How to dye a cotton bag with turmeric
Turmeric is a great natural dye for beginners. It yields a warm gold color on undyed natural cotton fabrics, silk and wool.
DIY gift giving: handmade wrapping paper and herbal soup wreaths
Handmade Wrapping Paper
Test ideas on scrap paper before making your wrapping paper. You can create designs on a large section of paper and cut it to size later, or cut the paper to the exact size you need.
- Food items such as potatoes, celery, pasta, ears of corn
- Stamp ink pads or acrylic paint (If you are worried about stains when doing this craft with toddlers, you can use washable craft paint, but results will vary.)
- Roll of kraft paper (from hardware or craft store) or other paper
Using a stencil and knife, carve shapes out of potatoes (adults only). Pat the potato dry before adding ink or paint. Roll ears of dried or fresh corn on an ink pad and roll onto paper. Cut off the bottom of a celery stalk to create a flower shape ready for stamping. Let your imagination run wild!
Experiment with every edge and surface to create fun shapes and designs, playing with negative space and multiple colors. Let your creations dry before using them to wrap gifts.
Herbal Soup Wreaths
Fresh or dried herbs add good flavor to soups, stews or broths. You can also use them to make little herb wreaths as a bonus atop any gift.
- Fresh culinary herbs like thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, dill, parsley or chives
- Scissors
- Baker’s twine
Cut the herbs into lengths between 8 and 12 inches. Lightly brush away debris, but avoid rinsing to prevent mold.
Gather strands of herbs and braid them or simply twist them together, overlapping strands as you form a circle. Tie the ends together with baker’s twine to complete each wreath, tucking or trimming loose ends as you go. The final wreath should be roughly 4 to 5 inches in diameter.
Pair herbs that complement each other, or use just one herb per wreath to keep it simple at cooking time.
You can tie the wreaths to a gift, hang them to dry for 1 to 2 weeks or place them in an airtight bag in the freezer. When ready to use, simply toss the entire wreath into a pot of soup during the last 15 minutes of cooking for optimal flavor. Remove before serving.
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