I spent much of the past weekend getting my house guest ready for the holidays…hanging pictures, getting rid of clutter we had accumulated and a touch of decorating.
I had picked up this branch on my fall trip to Broken Bow and couldn’t decide what I was going to use it for. Until I ran across some gold yarn I had picked up for a crewel project that’s still unfinished. So I thought – quick, easy DIY. So easy in fact, I’m a bit embarrassed to post directions…but anywho. Any branch or yarn would work – one without the pinecones would be a bit easier, and just as pretty. I picked the crewel yarn for it’s color, and also for it’s texture – it’s a bit more lofty than other yarns, so has a nice cozy feel – perfect for fall. I’ve seen other variations online that mix several colors of yarn, but for me – I prefer the modern look of one bold color.
To start, I secured one end of the yarn to the branch with some heavy duty tape…which gets wrapped over and over, so it’s never seen. I would have preferred hot glue, but my gun bit the dust on my last craft project and I’ve yet to replace it.
I tried a variety of wrapping techniques…starting out using a single thread and wrapping many times around. But as I got going, I experimented with using two sets of two threads to cover more area a bit more quickly. To end each section, I would simply knot the ends and cut them off as close as possible.
Some sections I double wrapped, which went a bit slower than the above, but was easier to maneuver. To start, I would use a slip knot so the yarn stayed in place…this was a helpful way to also hide the knots.
Don’t worry if bits of the bark fall off, I lost quite a bit – but in the end you will never miss them!
And done! I left the tips exposed because I liked the juxtaposition of the bark and yarn, but feel free to end yours wherever you feel! A quick, inexpensive, cute holiday home project.
Remember those Muji notebooks I was raving about last week? Well, I got my hands on a bundle and started crafting this weekend! 
Using my Japanese paper tape, I grouped it into color stories for my crafting.
For this one, I made a simple graph design. Alternating a vertical with a horizontal. I love this tape because it’s so easy to work with…tears easily by hand, can be easily removed and reapplied if you don’t like your lines.
This was the first of the notebooks I’ll be making for easy holiday gifts. Paired with some color coordinated pens, I can’t wait to gift a few of these this season.
Can’t wait to craft my way through this stack!
