Article of the week: Getting crafty

FEATURE | Activity

Crafts have made a bit of a comeback during lockdown, but being creative is good for our well-being at any time. Here are some DIY ideas to keep you creating and connecting:

PAPER BOUQUET 

Make paper flowers to brighten up a window:

• Paint some wooden skewers green and leave to dry
• Download a free flower template from craftideas.info/html/paper_flowers and print it out
• Make solid, reusable templates by cutting the flowers out and sticking them onto cardboard (for example, the sides of an old cereal box)
• Use these to trace the flower shapes on card of different colours and cut the shapes out
• Cut out different coloured circles for the middle of each flower
• Place the flowers on a piece of thick cardboard and use a stylus to score a line down the middle of each petal, or to emboss any details you may want to add
• Bend the petals slightly along that line to add dimensions then stick the circles on the flowers with strong craft glue
• You can also create leaves by cutting out leaf shapes in green card, scoring a line down the middle of each leaf and bending the leaf slightly along that line
• Glue the flowers to the skewers and place in a jar or vase

HANDY TIP  You can decorate the flowers using paints, beads or ribbon

BOOKMARKS

Make a bookmark as a gift for a special occasion or to encourage someone with a favourite verse of Scripture:

• Download a free template from craftingthewordofgod.com/holiday-crafts/valentines-day and print it out
• Paint or colour all the pieces and cut
• them out
• Glue the bookmark templates to card
• Glue the verses to the bookmarks
• Cut out the bookmark from the card stock (for an added element of design, use craft border scissors)
• Punch a hole in the top of the bookmark and attach ribbon (optional)

HANDY TIP  Laminate the bookmark to make it last longer

EGG-CELLENT CANDLES

Make colourful egg-shaped candles for Easter or any other time of year:

• You will need an egg, half a wax crayon, a candlewick and four tea lights for each candle you make
• Remove the egg’s contents: make a small hole at the top (peel away a little of the shell) and use a toothpick or the handle of a teaspoon to encourage the egg to drain out, then rinse with water and leave to dry
• Remove the tea lights from their casings along with their candlewicks and place the wax in a small saucepan with half a crayon (with all its paper removed)
• Gently melt the wax and crayon on the hob
• Place the dried eggshell in an eggcup and carefully pour the melted wax into the eggshell
• Grip a candlewick with a clothes peg at a right angle and lower the wick into the melted wax
• Rest the peg across the top of the egg and allow to cool completely for an hour
• Peel the shell off the wax egg, trim the wick and stand the candle in an egg cup

HANDY TIP  Watch the process online by going to YouTube and searching for ‘DIY colorful egg candles for Easter’