Dec 152011
 
Make at Home Monday is late this week, but I wanted to share with you a quick and easy decorative Christmas craft that you can make: Christmas Clothesline Swag.
Christmas Craft - DIY Christmas Clothesline
I first saw this sold by AVON like a decade ago and I thought it was so cute.  After buying one for my Mom, I thought it would be really easy to duplicate so I made a few of my own.  Once you make one,  you’ll probably make five; they’re quick and easy to customize to fit whatever decorating theme you follow.  You could do felt top hats and carrots, plus buttons, and have a snowman clothesline; knit socks and hats, thermal long-johns, and scarves for a general winter theme; or felt and wrapped candies for a Visions of Sugarplums theme.  Use your imagination; the ability to personalize is one of the best parts of this project.
To make, all you need, is…
Clothesline (or cording)
Mini clothespins (I’ve seen them at Walmart, Michael’s, etc.)
Miniature or doll-sized winter or Santa clothes
Cut a length of cording about 6″ longer than you want your finished swag to be.  Tie off a small loop at both ends (for hanging).  Starting a few inches from one end, move along the length of the cord and attach the mini clothespins at evenly-spaced intervals.
Use 1-2 clothespins to attach an article of clothing or other item, as shown below.
Christmas Craft - Santa's Clothes for the Clothesline
Christmas Craft - Santa's Socks for the Clothesline
There are a number of different places you can find items to clip.  I found a cute pair of mittens at Hallmark this season; they were a package tie-on, and cost less than $1.  You can also check the newborn section of clothing stores for socks and maybe even hats and mittens; make a few items from felt; or raid your kiddos’ dolls for some of their accessories.
What theme would you choose if you were going to make a Christmas Clothesline swag?
Nov 012011
 
If you are my brother or my sister-in-law – stop reading here, please!

I wanted to make something a little special as an “Our First Christmas” ornament for my brother and sis-in-law this year and when I saw a similar ornament on Pinterest a few weeks ago I thought it would be perfect.

DIY First Christmas Wedding Ornament

A clear glass ornament (I purchased mine at a craft store)
Wedding Invitation
Craft knife or pair of scissors
Ribbon (coordinating with the colors of the invitation)
Charm (I used a heart that I found in the jewelry section of a craft store)
Pen or pencil

I started by cutting the invitation horizontally into strips; I didn’t use the entire invitation, but I cut out the sections that had all the important information such as their names, date, location, etc.  I used a pair of scissors so they’re not perfectly straight or of even thickness, but I can’t find the box I had all my crafting supplies packed into, so I couldn’t get out my mat and knife.  It worked just fine, though, I think.

DIY Our 1st Christmas Ornament

Next I wrapped the strips of invitation around a pen to corkscrew them.

DIY Our 1st Christmas Ornament

After I curled them I slipped them all into the glass ornament.

DIY Our 1st Christmas Ornament


I used a heart-shaped charm on my ornament but you could easily swap it out for something special to the bride and groom (a sun for an outdoor wedding, a starfish for a beach one, etc.) or something Christmas-y, like a snowflake.


DIY Our 1st Christmas Ornament

I tied a ribbon on; as you can see the pink of the ribbon is a lot brighter than the actual invitation, but watermelon was one of their wedding colors so I thought they would like it.  (It’s a quick fix to untie it and throw a new one on if they don’t).  You’re also pretty safe if you choose to go with white/cream.

Do you have a craft you’d like to share with everyone?  Feel free to link it up below!