Christmas Tree Star

Select slender, flexible twigs for this tree-top decoration, and leave on any buds, catkins, or seed heads to add interest. To dry the leaves flat, arrange them in a single layer between sheets of newspaper and leave them there for a week or so under a mat, or place a couple of heavy books on top. Arrange the flower heads on newspaper and leave them in a warm, dry place for a week as well.

Materials

• 5 twigs
• Star Template, roughly drawn on recycled cardboard
• Thin wire
• 3 richly colored, five pointed dried leaves in different sizes
• Eco-friendly adhesive glue
• 5 dried flower heads

1. Trim each of the twigs so that they are about 12 inches in length. Remove the dried leaves and flower heads from the newspaper.
   
2. Lay the card template on a flat surface. Arrange the twigs over the star drawn on the template so that they echo its shape.
3. Wind a piece of wire around the joint where two twigs meet in a point and secure the ends together. Repeat at the other four corners.
4. Attach a wire loop to the top of the star frame. Glue the leaves onto the frame in order of size and glue the flower heads onto the back.

 

Herbal Tea Sachets

If you grow your own herbs, you may enjoy the fresh leaves or flowers in tisanes, but it’s easy to dry them and make them into herbal tea sachets to give as gifts. Dried herbs are more concentrated in taste, since they contain no moisture, so you’ll need fewer dried herbs than you would fresh. Store the dried herbs separately in jars until you make the sachets, to retain their individual flavor.

Materials

• 6 squares of cheesecloth measuring 7 x 7 inches
• 12 tsp dried herbs
• 6 pieces of twine or recycled string
• Recycled cardboard box lined with layers of recycled paper and a remnant of fabric

1. Tip the dried herb of your choice out of its storage jar and gently crumble the leaves or flowers heads.
2. Arrange two teaspoons of the dried herb in the middle of one of the cheesecloth squares.
3. Gather the edges of the cloth square into the center, wrap the piece of twine around the top of the sachet, and secure firmly in a bow.
4. Leave the ends of the twine long so that the used sachet can be lifted out of a teacup. Make five more sachets, then gift-wrap them in the box.