My friend and I made some darling little sailboats on one of her visits out to the Pacific Northwest. We had so much fun beach combing and talking, and thrifting and talking, and crafting and talking.
Here is how you can make your own sailboat ornaments!
First start with a good friend!
Next, take a walk on the beach with your good friend, and gather small pieces of driftwood.
Go to the thrift store with your good friend and find some inexpensive linens. Since you will be cutting them up, get the kind that are damaged and only cost about a quarter. Remember to chat a lot! When you get back home, make some tea and chat some more. Then get out your glue and scissors, and maybe a needle and thread (optional). The important thing is to keep up a steady girlfriend chat.
Choose a piece of driftwood to use as the hull of your sailboat ornament, and gouge a little hole in the center top. We used an old steak knife to do the trick. Remember to chat while you work.
Now, glue a skinny stick or a dowel into the hole.
We added "rigging" to our little boats. We cut little slits into the top of the "mast" and into the bow and the stern of each of our boats. We then glued a piece of string into the slits. We took advantage of the glue drying time to chat some more! When the glue was dry, we trimmed the string.
Next, we took the vintage linens we'd purchased from the local thrift store and played around with them until we decided which parts we wanted to use for our sails.
Next, we hemmed the raw edges. I used glue for one of my sails, and needle and thread for the other. I just wanted to see which method worked better. The verdict? Both methods work great, so use whatever you feel most comfortable using.
Now, you can attach your sails to the rigging and mast, using glue or needle and thread.
Glue on a hanger, if you like, and use your little boat to decorate your Christmas tree....
... or skip the hanger and perch your little sailboat on a shelf year round, as a reminder of good friends and good times!
Here is how you can make your own sailboat ornaments!
First start with a good friend!
Next, take a walk on the beach with your good friend, and gather small pieces of driftwood.
Go to the thrift store with your good friend and find some inexpensive linens. Since you will be cutting them up, get the kind that are damaged and only cost about a quarter. Remember to chat a lot! When you get back home, make some tea and chat some more. Then get out your glue and scissors, and maybe a needle and thread (optional). The important thing is to keep up a steady girlfriend chat.
Choose a piece of driftwood to use as the hull of your sailboat ornament, and gouge a little hole in the center top. We used an old steak knife to do the trick. Remember to chat while you work.
Now, glue a skinny stick or a dowel into the hole.
We added "rigging" to our little boats. We cut little slits into the top of the "mast" and into the bow and the stern of each of our boats. We then glued a piece of string into the slits. We took advantage of the glue drying time to chat some more! When the glue was dry, we trimmed the string.
Next, we took the vintage linens we'd purchased from the local thrift store and played around with them until we decided which parts we wanted to use for our sails.
Next, we hemmed the raw edges. I used glue for one of my sails, and needle and thread for the other. I just wanted to see which method worked better. The verdict? Both methods work great, so use whatever you feel most comfortable using.
Now, you can attach your sails to the rigging and mast, using glue or needle and thread.
Glue on a hanger, if you like, and use your little boat to decorate your Christmas tree....
... or skip the hanger and perch your little sailboat on a shelf year round, as a reminder of good friends and good times!
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