Make these beautiful ornaments out of old books. for step by step tutorial… DIY Home and Decor Blog Handmade straw and wood ornaments are a long standing tradition in Sweden and many other Scandinavian countries. I always look forward to receiving a handmade ornament from Sweden from my Mother and Father-in-law every Christmas. Advent stars are one of the items that are commonly made. When I was recently looking at a pic of antique woven star, I was inspired to make my own version using recycled book pages that could be used as a decorative hanger not just for the Christmas tree but for any time of year. I started with a 5X7 inch paperback book that was ready for recycle. I tore out a page, folded it into four equal sections (width wise) and cut. I then took one of the quarter pieces and folded it evenly three times (width wise) to make my first strip. Between each fold I added a little white craft/school type glue to help hold it together. I suggest covering your work surface in wax paper during the process to keep the pages from sticking.
I then repeated the process to make a total of 21 strips (20 strips for the star plus one additional to create the hanger). Once I had all my strips folded it was time to start the weaving process. I joined two strips together with a small dab of hot glue. I then added two additional strips on each side of one of the center strips, alternating under and over. Once I had a total of five strips, I added 2 more to each side of the other cross strip (alternating over and under). I secured the strips with additional dabs of hot glue. I created two of these for the two separate sides of the star. I then trimmed the ends of the center strips even with the loops using scissors. You can see in the pic below where I started to trim the center strips even. I had snipped it even on the right side and was about to snip the left side. To make the hanger I took my last strip, made a hoop, glued it closed and cut it off, leaving a little extra on the end. I then secured it inside one of the loops with more hot glue.
I then coated the entire star with a coat of satin finish Mod Podge, allowed to dry and I was finish! These stars look cute as is or you could also add a dusting of silver glitter that is also seen on many of the Swedish straw ornaments. You could also play around with making the stars larger or smaller and using different paper for your strips such as scrapbook paper, sheet music or etc. I hope you enjoyed, an early “God Jul” to you and happy crafting my friends! Update: Want to see another Swedish craft using book pages and other recycled materials? Be sure to check out my new post: The Makings of An American Dalahäst Update: This project has been featured on Hometalk , Redbook Magazine & MSN LifestyleThis post was 100% inspired by the wool dryer balls I bought online last month! I had the pack of six sitting in my studio for a week before I finally remembered to use them, and one day it just hit me that they would make the perfect base for embroidered ornaments.
I ordered some cotton candy colored wool roving from one of my favorite wool suppliers on Etsy, picked out some embroidery thread, and searched for some pattern inspiration online. I ended up with some lovely handmade ornaments that are not only adorable, they won't break when a toddler (or cat) swats one off the bottom branch! Supplies:-8 oz of merino wool roving per 8-10 large balls -4-6 skeins of embroidery thread in coordinating colors-sharp tapestry needle-1 pair of hosiery (not shown)-peppermint or wintergreen essential oils (optional)-scissors-washing machine For 8 ornaments, you'll be using about 8 oz. of wool roving. Separate your roving into 8 separate sections, but don't use scissors to cut them. Instead, gently pull them apart so the fibers separate naturally. Each section should give you about 1 oz. of wool. Pull your first bundle of roving gently apart until you have three or four separate 2' lengths. Then widen these by gently pulling them apart widthwise so that you can see through them.
The wispier the strands, the easier they'll blend with the others and felt together. Hold one end of your first strand and fold it over on itself twice. Then firmly pinch in the sides and fold it over on itself again. Keep pinching the sides in and folding it over on itself to create a firm ball shape. It won't be perfectly round at this point, but do your best. Once you've rolled all of it up, add another strand of wool and keep rolling in the same direction. If it is getting too tubular, try using thinner strands. Roll a third strand in a different direction and a fourth strand in another direction. Keep adding thin strands (1/3 thinner than the one shown in the photo above) the fuller your ball gets. It should look something like this when you're done. When it gets felted, it will shrink in size a bit. So keep that in mind. Repeat the process until you've rolled all of your ornaments. This is the fun part! Cut the leg out of one end of some inexpensive pantyhose.
Bunch it up like you're going to put it on, but instead, put your first wool ball inside. You don't want to shove your ball down the whole length of hose because it'll pull your wool away from your ball and create a funny shape. Once your first ball is in place, tie a knot. Then bunch up your hose, add in your second ball, and tie another knot. Repeat until you run out of room or balls. Depending on your washing machine, you'll want to use a small amount of detergent (soap or powder is fine) and set your washer to a hot setting. Throw your balls into the washer. The hot water and hose will agitate your wool and cause it to felt and shrink. If you've ever accidentally washed a favorite wool sweater in warm water or had it thrown into a dryer, you'll know what happens next! When your washer is finished, stick the tube of balls in the dryer with some towels or something else to help agitate it even more. The heat will continue the process of felting and will help your balls to dry quicker.
This can be a 30-50 minute cycle depending on whether or not you're drying other things too. Remove the balls from the dryer and gently cut the pantyhose knots off. There should be fibers sticking through the hose. You'll also have to gently pull the hose off of the balls. Remove all of the hosiery and discard. If you're not interested in adding embroidery, you can simply thread a needle with some embroidery yarn to create a hanger, and you'll have a lovely minimalist set of ornaments to mix in with your other shiny bulbs. Or bypass the ornament bit and you have your first set of wool dryer balls! However, you'll never regret the hour it took to add that next level of loveliness in the way of starbursts and triangles. Thread your needle with 6' of embroidery thread and tie a single knot in one end. Stick your needle into the felt and out about 1" away and gently pull your thread until the knotted end pulls into the felt ball. This will hide your knot. Then start your star or triangle and keep adding more until you run out of thread.