Country Living Handmade Christmas: Decorating Your Tree & Home (Hardcover)

~ The Editors of Country Living (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Have a very merry decorative Christmas with more than 30 simple projects you can craft quickly--just what you'll appreciate at that busy time of the year. Want a super centerpiece that everyone will admire? Here's a sweet one, out of sugared fruit. Plus: holiday stars, balls, ornaments and more!

About the Author

Country Living, the monthly magazine that captures the country lifestyle, brings a country approach to a wide range of topics including decorating, building and restoring old homes, cooking, entertaining, gardening, and travel. Country Living is responsible for originating and popularizing the whole premise of the "country" lifestyle that has emerged as a major trend over the past two decades. It has a circulation of nearly two million readers.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Hearst; 1st edition (December 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688167764
• ISBN-13: 978-0688167769
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,096,929 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SIMPLE YET WONDERFUL CRAFT DESIGNS, August 23, 2005

By	Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Country Living Handmade Christmas (Paperback)

It's never really too early to talk about Christmas for fanatics like myself. Even here in the midst of one of the hottest Summer seasons in recent years my thoughts are on bright Christmas lights glittering off the snow outside and the scent of pine and cinnamon inside. My wife and I have become avid crafters, making things not only for ourselves, but for friends and family as well. I never ceased to be amazed at the imagination and ingenuity that crafters show in creating items out of simple materials that can often be found right in your own home, or with a quick stop at a local craft store. My wife has always been big into a traditional country look, especially since we live smack dab in the middle of suburbia. The Country Living Handmade Christmas book is right up our alley with simple and inexpensive creations that range from the rustic to the elegant.

The book starts with simple, basic ideas for decorating your home such as various color schemes and using multiples of items such as small, pre-lit trees, wreaths, candles, plants, garlands, or holiday throw pools. Candles have become such a staple not only during the holiday season but year round and the lustrous scents of some of these can quickly get you into the holiday mood. There are a lot of great projects in this book, many which we made last year and are already making for this season.

One of the most simple is a Christmas ball tree made with a by gluing small glass Christmas balls to a Styrofoam cone, and then mounting inside a floral vase with some floral foam to help keep it in place. This is a great way to make use of old glass balls that you may not use on your tree anymore and makes for a great table centerpiece.

We collect snowmen and love making new ones. This book has several different snowmen than can be made very quickly and with items right around the house. For instance you can use old white tube socks, stuffed with foam, and adorned buttons, scraps of plaid fabric and then a tip of a colored sock for a cap. Other snowmen can be made from different sized Styrofoam balls, Paper Mache', and felt, all with their own unique looks. Patterns are included where needed.

There are lots of great projects to trim your tree with as well. A charming, rustic country design is to simply gather some twigs from your yard, and fashion them into the shapes of stars. Fashion the end points together using red twine or yarn or scraps of plaid fabric in seasonal colors. It's basically a cost-free decoration that fits the country scheme and always draws compliments from people who note your creativity!

An ingenious use of scrap fabric can be found in making Wool garland. Just cut old scrap wool or felt into 2" squares and run a strong thread through them, placing a button here and there and small Christmas bells or balls interspaced every few feet for a delightful accent on a table top tree. There's also patterns for making your own Christmas stockings out of old material as well. Now you know why we never throw anything away. Thrift stores are a great place to find old clothes for cutting up for these projects.

More and more people are making their own wrapping paper today and it makes a great change for that truly special gift for someone. You just need some colored paper which you can get on rolls from craft stores or even office supply stores, and then the paper can be adorned with painted stencil designs, rubber stamps, or sponge-painted. You can use the same techniques to make your own gift tags.

The book is loaded with brilliant, full-color photographs of each project and includes step-by-step instructions and materials list. You're really only limited by your own imagination. A truly superb book!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mary's Christmas is quite enchanting., September 17, 2004

By	L. Nedelman (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Country Living Handmade Christmas (Paperback)

Never have I experienced a book with such vivid Christmas images. Mary Sears uses her prolific sense of handmade ornaments and delightful Christmas surprises to write a book that really attracts fans of all ages.