (approximately one inch in diameter) over the ball. Dots: Randomly draw half-inch dots covering the ball Tic-tac-toe: Randomly draw one-inch X's and small dots over the ball. Stripes: Draw a line around the ball, dividing it in half. Draw a second line around the ball to divide into fourths. Add two more lines in the same manner to create eight sections. Old fashioned: Draw a line around the circumference of the ball. Draw a parallel line approximately one inch above this line. Draw another line approximately one inch below the center of the line. Draw simple V-shaped branches along the centerline. Lightly mark the Styrofoam ball with desired design keeping shapes and patterns simple. Lightly score lines with the narrow end of the orange peeler to an approximate depth of 1/8 inch. Widen and slightly deepen the lines with the wider end of the peeler. Gently push in areas of dots to accent. Center wreath pin at the top of the ornament and glue in place, leaving approximately 3/8 inches above the top of the ball for a hanger. Put a drop cloth down to protect the ground. Following the manufacturer's directions, spray paint the entire ball in the desired color. Allow it to dry. Repeat application to ensure complete and even coverage.