Wait...you don't believe me?!
Look at this... I found these stars in my neighbor's yard after a windy night last week.
Well...okay...not exactly these stars...and not exactly their yard...
What I found was a bunch of twigs.
Dead branches, actually. Broken free by the wind. Nature's way of pruning.
The kind of twigs that you can find almost anywhere:
In the woods. In the forest preserve or, if you're me,
on your neighbor's suburban Chicago parkway.
I love it when mother nature sends me free craft supplies. It doesn't happen often in the suburb where I live.
Generally speaking, it's a race between the guys from the Village Public Works Department and me to see who can get to them first.
They just want to get them out of the street and off of the parkway.
They put them int a shredder and turn them into...the worst possible fate for a tree branch: MULCH!
Normally, that would be okay with me. But not in the fall...
Not after the leaves are off of the trees and my gardens have been put to bed for the winter.
Not with the holidays right around the corner!
These sticks were destined for better things. They were going to be the stars of my Christmas decor this year!
They were excited...and it wasn't just because I saved them from spending the winter outdoors in a mulch pile.
I'm pretty sure that it was the glitter. Yep. Twigs and glitter for the holidays.
They're eco-friendly...and free.
Using them cleans up the parkway and makes less work for the guys from from the Village.
Not to mention the fact that they go great with the burlap ball ornaments that I made last year.
That's how I see it and so far, no one's arguing
...especially not the sticks!
If you'd like to know how to make the burlap balls, click here for the tutorial
If you'd like to make your very own sparkly twig stars from sticks that you found in your yard (or your neighbor's yard), Here's what you'll need:
- Sticks
- Hand held pruners
- A hot glue gun.
Glue four pieces in the shape of an "X", then begin adding axes until the first half is complete.
Turn the ball over and repeat on the other side. The sides don't have to be exactly alike. Keep adding sticks until it looks the way that you want it to.
Once it's glued together, paint the tips of the sticks, dip them in glitter or spray paint the whole thing! Use your imagination! Add a loop for hanging...or not.
They make great ornaments or bowl filler. They'd even be cute tied to gifts with jute. I think that I'm going to need to make a few more!
xo,
I'm sharing this post over at:
Clever Chicks
Craft-o-maniac
DebbieDoos
In the Old Road
Inspired by Charm
Primp
Stilettos in the Mud
Totally Green Crafts
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