#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--DECOUPAGED AUTUMN CANDLE HOLDER/VASE

Autumn Decoupaged Candle Holder or Vase

This project can be made in any size. Use a larger jar for pillar candles, a smaller one for tea lights. You can also fill the jar with autumn foliage or flowers instead of a candle.

Materials:

Smooth-sided glass jar*

Alcohol

Autumn print fabric

Scissors

Decoupage glue

Foam brush

Rope or twine

Glue gun and glue stick

Raffia

*Note: If using a real candle, choose a glass jar that will withstand heat, and for safety’s sake, omit the raffia tie at the top of the jar. If using an electric candle, any jar will work.

Wipe down the outside of the jar with alcohol to remove any grease or oils from handling.

Cut out the fabric to fit around jar. You can either use a print that works as shown or one where you cut out individual items and use randomly around jar or layer.

Using the foam brush, paint a thin layer of decoupage on the jar. Apply fabric as desired. Paint more decoupage glue over fabric, making sure to smooth out the edges. If layering fabric, apply decoupage glue to each layer.

Using the glue gun, adhere rope or twine to bottom of jar, wrapping around jar two or three times.

Cut several lengths of raffia and tie in a bow at top of jar. Use your fingers.  It helps when trying to mold the leaf around the jar.

Find more decoupage crafts in Decoupage Can Be Deadly, book 4 of the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries.

Decoupage Can Be Deadly

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 4

Anastasia and her fellow American Woman editors are steaming mad when minutes before the opening of a consumer show, they discover half their booth usurped by Bling!, their publisher’s newest magazine. CEO Alfred Gruenwald is sporting new arm candy—rapper-turned-entrepreneur and Bling! executive editor, the first-name-only Philomena. During the consumer show, Gruenwald’s wife serves Philomena with an alienation of affection lawsuit, but Philomena doesn’t live long enough to make an appearance in court. She’s found dead days later, stuffed in the shipping case that held Anastasia’s decoupage crafts. When Gruenwald makes cash-strapped Anastasia an offer she can’t refuse, she wonders, does he really want to find Philomena’s killer or is he harboring a hidden agenda?

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CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--AUTUMN YO-YO WREATH

Autumn Yo-yo Wreath

Those of you familiar with this blog know that I’m partial to yo-yo crafts. As a matter of fact, Revenge of the Crafty Corpse, the third Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, features yo-yo crafts.

Now that there’s a chill in the air, it’s time to think about autumn crafting. So I came up with this quick and easy yo-yo wreath that you can hang on your front door until it’s time to switch over to your Christmas wreath.

Materials: 6” x 6” piece of cardboard, compass, three 6” x 6” pieces lightweight cotton or cotton blend fabric in autumn colors/prints, fabric marker, three decorative buttons, 9” vine wreath, 8 yds. rust-colored raffia ribbon, hot glue gun and glue stick, scissors, sewing needle, quilting thread, 9” jute

Using the compass, draw a 6” diameter circle on the cardboard. Cut out the circle. Using the cardboard circle as a template, draw a circle on the back of each of the pieces of fabric. Cut out the circles.

With the wrong side of the fabric facing up, fold the edge of one circle over 1/4". Using a running stitch, sew around the entire circle close to the fold line. Pull the thread tightly so the fabric cinches up to form the yo-yo. Flatten and shape the yo-yo. Run the needle through the center back to secure. Repeat for remaining circles.

Cut raffia into eight equal lengths. Secure ends by knotting. Glue one knotted end to back of wreath. Wrap raffia around wreath, securing opposite end at back of wreath with hot glue.

Glue a decorative button over the center hole of each yo-yo. Glue yo-yos to bottom of wreath.

Tie jute to top of wreath for hanging loop.

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA-- NO-SEW FABRIC PUMPKIN

I’ve never been a big fan of Halloween, but I do like to decorate for autumn. Today’s quick and easy no-sew craft is a fabric pumpkin that would look great on a shelf or just about anywhere else. And you don’t have to worry about it rotting! -- AP

NO-SEW FABRIC PUMPKIN

Materials:

5” Styrofoam ball

scraps of orange, gold, and brown print fabrics

1 yd. DMC green Memory Thread

3” cinnamon stick

9” length 3/8” diameter dowel

X-acto knife

tacky glue

1. Using the X-acto knife, carve out the top and bottom of the Styrofoam ball, flattening it into more of a pumpkin shape.

2. Sharpen one end of the dowel into a point. You can use an electric pencil sharpener for this. Use the dowel to press creases into the Styrofoam to create the sections of a pumpkin.

3. Cut 2-1/2” x 8” pieces of fabric. Trim to form points at short ends.

4. Using the dowel, press the fabric into the creases to cover the sections. Alternate the various fabric colors.

5. Cut the Memory Thread into two 18” pieces. Wind the pieces around the dowel to curl.

6. Poke a hole in the top of the pumpkin. Fill the hole with tacky glue. Insert one end of each piece of Memory Thread and the cinnamon stick.

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA-- AUTUMN LEAVES KITCHEN TOWELS

Many people switch out their kitchen and bath towels for various holidays and the changing seasons. It’s a simple way to decorate your home, but it can become very costly. Think about it: winter, spring, summer, autumn, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, 4^th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas…Do you really want to spend $5-$10 or more on an appliquéd kitchen towel for drying dishes or your hands? Add the cost of potholders, placemats, napkins, guest towels, etc. and you’ve got a major expense. Even if unlike me, you don’t have bill collectors camped on your lawn, given the economy, how many people really have that kind of disposable income anymore?

Still, how can you not pine for those cute items whenever you pass them in the store? Here’s a simple solution: make your own. The kitchen towels in the photo cost $1 each. Yes, I said $1 each. I bought them at the dollar store and decorated them myself with scraps left over from other projects. Each towel took me less than 15 minutes to make. Here’s how I did it:

AUTUMN LEAVES KITCHEN TOWELS

Materials (for each towel):
1 kitchen towel
small amount of no-sew fusible adhesive
small amount of print fabric
a few assorted leaves from your trees
iron

1. Pre-wash the fabric and towel to remove sizing.

2. Use the leaves as a template and trace around them onto the paper side of the fusible adhesive. (If you don’t have leaves to use, print out some images from clip art and trace them onto the paper.

3. Following manufacturer’s directions, apply fusible adhesive to wrong side of fabric.

4. Cut out leaves.

5. Arrange leaves face up on towel. Fuse to towel following manufacturer’s directions.

Buy towels in a variety of colors and make sets for various seasons and holidays -- hearts for Valentine’s Day, pumpkins for Halloween, shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day. You can find just about any shape on the Internet if you do a search of “coloring pages” + whatever image you want.

And here’s a bonus: If you need a quick hostess gift, make a towel to line a basket and add a jar or two of jam or some fresh baked muffins (Cloris has lots of recipes she’s posted on the blog. Just do a “muffin” search.)