#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST

One of the complaints I often hear from readers is how they wish they had some crafting talent. The truth is, many crafts require little or no creative talent to execute and still produce results people will admire. It all depends on the craft. Too often would-be crafters start out by choosing projects meant for experienced crafters. Of course, they’re going to be disappointed with the results. You wouldn’t expect to sit down at the piano for the first time and play Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, would you?

Drop Dead Ornaments, the seventh full-length novel in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, will be released in October. In this book Anastasia’s son Alex and his fellow high school seniors need to come up with a project to fulfill their community service obligation before graduation. They decide to make Christmas ornaments to sell at the annual town Christmas Bazaar to raise money for the local food bank. Anastasia teaches the students how to make sophisticated glass ornaments with basic craft supplies—no talent required.

The photo above is one of those ornaments. All you need is a clear glass ball ornament, crinkle paper or excelsior (the stuff used as filler in gift baskets), and a piece of ribbon to use for hanging. All the items are readily available at any craft store.

Carefully remove the metal cap from the ornament. Stuff the ornament with the crinkle paper or excelsior, replace the cap, and tie on the ribbon to hang. It’s as simple as that!

You’ll find more ideas for easy Christmas ornaments in Drop Dead Ornaments. Check back next month for pre-order information or sign up for author Lois Winston’s newsletter for an early preview and giveaways.