Christmas birds ...

So what can you do with some styrofoam eggs and feathers?

Tutorial: Christmas Feather Wreath

Christmas Feather Wreath

Materials:

•  Small embroidery hoop 
• Cream grosgrain ribbon
•  Satin ribbon 25cm – 50cm wide 
• Pearl buttons 
• Cream Turkey Feathers 
• Hot-glue gun and hot  glue sticks

Instructions:

1.     Wrap the embroidery hoop with the grosgrain ribbon leaving a tail at the top to form a loop to hang the wreath.

2.     Using the hot glue attach the feathers to the ribbon wrapped hoop

3.     Cut the ribbon into strips and using a running stitch gather them into small flower shapes

 

4.    Hot-glue the flower shapes to the feathers and attach the pearl the middle of the flowers

TUTORIAL: Recycled Paper Christmas Tree Decoration

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Hi! Welcome to the beginning of "Christmas with Kitty Boo Boo". I love a handmade Christmas with all the making and creating and I love sharing the joy of making and creating too. From  now through to Christmas I will be sharing some of my Christmas decoration ideas. I hope you find something you like to make and I'd love to hear your feedback and see your versions! Please feel free to link back to my blog!

Note: All instructions and photographs are my own and copyrighted. If you choose to use them please credit them back to me. Thanks

Recycled Christmas Trees with Glitter

Materials:

* Small magazine or book

* Gold Spray Paint

* Glitter

* Scissors

Instructions:

1.    Fold the spine of the magazine so that it is broken

2.    Fold the pages of the magazine in towards the spine one at a time. Then fold them all in again so the fold is smaller.

 

 3.    Use scissors to cut the irregular shape from the bottom of the pages. You could leave this attached but if the paper of the magazine is soft or thin the tree will be unstable

       

 

4.    Spray the small tree with the gold paint and dust with glitter

 Now you have a gorgeous table centerpiece.

 

Other ideas:

Spray with adhesive glue (so you can still see the text) and then sprinkle with glitter

Tutorial: Vintage Paper Christmas Star Ornament

Vintage Paper Star Ornament

Materials: 

• Star pattern 
• Sheet music 
• Photo copier
•  Silver thread 
• Scrapbooking eyelets 

Optional
 

·         Marking pen

·         Jump rings

·         Pliers to manipulate the jump rings

Instructions:

1. Print, and cut out the pattern. Choose the solid outline that gives you the star size you like, or make three copies to create small, medium, or large ornaments.

2. Use a photocopy machine to transfer the sheet music to standard copy paper.

3. Trace the outline of the star pattern on the copied sheet music. For extra visual interest, tilt the paper slightly.

4. Using the pattern as your guide, fold the cut out stars. Solid lines indicate "mountain folds" (fold comes toward you); dashed lines indicate "valley folds."

5. Punch a small hole in the location shown on the pattern. Insert an eyelet for reinforcement. Use the silver thread to hang the ornament.

Optional extra:

Using the marking pen I have drawn an Angel on the sheet music and cut it out.

I then inserted an eyelet in the bottom of the star and the top of the Angel. I attached the Angel to the stars using the jump rings.

Tutorial: Victorian Silhouette Ornaments

Victorian Silhouette Ornaments

Materials:

•  Silhouette pattern 
• Scrapbooking paper 
• GlueScissors 
• Miniature embroidery or cross stitch frames
•  Cord to match frame colour

Instructions:

1. Print, and cut out the silhouette patterns. 

2. Take the frame apart and cut the scrapbooking paper to the same size and shape of the inner part of the frame using it as a template.

   

3. Glue the silhouette to the paper

4. Reassemble the frames, cut some cord and attach to the top of the frame to hang

Tutorial: Christmas Bauble

Christmas Ball Ornaments

Embellish plain purchased Christmas ornaments with purchased ribbon flowers, bows and lace

Materials:

• Ball ornament
• Hot-glue gun and hot glue (Note: For certain surfaces, such as thin glass, a low-temperature glue may be safer than hot glue.) 
• 1- to 1-1/2-inch-wide ribbon in various lengths 
• Satin Ribbon flowers 
• Small folly bells

Instructions:

1. Attach ribbon bows. Fold the ribbon into bows and loops as you like. Glue them directly to the ornament top. Use glue sparingly so it does not show through.

