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New pretties on the horizon — plus, help us support fringe theater!

Crystal

There’s a lot going on behind the scenes at Star and Crossbones right now, and that theatrical idiom isn’t an accident, as you’ll see in a minute.

The creative captain has been at hard work in the crafting space again after a long hiatus (related to improving said space, which, more on that later, hopefully), and the resulting pretty new things will be available to everyone soon.

What’s in the first batch of these mysterious pretty things? Hand-embroidered necklaces!

A set of four colorful embroidered necklaces recedes away from the camera

The first ever of these necklaces to go to a new home is also going to support an awesome cause — the Tampa International Fringe Festival, now in its sixth year! This incredibly fun multi-day performing arts event is a celebration of indie performance, encompassing everything you can think of and beyond. Fringe shows feature the coolest and weirdest things in dance, theater, stand-up, improv, performance art, and more. What’s more, Tampa Fringe operates on principles of inclusivity and creative freedom, and they give 100 percent of the base ticket price to the performing artists.

So if you absolutely can’t wait to get your hands on one of these necklaces, you can bid on one in Tampa Fringe’s online silent auction, which is live as of 6:30 p.m. Eastern, January 19. The bidding ends on January 20 at 9 p.m. Eastern, and there’s a handy-dandy countdown on the auction page so you can’t forget. There’s also a ton of other great stuff up for grabs, and you can bid happily in the knowledge that you’re supporting small business, handmade, and the international fringe theater community.

If you’re looking specifically for our contribution to the auction, it’s this lovely:

A hand-embroidered circular necklace composed of clustered multicolored French knots on a wooden base.

And if you aren’t the lucky auction winner, don’t worry, there’s a lot more fun stuff coming down the line soon.

Free printable Thanksgiving buntings! An easy autumn DIY

Crystal
Let’s all pretend we can’t see the scissors in the corner of this photo.

Happy almost-Thanksgiving! Or alternately, happy almost-Thursday!

It is, in fact, the day before Thanksgiving, and therefore I’m posting this at the last possible second, while thinking of a thousand other things, but such is holiday life (and pandemic life).

Maybe your life is a little like mine, and you’re still doing some last-minute preparations? If so, and if you’re looking for a quick and easy decorative craft to add to your Thanksgiving decor, your wish is granted! Here’s a free printable design for you. Two buntings are included, and since they just say “thankful” and “happy fall,” you could use them outside of Thanksgiving, too.

You’ll need:

  • The free Thanksgiving bunting PDF — click here to download
  • A printer
  • Paper that you can print on (but you knew that). You can use either card stock or normal printer paper. I used normal printer paper, but if you use card stock, feel free to leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
  • Scissors
  • String or yarn
  • Tape — I’m using washi tape, which is both cuter and easier to see in the tutorial photos, but it’s also removable and therefore more likely to unstick itself. If you also use washi tape, press it down well and don’t let it misbehave on you.

Instructions:

Step 1. Print out the file.

Step 2. Cut out the flags. Thanks to my sister, I belatedly realized that there are (at least) two ways to do this — but you can’t do it wrong as long as the flags look fine from the front, so either way is fine. Just go with your instinct. Way 1: Cut out only the colored portion. Way 2: Cut out extra white tabs at the top of each flag.

(My photo is of an older version of the design, when I was still adjusting the flag lengths, so the colored portion of my flags is shorter than yours will be.)

Yes, I did fail to cut out the bottom of the maple leaf flag in this photo. Whoops.

Step 3. Fold the tops of the flags back, toward the unprinted side of the paper, to make a tab approximately half an inch long (technically about 1.25 cm, but 1 cm works fine). Precision doesn’t matter too much. If you cut out only the colored portions in Step 2, you’ll fold part of the printed paper back. If you cut white tabs in Step 2, fold on the line where the printed flag starts.

I, of course, being a rebel, have put my fold in the printed design AND I have a white tab.

Step 4. Cut a 24-inch (61 cm) piece of string or yarn. You could make this longer if you want a lot of leeway to tie the string around something.

Step 5. Attach the flags to the string: Place the string into the fold of each flag, and tape the tab down on the back of the paper. Try not to catch the string in the tape.

I lined up my flags along the length of yarn with the bottom bits pointed upward, then taped them, then flipped them down to face the proper way:

Step 6. Adjust the spacing of the flags to your liking.

Done! Your bunting is ready to decorate with. Tie it to two dowel rods or pencils, or drape it nicely over your pretty Thanksgiving tablecloth, or just tape it to the wall, or hold it up for a selfie. I won’t judge. But I would love to see photos if you take them, so feel free to post links in the comments if you use my buntings on social media, and I would love it if you shared this post with your friends and family.

Happy Turkey-Pumpkin-Pie-Cranberry-Sauce-and-Stuffing Day!