Better Homes & Gardens – Holiday Crafts 2019

HolidayCrafts 2019 65

Braid Brigade

shown on page 63

MATERIALS

^3 ∕ 16 -inch twisted cotton rope
Utility knife
Masking tape
3-inch-diameter metal ring
Hot-glue gun and glue sticks
Artificial berries and greenery
Assorted wooden beads
White cardstock
Permanent marking pen: black

Faded Glory

shown on page 61

MATERIALS

Acrylic paint: white
Disposable plastic container
About 30 assorted-size pinecones
Old baking sheet
Drill
1-inch-thick 8-inch-diameter
birch slice
9-inch length of^3 ∕ 4 -inch-diameter
birch pole
2-inch wood screw
Hot-glue gun and glue sticks
Paring knife
4×9-inch foam cone

Mix 1 cup white paint with 4 cups water
in a disposable plastic container. Working
in small batches, submerge pinecones in
mixture; let soak for 15 minutes. Remove
pinecones; let dry to touch.

ADAPT THIS TECHNIQUE

for a garland

or wr eath.

WIRE PAINTED PINECONES

TO BRAIDED TWINE

OR GLUE THEM TO

A WREATH FORM.

Cut three 15-inch lengths of rope; knot

together at one end. Braid the ropes until

braid is at least 8 inches in length; cut

excess with utility knife. Wrap the cut ends

together with masking tape.

Form braid into a 3-inch circle. Hot-glue

metal ring to back of braided ring. Remove

tape from rope ends; cut and hot-glue ends

to metal ring.

Hot-glue berries, greenery, and wooden

beads over rope ends at bottom front

of wreath.

Cut a^3 ∕ 4 ×3^1 ∕ 2 -inch strip of white

cardstock. Cut one end into an inverted V.

Using a black marking pen, write name or

greeting on strip. Wrap strip around wreath

edge; hot-glue to secure.

Preheat oven to 180°F. Bake pinecones

on an old baking sheet for 1 to 3 hours;

let cool.

Drill a pilot hole into the center of the

birch slice and another hole into one end

of the birch pole. From the bottom of the

slice, drive the wood screw into the pole.

Before tightening, dab hot glue between

the pieces.

Use a paring knife to carve a 3- to 4-inch-

deep hole into the wide end of the foam

cone. Starting at cone tip, hot-glue large

pinecones in rows around the cone. Fill in

gaps with small pinecones.

Place a dab of hot glue on end of

birch pole and push it into carved hole in

cone bottom.