Thursday, August 26, 2021

DIY Kartoos Flower Napkin Rings

Fall is just around the corner and that means you're probably thinking about having family and friends over for a festive dinner during that time. Here's a creative idea to decorate your table setting even if it's just family this year.

Why not give your fall table settings an extra handmade touch with adorable dried kartoos napkin rings! I really don't know much about the kartoos flower - just that it's an exotic dried pod usually from India and that it's sometimes called a dried natural achiote/articoke - often packaged in potpourri bags! Sounds wonderful, doesn't it! Used in decor, the kartoos flowers are a little less expected and a whole lot more sophisticated and unique looking! And the attached intertwined paper fiber rush rings are so easy to make and perfect to go with the unusual looking dried flowers!

Disclosure I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, this post may contain links. I may receive a very small commission at no cost to you! The affiliate money I earn helps pay my crafting expenses. Thanks so much for your support!

Materials Needed:

Paper Fiber Rush
Round bottle or object for ring
Yard stick
Scissors
Clips
DAP RapidFuse multi-purpose glue
Dried Kartoos/Achiote (artichoke) flowers

So let's get started making the napkin ring out of paper fiber rush. In case you don't know what that is, it's chemically treated kraft paper used primarily for wicker furniture or seat weaving and basket weaving.

Using a bottle or round object like a rolling pin as a round guide for the ring, initially wrap the rush around the bottle 4-5 times.

Then measure that amount on a yard stick (30") and cut at least four strips or more depending on how many napkin rings you want to make. Next, wrap one of the fiber strips around the bottle one time, inserting the end up and over the strip and clamping in place.

Remove the fiber ring and clamp from the bottle and begin wrapping the strip over and under and around following the initial ring shape until . . .

you have intertwined the fiber strip four or five times and you're satisfied with the look.

Then tuck the ends inside the wrap to conceal, adding a bit of quick grab glue to secure and stay in place.

Then make at least four more the same way.

Now it's time to attach the kartoos to the ring.

Just pick out the most attractive and about the same size dried flowers and . . .

add a blob of quick grab glue on the center of the kartoos flower.

Then place the ring on top of the glue, along the length of the petals, holding in place until the glue sets - usually a minute or two.

Now stand back and admire how wonderful your handcrafted napkin rings look!

Perfect for any Fall table setting . . .

that looks fabulous and quite unusual, too!

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I created this fun and easy way to make napkin rings using twisted paper fiber and dried kartoos flowers for this month's Creative Craft Blog Hop!

I'm pleased to welcome you to our monthly Creative Craft Blog Hop - Summer Edition where I've teamed up with a talented group of creative bloggers to bring you lots of wonderful ideas and inspirations! Our regular hosts are on hiatus for the summer and Sara @Birdz of a Feather volunteered to take over during that time! Thanks so much, Sara!

Be sure to have fun and get inspired with all of the wonderful creations offered this month by clicking on the links below!

DIY Kartoos Flower Napkin Rings

Velvet Pumpkin and Lace Wreath

How to Make a DIY Fabric and Burlap Banner

Creations Fall Lantern

Crochet Coral Reef

Sunflower Embellished Fall Pillow

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

DIY Coiled Rope Motif Basket

4:00 AM Gail @Purple Hues and Me 26 comments

How often are you inspired to re-create something you saw online? I know I have lots of times! I often look around at my favorite stores to get ideas! Just take a look at this lovely Target basket! Isn't it fabulous with a pretty triangular design?

How cool would this be to make something similar? I love the design and wanted to make my very own version! Just in time for this month's DIY Challenge - And the theme for August is our choice for a project!

If you're coming over from Carol @Blue Sky at Home wasn't her no-sew cushions fabulous!

So here are my thoughts on making a similar Target basket: The easiest way for me to make a coiled rope motif basket was to use sisal rope and yarn - things I already had on hand. I've made a sisal rope basket before that you can see here. And the best part, very few supplies including things you probably already have on hand are needed to make this beauty!

