A charming idea
By SUSAN HALLER for Smart
The holiday party season is in full swing, which means you’re running around icing cookies, stringing lights on your shrubbery and popping open jars of those delectable cocktail weenies. Your to-do list is probably so long it puts your 5-year-old’s “I have to have this” letter to Santa to shame.
And just as you’ve created the perfect mix of Nat King Cole’s crooning “The Christmas Song,” Elvis purring “Blue Christmas” and The Chipmunks chirping “Christmas, Christmas Time is Near,” it hits you.
You forgot party favors.
Before you resort to handing out cubed bits of the fruitcake your Aunt Madge sent, try giving your guests something personalized and pretty — like wine charms.
These little hoops are used on stemware to help your guests keep track of their glasses — wine, champagne, martini or otherwise. They help prevent the spread of cold-weather sniffles, and — bonus! — they are super-easy to make.
Double-bonus, you can create any theme you want with just a little imagination.
All the supplies you need are in the beading aisle of your local craft store.
How to make wine charms
What you’ll need
4 1-inch hoops
4 different charms
4 jump rings (if charms do not already have jump rings)
Assorted beads
1 pair of long-nose beading pliers
1. Using the pliers, separate the two sides of one of the jump rings enough to string one charm on, then squeeze the ends back together.
2. Using the pliers, unbend one end of the 1-inch hoop in order to string the beads. String as many or as few beads as you want; just make sure the jump ring with the charm on it is centered on the hoop.
3. Bend the end of the hoop back to how it started; it should create a hook you can use as a latch.
4. Repeat steps one through three until you have all four charms made.
ShopArt FX and The Bead Gallery, 2594 Eastern Blvd., York, 600-8222
Ben Franklin Crafts, 2541 E. Market St., Springettsbury Township, 755-7312
Michaels Arts and Crafts, 2600 Pleasant Valley Road, Springettsbury Township, 600-2512
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