Better Homes & Gardens – Holiday Crafts 2019

Instructions

HolidayCrafts 2019 29

Shimmery

Snowflakes

shown below right and opposite

MATERIALS

Chenille pipe cleaners: assorted blue
Borax
1-gallon bucket or large deep
container
Fishing line
Skewers or rods (long enough to
rest across bucket rim)
Florists wire

Paper Star Topper

shown below and opposite

MATERIALS

Cardstock: 2 coordinating colors
Straightedge
Crafts knife

Pom-Pom Trees

and Garland

shown right and opposite

MATERIALS

Papier-mâché cones
Hot-glue gun and glue sticks
Glitter pom-poms: assorted sizes
and colors
Embroidery floss
Embroidery needle

MAKE THE TREE

Working from the top of a cone down, hot-

glue pom-poms close together, arranging

colors as desired.

MAKE THE GARLAND

Cut embroidery fl oss to desired garland

length, plus extra for hanging. Thread an

embroidery needle with the fl oss and push

needle through the center of a pom-pom;

push pom-pom onto fl oss. Repeat to add

pom-poms; knot ends of fl oss to secure.

For each snowfl ake, cut three 8-inch pieces

and six 3-inch pieces of pipe cleaner.

Cross two 8-inch pieces to make an X.

Twist several times at the middle to secure

while keeping the X.

Lay the third 8-inch piece horizontally

over the center of the X. Twist around the

center. (The pipe cleaners should not slide

if tugged.) Trim the six arms radiating from

the center to an even length.

Fold each 3-inch section in half to form

a V. Twist the point of a V around an arm

½ inch from end so it lays fl at on a surface.

Trim to even ends. Repeat for each arm.

Mix 1^1 ∕ 2 cups borax in 8 cups hot water

in bucket. (Or 3 tablespoons borax per

1 cup hot water. Mix enough solution

to completely cover snowfl akes.) Stir

to dissolve.

Cut a length of fi shing line long enough

to submerge snowfl ake in bucket. Tie line

to the tip of one arm of snowfl ake. Secure

opposite end of line to center of a skewer.

Hang additional snowfl akes on skewers in

bucket, making sure they don’t touch.

Submerge snowfl akes. Place bucket

safely out of reach of kids and pets. Let

snowfl akes soak 24 hours so crystals form.

Remove snowfl akes. Let air-dry on a

paper towel. Cut off fi shing line. Hang

snowfl akes using fl orists wire.

Enlarge patterns in Pattern Pack onto white

paper; cut out. Trace one of each snowfl ake

onto desired cardstock.

Cut out shapes but leave inside

diamonds intact. Using the dotted and

solid lines on the patterns as a guide, lay a

straightedge where the vertical dotted line

would be on front of a cardstock snowfl ake.

Lightly score from point to point with the

Flip snowfl ake and lay straightedge

fi ngers. Repeat for all cardstock snowfl akes.

Cut out diamond shapes from all

snowfl akes using crafts knife.

Stack snowfl akes from largest to

smallest, rotating as shown in photo. Use

long-reach hole punch to punch a hole in

center. Secure with paper fastener. Attach

to treetop using fl orists wire.

Make glitter pom-poms with glitter eyelash yarn and a fork or

pom-pom maker. Go to BHG.com/HCPomPoms for instructions.