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By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Doris Nagatani of the Cooperative Extension Service holds
a felt snowman ornament. How-to workshops are being
held in different neighborhoods through November.

Below, cinnamon place card holders and ornaments are
easy projects for holiday gift-giving and decorating.

Get a jump on the holidays with
these easy projects to make for family,
friends, and even for yourself

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By Nancy Arcayna
Special to the Star-Bulletin

CHRISTMAS is just around the corner and that means the search is on for interesting craft ideas, whether projects are meant to be given away as gifts, used as party favors or as home decorations. Starting early can lessen the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, and do-it-yourselfers know that gifts created by hand not only save money, but are also appreciated as gifts from the heart.

A variety of fast, simple ideas for gift giving will be presented at free Christmas demonstrations throughout Oahu, sponsored by the Oahu Association of Family and Community Education and the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Hawaii. Volunteers at each of the sites share their ideas and answer any questions during the presentations.

DEMONSTRATION SCHEDULE Kahuku Public Library, 10-11 a.m. Oct. 7 St. Anthony Church, 7-8 p.m. Oct. 12. Wahiawa Public Library, 7-8 p.m. Oct. 18. Kilauea Recreational Center, 10-11 a.m. Oct. 24. Pearl City Public Library, 7-8 p.m. Nov. 3. Kalihi-Palama Library, 10-11 a.m. Nov. 16. Kamehameha Housing, Community Hall, 7-8 p.m. Nov. 16. Reservations are not required.

The workshops "provide a way of developing creativity," says program coordinator Rhoda Yoshino. "It's always nice to give a gift that you personally made. And the projects don't take a whole bunch of time."

"We have been providing this service to the community for 25 years," says Susan Yee, who will be a demonstrator at the Pearl City site.

Yee will present a how-to demonstration on making simple decorative gift bags (shown on D-7). "They are good for any occasion," she says. "The whole process should take less than a half hour."

Gift wrap and gift tags can also be personalized.

"If the bags are on sale, it is very economical. Longs sometimes has the decorated gift bags for only 12 cents apiece," said Yee. "Small affordable items such as tea bags, cookies or toys can be inserted into the bags."

The supplies needed for the project include:

2 gift bags of the same size (you can either use decorative or solid colored gift bags or plain paper lunch bags)

12-15 inches of 1/4- to 1/2-inch width ribbon

Scissors

Rubber cement

Hole puncher

Small gift items to fit into the bags and a gift card.

First, cut off top and bottom of the paper bags, making sure the bags are the same height.

Place one bag atop the other and fold the bags in half with the opening on the same side, forming a book with open ends forming pockets facing right. Then, make two holes with the paper puncher on the folded side.

Thread a ribbon through the holes on the folded side and tie a bow. Cut a gift card slightly smaller than the bag and glue it onto the bag. "Recycled greeting cards, stickers or anything can be used to decorate the bags," she says.

Last, place the gifts into the open pockets. Use rubber cement sparingly to close the bag.

Cinnamon place card holders can add color, scent and be a decorative addition to any holiday table setting. They will be another one of the featured items at the demonstrations.

Materials needed include:

Six 6-inch cinnamon sticks or driftwood

1/2 yard of 2-inch wide ribbon

1/2-yard of 3/4- to 1-inch wide ribbon

4 to 6 silk or dried flowers, depending on the size

Fabri-tac glue or a glue gun

10-inch string, rubber band or floral tape

Tie cinnamon sticks or driftwood together or wrap with floral tape to prevent them from rolling when placed on the table surface. Once the sticks are together, wrap a piece of 2-inch-wide ribbon around the sticks where the tie is and make a bow.

Next, make a smaller bow with the 1-inch-wide ribbon and secure it over the larger bow with glue or a glue gun.

Once the bows are secure, dip the flower stems into glue and arrange evenly on both sides of the ribbon bows. A place card can be inserted between the flowers.

A centerpiece can also be made by following the same instructions, except larger sticks (approximately 12 to 18 inches long) and flowers with longer stems will need to be used.

Several other simple items will be demonstrated including a felt snowman ornament, micro mitts, a rose angel, a clothespin angel, a decorated flower pot and a reversible water bottle holder.

By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Gift bags take only about a half hour to make and can
be filled with such things as cookie and toys.

Food dishes and recipes will also be shared. The chosen items for this year are cranberry gelatin and cream cheese mold; cranberry souffle salad; ranger cookies and a salmon souffle salad.

Volunteers prepare the dishes in advance so participants can see and taste them.

The same craft projects and recipes will be demonstrated at each workshop. Patterns, instructions and recipes will be distributed onsite or can be obtained by calling the Oahu Cooperative Extension at 247-0421.

And the sharing doesn't end when the holidays are over.

"We are like a secret club. We all get together and share our knowledge and ideas. Sometimes we find ideas at craft fairs or in magazines, learn how to make them and then share them with the rest of the group," says Jo Tsark, who will demonstrate how to make micro mitts at the Kilauea Recreational Center.

Anyone interested in joining Family and Community Education, formerly known as University Extension, should call 247-0421.

The club members meet once a month. And, in addition to sharing craft ideas, the groups discuss issues of family, the environment, global and public policy.

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