Country Living Handmade Christmas: Decorating Your Tree & Home

by Country Living Magazine

Book Overview

Have a very merry decorative Christmas with more than 30 simple projects you can craft quickly-just what you'll appreciate at that busy time of the year. Want a super centerpiece that everyone will... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688167764
• ISBN13: 9780688167769
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Hearst
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.4" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

SIMPLE YET WONDERFUL CRAFT DESIGNS

It's never really too early to talk about Christmas for fanatics like myself. Even here in the midst of one of the hottest Summer seasons in recent years my thoughts are on bright Christmas lights glittering off the snow outside and the scent of pine and cinnamon inside. My wife and I have become avid crafters, making things not only for ourselves, but for friends and family as well. I never ceased to be amazed at the imagination and ingenuity that crafters show in creating items out of simple materials that can often be found right in your own home, or with a quick stop at a local craft store. My wife has always been big into a traditional country look, especially since we live smack dab in the middle of suburbia. The Country Living Handmade Christmas book is right up our alley with simple and inexpensive creations that range from the rustic to the elegant. The book starts with simple, basic ideas for decorating your home such as various color schemes and using multiples of items such as small, pre-lit trees, wreaths, candles, plants, garlands, or holiday throw pools. Candles have become such a staple not only during the holiday season but year round and the lustrous scents of some of these can quickly get you into the holiday mood. There are a lot of great projects in this book, many which we made last year and are already making for this season. One of the most simple is a Christmas ball tree made with a by gluing small glass Christmas balls to a Styrofoam cone, and then mounting inside a floral vase with some floral foam to help keep it in place. This is a great way to make use of old glass balls that you may not use on your tree anymore and makes for a great table centerpiece. We collect snowmen and love making new ones. This book has several different snowmen than can be made very quickly and with items right around the house. For instance you can use old white tube socks, stuffed with foam, and adorned buttons, scraps of plaid fabric and then a tip of a colored sock for a cap. Other snowmen can be made from different sized Styrofoam balls, Paper Mache', and felt, all with their own unique looks. Patterns are included where needed. There are lots of great projects to trim your tree with as well. A charming, rustic country design is to simply gather some twigs from your yard, and fashion them into the shapes of stars. Fashion the end points together using red twine or yarn or scraps of plaid fabric in seasonal colors. It's basically a cost-free decoration that fits the country scheme and always draws compliments from people who note your creativity! An ingenious use of scrap fabric can be found in making Wool garland. Just cut old scrap wool or felt into 2" squares and run a strong thread through them, placing a button here and there and small Christmas bells or balls interspaced every few feet for a delightful accent on a table top tree. There's also patterns for making your own Christmas stockings out of old materia

Mary's Christmas is quite enchanting.

Never have I experienced a book with such vivid Christmas images. Mary Sears uses her prolific sense of handmade ornaments and delightful Christmas surprises to write a book that really attracts fans of all ages.