Get Crafty this Christmas
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This year try crafting a creative keepsake for your family, or presenting loved ones with one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts. Handmade gifts are packed with personality and speak volumes about the time and effort you put into honoring those special people in your life.
Wreaths
Make your own wreath from a variety of materials. Start with a ready-made base or create your own. Cut out paper stars, trees, candy canes, or other festive shapes and glue them on in unique patterns. Also try using felt. Add glitter for sparkle or ribbon for a twist.
For a fresh wreath, cut sprigs of cedar or fir from a tree in your yard. Tie the clippings together using fishing line, dental floss, or floral tape. Adorn your evergreen wreath with pinecones or some of the ornaments you made.
Ornaments
Start with a foam ball as the base. Paint it, glue on ribbon, pin on sequence and beads, or cover it with stickers. Also, try finding ornaments you can fill with candy and decorate with glitter pens and puffy paint.
For another take on ornaments, use beads and craft wire to make snowflakes or Christmas trees. Tie on ribbon to hang on the tree.
You can choose to go with a holiday theme, or make something non-Christmas themed so you and your cherished ones can display the crafty ornaments year round without appearing out of season.
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Napkin Rings
Fashion rings from felt or buy a base with which to start. Glue on puff balls to make cute snowmen, get fake or real holly to adorn it with, add jingle bells, tinsel, or bits of garland to really make them sparkle.
To complete the set, purchase colorful paper napkins and ring them up before you give them away. Once your napkins and rings are ready to go directly from the package to the table, wrap them up for your friends and family.
Magnets
Get adhesive magnetic tape to turn any small craft into an adorable and functional magnet. Try using clothes pins to create magnets which you can use to display other works of art, report cards, and Christmas cards. Use sticky-backed foam shapes, colorful buttons, or a combination of felt, beads, and feathers to decorate the clothes pins and create something unique for your fridge.
Wrapping Paper
Design your own wrapping paper for your gifts this year. Piece together a patchwork of papers from last year, or cut out letters from old magazines and Christmas cards to adorn the paper. Make potato stamps and use homemade food coloring ink to stamp out patterns on white butcher paper. Or use rubber stamps to create designs and emboss for flare.
Cookies
Decorate gingerbread boys and girls, giving them icing overalls and ruffled dresses. Deck them out head to toe, or just use round cookie cutters to make cookie faces. Decorate children, Santa, or reindeer.
Purchase a reusable icing kit to keep the fun going from year to year, or go simple using butter knives and toothpicks to spread the colorful homemade goo. Stick cookies together with frosting to make a tasty holiday sandwich.
Cards
Hand prints, lip blots, foot prints, or anything else that will show the growth of your child from year to year will make a memorable card. Keep one theme to repeat each year, or start anew annually. Use cardstock as the base, add embellishments, and tuck confetti inside the envelope to give the receiver a special surprise when they open the card. Use cotton balls to give the Santa on your card a fluffy beard and hat, or red hots to set off Rudolph’s nose.
marellen Level 6 Commenter 12 months ago
I'm a crafter and love your ideas. Thanks for all the great info. I will be making my own gifts this Christmas for sure.