Down East 2013 ©
[1]By Dashiell Masland and Kathryn Dunn
Tis the season to be grateful. Pay homage to Maine with a homemade Christmas tree that reflects the beauty and bounty of the state: pine cones and acorns for our forests, oysters for our flowing rivers, and lobster buoys and white chocolate peppermint lobsters for our bountiful seas. All spun with a touch of gold.
Materials:
(Amounts will vary based on tree size. The number we used was for an approximately six-foot tree.)
Pine cones (50)
Acorns (100)a
Oyster shells (12)
Lobster buoy ornaments (10)
White chocolate chips (two 11 oz. bags)
Peppermint extract
Edible gold color mist
Lobster candy mold
Gold lollipop sticks
Squeeze bottle
or icing bag
Small poly candy bags
Gold metallic spray paint (1 can)
Brilliant gold flower spray (1 can)
White paint
Gold paint
Gold glitter
Gold decorative beads
Gold elastic cord
(20 yards)
Gold jewelry wire
Small paintbrush
Glue
Superglue
Drill and assorted bits
Large needle
White lights
Preparations
To begin, drill holes in the top of the wooden lobster buoys and the top of the oyster shells. Drill a very small hole down through the center of the acorn and cap.
Next, spray one side of the lobster buoys with the metallic gold spray paint, let dry, flip, and spray the other side. Then spray the oyster shells (outside only) and pine cones, but with the brilliant gold flower spray.
Lobster Buoys
Cut small sections of elastic cord and tie through the hole to create a circle to be able to hang the ornament.
Pine Cones
Using a paintbrush, glue on a few of the scales and sprinkle with glitter. Once dry, cut a small section of jewelry wire and twist through the upper scales and then form a loop to hang the ornament.
Oyster Shells
Cut a small section of jewelry wire and insert through the hole. Twist the two ends of the wire together to form a loop and rotate the twisted bit to the back of the shell. Now, twist the wire again around the top of the shell to secure the wire and create a loop to hang the ornament.
Chocolates
Melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract and stir. Pour chocolate into squeeze bottle, and squeeze chocolate into lobster mold. Swirl lollipop stick in chocolate to coat well so candy adheres to the stick. Place mold in refrigerator to cool. Once hardened, remove chocolate pops from the mold, spray with gold color mist, and allow to dry. Place lobster pops in plastic candy bags and tie shut with elastic cord, leaving enough cord to tie a second hanging loop.
Acorns
Take a section of jewelry wire, approximately 3 inches, and twist the two ends together to form a loop. Dab a small bit of superglue on the end of the wire and insert the twisted part into the hole in the acorn. Let dry. Then, paint the caps with white paint and once the paint is dry, hand paint the entire acorn and cap gold. Once the gold paint is dry, brush some glue on the cap and roll the cap in the gold decorative beads. Again, let dry.
Star
Take 5 pine cones and place together in a star shape. Twist jewelry wire around the tip of each until a star shape is secure.
String the white lights on the tree and then trim away!
You can find more crafts and recipes from Dashiell and Kathryn at their Web site: yankeecraftybitch.com
Links:
[1] http://www.downeast.com/files/images/dee1212dooryardcrafts5.preview.jpg