Cathe Holden, a home crafter and popular blogger at "Just Something I Made," shares a few seasonal crafts with instructions. To read more on Holden, see the article here.
WASHI TAPE FLOWERS
Washi tape (Japanese paper tape) is a fun craft supply with many possibilities. Here is a project for creating colorful bouquets as gifts, gift toppers, or special event corsages and boutonnieres.
Materials & Tools:
Colorful rolls of small-print washi tape, include green(s) for leaves
Flower stamens (or craft your own with wire and beads)
20- to 30-gauge craft wire
White floral tape
Sharpie marker, round-sided pencil
Wire cutters
Scissors
Instructions for large flowers:
1. Cut five 4-inch lengths of wire
2. Fold center of wire over the middle section of the Sharpie pen barrel. Bend wire around and twist two to three times to secure into a loop to create one petal form. Remove from pen. Continue with remaining wire pieces.
3. Cut 1 to 1?-inch lengths of same-pattern washi tape. Fold each length in half centered over the top of the rounded wire, press together and seal around outside of wire. Use scissors to trim the washi tape 1/16" to 1/8" outside of the wire form into rounded petal shape. Continue with remaining petal forms.
4. Group the five petal forms together with a small section of floral stamen in the middle of the grouping. Beginning at the base of petals, wrap grouping of wire stems together with floral tape. Wrap to the very bottom of stems.
Tip: Once removed from Sharpie, pull wire form into oval shape for an alternative flower style.
Instructions for tiny flowers:
Follow steps for large flowers using a smaller barreled form such as a pencil, pen or wooden dowel.
Leaves: Fold a one-inch piece of green washi tape in half over the end of a 1 to 2" piece of wire. Press to seal and trim into a leaf shape. Begin wrapping wire below leaf with floral tape, place with a flower and continue wrapping around entire stem section.
Bouquet: Create multiple flowers of different colors/patterns. Gather and wrap all flower stems together in a varied-height arrangement. Tie stem with ribbon and secure to apparel with a corsage pin. (Optional)
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WIRE BIRD NEST CHARM
Wire bird nest charms make lovely pendants and embellishments with minimal supplies. Use in mixed media, collage, and scrapbook projects, or craft as a gift for someone special on Mother's Day.
Materials & Tools
20- to 30-gauge craft or jewelry wire
Three small rounded beads with holes large enough for chosen wire.
Jewelry wire cutters, and pliers
Instructions:
1. Cut a 1-yard length of wire.
2. Place three beads onto wire approximately 4 inches past end.
3. Wrap short end of wire into a circle, bending in the area of the beads and causing them to come together in a cluster. Continue wrapping wire around bead cluster, threading wire into itself, under the beads, and through the bead cluster to keep wire secure within the nest. Avoid crossing over the top of any bead itself, rather just in between each.
4. With the final few inches of the wire, create a twisted-neck loop one one outer side of the nest for adding a chain if creating a pendant, threading any remaining wire back into the nest to secure.
5. Tuck ends of wire into the nest to avoid snags.
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