24 Sep Basketweave Hot Pad Holiday Bouquet

You never quite know where a creative brain is going to take you…

This week, we found a cozy sweater-style hot pad from Hobby Lobby and we’re giving it a little Christmas makeover. Red and green shoelaces woven through the chunky front add a playful basketweave pattern, while poinsettias, pearls, and a sweet red bow transform it into a festive hanging vase.

And here’s where that crafty brain really pays off: the hot pad is lightweight, has plenty of openings for tucking in flowers, and already has a hanger built right in. Sometimes the perfect craft supply isn’t really a craft supply at all. 😉

You’ll need…

• Cream knitted pot holder or hot pad
• Flat shoelaces in red and green colors
• String of tiny faux pearls
• Faux poinsettias and pine branches
• Fabric glue
• Hot glue gun and sticks
• Scissors

1.  Weave one end of a green shoelace in and out across the bottom row of the hot pad. When you get to the end, pull the shoelace all the way through until there’s about an inch dangling off the other end. Cut the longer side of the shoelace and use it to weave the next row up on the hot pad. Continue making rows in the basketweave until you run out of shoelace (about 5-6 rows).
2. Next trim the green shoelace ends on both sides so they are neatly aligned with the trim or edge of the hot pad. Then glue the ends down to secure everything in place.
3. Take the red shoelace and weave another row above the green basketweave. This time, however, pull the shoelace so the left and right ends are about the same length. Trim the shoelace neatly to the edge of the hot pad and glue the ends down.
4. Make a bow with one leftover piece of the red shoelace and trim away the tail off that doesn’t have the plastic end. Then make a new tail from the other leftover shoelace that has the plastic end and glue it to the back of your bow. This way your bow’s tails both have plastic ends. (Or if you’d like, you can make a small knot in the shoelace tails so they don’t fray.) Set your bow aside for now.
5. Next, glue a strand of pearls around the edge of the hot pad to hide the basketweave ends and add a little bling to the project!
6. Adhere the red bow to one side of the hot pad. Be sure to position the bow so that it’s in line with the red stripe in the basketweave.
7. Create a beautiful bouquet by tucking a few sprigs of pine branches and faux poinsettias into the knit fabric above the basketweave pattern. Glue any of them down, as needed.
   

Christmas decorating doesn’t have to be big or elaborate to make a space feel special. Sometimes all it takes is a cheerful little handmade accent hanging from a kitchen cabinet or tucked onto a wall to bring that cozy holiday feeling into the room. And we think this merry little vase does exactly that.

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