Materials:

Small wastebasket trash can - 9"x8.5"(used as template)
Sisal rope (50ft. 3/8")
Chalk
Yarn - 1 skein (Dollar Tree - 131yds in eggplant)
Yardstick
Large eyed needle
Thimble
Hot glue gun/glue sticks

*Note - pictured is a roll of macrame cord - I switched it to yarn to make it easier to use and less bulky in making the motif.

Another change is using parchment paper. At first I thought covering the can with strips of parchment paper would save the wastebasket finish from the hot glue sticking to it.

But once I starting coiling the end of the rope in a tight circle and adding hot glue as I coiled . . .

it proved to be a nuisance with the coiled rope moving around on top of the parchment paper and the parchment paper getting in the way.

So, as soon as I finished coiling the rope around the base of the can and securing it in a circle with hot glue . . .

I removed the parchment paper. Then turning the can right side up, continued adding lines of hot glue along the rope while coiling it around the can, making sure to keep the rope rows even.

The glue didn't harm the plastic waste basket can. Any glue residue just popped right off.

Continue coiling and gluing the rope around the can, holding the rope firmly in place as you are waiting for the glue to dry until reaching the end of the rope.

Once you are near the end - I used all 50ft of the rope - cut the rope at a slant angle, adding additional glue to the end while pressing it down to blend in with the previous rope row.

Next, remove the rope basket from the plastic wastebasket by gently twisting back and forth until the wastebasket releases to pull off and out.

The next part might be a bit hard or tricky to understand. Let me just say that I am not a precise crafter. I don't use formulas to decide how much yardage I might need for a project. I do what I call guesstimate what I will need.

To begin adding the triangular motif-I divided the top (circle) rope into four segments - 12,3,6,9 - marking it in chalk. Then decided how far down I wanted the design to end. I wanted the segments to have the same number of rope rows so I counted in groups of three rows with four segments - counting down twelve rolls (3x4) to start.

To guess how much yarn to cut for the first motif, I measured out each segment and doubled the amount - 23ft. and divided that by 3 to get the yardage - 7.6 and rounded that off to 8yards. I took a yardstick and measured out 8 yards to thread on the needle each time I needed more yarn. Then I started at one of the chalk marks, down 12 rows and stuck the needle in through the inside, leaving a couple of inches of yarn while wrapping by pulling the yarn up and over and down again.

I wrapped the yarn around five times up and over and through the rope rows and beginning on the sixth time, counted up three rows to start the next segment from the inside.

Continue wrapping yarn approximately five times, keeping the yarn straight, trying to maintain the same size for each segment - while moving up towards the top of the basket . . .

creating decorative segments . . .

in a triangular motif design.

The first triangular motif is complete in this picture.

To add additional yarn, remove needle from yarn and connect the end of the wrapped yarn with another eight yards by tying together in a double knot (inside basket). Measure enough of the yarn that's left so that the knot is inside (cutting off excess). Then thread needle onto new end of yarn piece.

Hide knot and ends by pushing needle through inside wrapped yarn.

Continue wrapping yarn in equal segments - following the previous design while moving around basket.

Use a thimble to help push needle through glued rope.

As I continued moving to the right of where I began adding the motif. I realized that the segments would not be even when they meet because of how the top rope row ended. There's an extra row or half a row at the top.

So I began adding segments over the end of the rope on the left side wondering how it would look when the segments meet.

Nearing the end! What do you think? Not too noticeable, huh? Let me just say that it took me all day long - from morning to night - to complete adding the yarn design to the basket. It was very time consuming. But I loved every moment! That's what crafting is all about!

Inside finish.

Can you believe there's still yarn left over from using just one skein of Dollar Tree yarn. Amazing!

Welcome to our monthly DIY Challenge hosted by Terrie @Decorate and More with Tip! On the first Wednesday of the month, Terrie hosts a DIY Challenge with a group of talented bloggers who love to create budget friendly décor for their homes.

Up next is Tammy @Patina and Paint sharing her step by step tutorial on making an adorable lazy susan! How cool is that!