Craft Your Way Through the Holidays
The holiday season is full of inspiration for homemade crafts, gifts and recipes. Whether you consider your creations worthy of Etsy or just like fun activities for the family, here are crafts that all levels and abilities can make to get into the holiday spirit.
Gingerbread houses are a Christmas classic and loved by both children and adults. But we all know the best part of making a gingerbread house is decorating it. Skip to the fun part and use graham crackers as your base in lieu of trying to bake the pieces and fit them together. For young children who lack fine motor skills, use a milk carton underneath to make the base sturdier. Stores also sell ready-to-assemble kits, just be sure to put the house together a few hours before decorating it so the icing has time to set.
Another fun holiday activity in the kitchen is making no-bake cookies. With no oven, the kids can help with every step, and there’s less wait time until the cookies are ready to eat! For a festive twist on no-bake cookies, check out this recipe for Christmas wreath treats made with cornflakes and decorated with mini red M&Ms. For the adults, whip up a batch of Butterscotch-Rum Raisin balls that have a crispy rice cereal base and a nip of rum. Or please the whole family with these Cookie Butter Blossoms topped with a Hershey’s Kiss.
Making ornaments can entertain the family for hours, and their creations make great keepsakes that can be enjoyed every Christmas. Using tri-star beads and pipe cleaner, you can create candy cane ornaments in an array of festive colors to hang on the tree or around the house. You can also turn plain ball ornaments into something more magical — a Christmas unicorn. Add a horn and small floral accents and use a paint pen to draw on the eyelashes. Homemade picture frames are also a great way to display family photos on the tree. Turn popsicle sticks into an adorable Rudolph frame with this video tutorial.
You can also make your own wrapping paper to express your creativity or personalize a gift. Purchase a three-foot tall roll, like the brown paper used for shipping packages or a solid color of paper used for bulletin boards. Then, use stencils to create your own patterns, decorate with holiday stickers, or free-hand a drawing or design after the gift is wrapped. Incorporate ribbon and string, and top it off with a homemade ornament.
Just a week after Christmas it will be time to bid adieu to 2020. Greet the new year in style with homemade champagne flutes that sparkle. Using paint, glitter and stencils, you can create dazzling designs or monogram the glass for each of your guests.
Wishing you and your family a happy holiday season!