2. Attach flowers. Use additional glue to attach the satin flowers to the ornament. Let dry.

3. Attach folly bells. Use a thin piece of ribbon to loop through the top of the folly bell and then glue to the ball hiding the loop of ribbon under a flower or bow loop.

More Ideas:

• Cordinate the colors of the ornament, flowers, and ribbons to match the décor of someone special. 
• For a great hostess gift, tie an ornament around the neck of a bottle of champagne or sparkling cider, or atop a box of hot chocolate mix.

Tutorial - Owl Bunting (Fabric)

 Owl Bunting - Fabric

Materials:

·         Fabric for owls (12.5cm x 10cm)

·         Fabric for tummy (8.5 x 5cm)

·         Fusible web – eg. Bondaweb, Vliesofix

·         Buttons – 2 per owl

·         Ribbon or Yarn or twine for hanging

·         Iron-on letters – or alphabet stamps

·         Scissors

·         Thread

·         Owl template – seam allowances included

STEP 1

Cutting fabric

Work out how many owls you would like and according to this number cut pairs of fabric, making a slit in one of every pair at the indicated position

Using manufacturer’s instructions attach fusible web to fabric reserved for the tummy piece (amount of fabric depending on how many owls you want to make). Cut one belly piece for each owl

 

STEP 2

Sewing owls together

Place two pieces of the owl body right sides together, making sure one of these pieces has the slit in the body. Sew together, trim corners and turn inside out through slit. Press flat.

STEP 3

Owl tummy’s

Peel the backing paper off the tummy fabric pieces and place in position on the owl body. Iron pieces together to affix. You can stitch this down if you like.

STEP 4

Making the owl’s face

Fold point down the belly to just above half way and stitch in place. This is the beak. 

  

Now stitch on two buttons either side of the beak.

STEP 5

Making the bunting

Arrange in the order you would like them to be displayed and affix the iron on letters (or stamp your own) onto the tummy of the owl.

Thread onto the ribbon, yarn or twine just under the beak and hang!

WATCH FOR THE NEXT OWL BUNTING TUTORIAL USING FELT AND SIMPLE SEWING INSTRUCTIONS

PLEASE REMEMBER: I am happy to share this tutorial but please give credit where it is due. All words and images are copyright Kitty Boo Boo 2010.

Tutorial - Fabric Chain Decoration

Fabric Chain Decoration

  

Materials

·         Fabric - depends on how many chain links you want

o   Each link requires 6cm x 24cm

o   10 will give you approximately 1 meter of chain

·         Heavy weight fusible interfacing

·         Scissors

·         Loop turner or bodkin

·         Safety pin

·         Thread

·         Optional Velcro or snap fasteners or press stud fasteners

STEP 1

Cut each piece of fabric to 6cm x 24cm

You could vary these measurements depending on how wide you want your chains to be. I wouldn’t recommend going smaller than a width of 5cm or you may find it too difficult to turn the fabric right side out

At the same time cut a piece of heavy fusible interfacing. I cut mine 1.5cm x 21cm.

You’ll want the interfacing to be about 1cm smaller in width and about 3cm shorter in length than the finished size of the finished strip. You’ll need one strip of interfacing for each fabric strip you cut.

STEP 2

Take your fabric piece and fold it lengthwise, right sides together. Sew along the long edge using a 1.5cm seam allowance

Turn right side out using the loop turner or bodkin and iron flat, placing the seam in the middle of one side (this will be the inside of the ring)

Insert the interfacing strip, positioning the fusible side so it will be attached to the side without the seam.  Try using a safety pin attached to one end of the interfacing if it’s tricky to get into the tube of fabric. 

Repeat this process for all the fabric strips you have cut out. Make as many as you’d like to create a chain of your desired length, remembering that 10 will give you approximately 1 metre.

STEP 3

Tuck the ends of the strips into the tube about 1 – 1.5cm

STEP 4

Now you’ll want to attach these pieces together to form the rings. There are a few options here

1.      You could order them as you’d like and simply sew the ends together, interlocking the rings as you go.

2.      Or, if you want to make a chain where the rings could be opened and reorganized, you may want to use Velcro or snaps as the fastener for each ring.  Cut a small piece of Velcro, about an inch square and sew one side of the Velcro to the end of one of your strips. Sew the second piece to the reverse side of the other side of the strip.

3.      To use snaps simply stitch the snaps onto the ends of your strips.

I used press studs as these have a nice clean finish to them and are easy for the kids to link together. I can also use these as a toy for the younger kids, napkin rings or bracelets.