Christmas Crafts Are Fun!

I found this Christmas craft video on youtube today and I love the simplicity of it.  It shows how to make simple crafts for kids and adults.  I like the idea of the wooden block and the cute Christmas bag. This year I plan to make things more personalized and I think videos like this serve as the perfect inspiration. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pine Cones

I remember making special peanut butter pine cones for the birds when I was a child.  It was such a fun craft that we would do each winter.  I found a site with some great steps and here is a quick rundown of how to make pine cone bird feeders.

1. buy pine cones from craft store or simply find one from outside!
2. spread out newspaper for easy clean up
3. wrap a string around the top of the pine cone for hanging.  Tie it tight!
4. tie a knot in the string so it makes a loop (to hang on the branch)
5. stir some vegetable oil into peanut butter until it has the consistency of toothpaste.  Make sure not too add too much or it will be come drippy.
6. Smear that peanut butter mixture all over the pine cones with either a spoon or butter knife
7. sprinkle bird seed over the pine cones and watch it stick to the cone.
8. Hang the pine cone on the limbs and branches of trees and watch the birds love them!

Give a Christmas gift to the precious birds this holiday season with a peanut butter pine cone!

Gingerbread House

Since the holidays are quickly approaching I’m thinking of all the ways I can get into the holiday spirit!  Let me see… first I typically dig out my trusty collection of Christmas DVD’s and start watching Home Alone, The Christmas Story and One Magic Christmas. Next step in holiday spirit partaking?  I do a bit of shopping for Christmas presents – online of course!  I’m not crazy.  Next is decorating of the Christmas tree.  I truly love this one and spread it out of a course of a few days.  Now on to the my “crafty” part of the season – “Gingerbread House Decorating Party!”

Every year I throw one of these parties and all my friends, and their children, adore it.  It is quite simple actually.  I supply all the gingerbread houses or ask the guests if they would like to bring their own if I’m strapped for cash.  Gingerbread decorating kits are readily available at craft stores and grocery marts to make preparing for the party an ease!

Gingerbread House Crafts are Fun!

Next I get the extra supplies to really up the ante such as tubs of icing for spreading on the houses, tubes of icing for finer details, sugared gumdrops, colored candies and candy canes.  Everyone has a great time building their houses and decorating Candlyland style!

As an added thought: I also like to give prizes for the best and most creative gingerbread houses.  I typically have adult and children categories to be fair and for the winners I give small gifts such as Starbucks gift cards, movie tickets or edible treats!

Christmas Scrapbooking

I love the idea of scrapbooking and have often thought about taking it up as a hobby.  Michael’s and Hobby Lobby are a variable treasure trove for scrapbooking ideas and needs as I’ve seen whole aisles devoted to this hobby.

Christmas Tree Scrapbooking

Recently I started thinking about the holidays and how fun it would be to make Christmas Scrapbooks.  I did some searching online and found some adorable stickers and supplies. Scrapbooking is also the perfect Christmas craft for children!

Adorable Pink Christmas Tree Scrapbooking

I love this pink and green combo!  It is such a simple idea of laying textures and stickers with cute phrases such as “All I want for Christmas”, “Christmas Cheer”, and “Dear Santa” thrown in. I think I will ask my sister if she wants to have a Christmas scrapbooking party soon because these are too cute!

Sandra Lee, Christmas Guru

Good old Sandra Lee. Not only does she wow the masses with her recipes on Semi Homemade on Food Network apparently she also makes videos about Christmas crafts.  I love this video I found on youtube where she is making glittered ornaments.  They are so cute and also so much cheaper than buying the expensive glittered ornaments at the store!

Christmas Craft Ideas

I found this cute video on Youtube while searching for Christmas crafts.  All the ideas on here are quite simple and made with everyday household items such as socks, buttons and Popsicle sticks.  I love the wreath idea especially because buying a wreath at the store can be so expensive.  Check out the short Christmas Craft video below.

ake your home glisten with sparkling new holiday craft ideas

(ARA) – Time to deck the halls. That’s right, as the weather turns cooler, it’s time to don that holiday spirit and prepare your home for festivities.

But do your tightened purse strings have you saying “bah humbug?” Luckily, creating exquisite holiday decor can be fun and cost-effective when you do it yourself. Here are a few amazing holiday craft ideas that are simple and sensational.

Glittered holiday pinecones
Create a beautiful centerpiece with items that you might find in your backyard – all in less than an hour. Here’s what you’ll need: pinecones, Krylon Primer and Krylon Glitter Blast glitter spray, fishing line and a drop cloth.

Make sure that the pinecones are clean from dirt and dust, then tie fishing line around the stem of the pinecone. Hang them from above so that all surfaces are accessible with the drop cloth underneath. Next, simply spray a coat of primer and let dry and then spray with your favorite glitter color of Glitter Blast. Soon, you’ll have pretty pinecones ready to spruce up any table.

Colorful cones
Decorate your home with a festive holiday cone. Let your imagination run wild with these cheerful creations. Here’s what you may need: various sized foam cones, Glitter Blast glitter spray, scrapbook papers, self-adhesive foam sheet, sequins and pins, ribbon, paste and acrylic jewels.

To start, thoroughly spray the cones with your favorite colors of Glitter Blast and allow to completely dry. Then, follow these guidelines to create three unique versions.

Polka dot cone. Punch out a variety of sizes and colors of circles from scrapbook papers and foam sheets and attach in random patterns to the cone using the paste. Start with larger-sized circles and gradually adhere smaller sizes on top. Finally, pin on 1-inch glitter sequins.

Ribbon cone. Spiral ribbon around cone, anchoring in place with craft glue and craft pins. Cut small snips in the edges so ribbon will lay flat. Glue and pin sequin trim in between the ribbon spirals.

Beaded cone. Using straight pins, pin sequins at random all over the cone. Then use paste to attach flat-backed acrylic jewels in and around the sequins.

To complete the look of each uniquely designed holiday cone, make a hole in the very top of the cone with a pencil point. Press the neck of a small tree ornament into the hole and secure with a drop of glue. Now you have three beautiful and original cones for a creative and colorful arrangement.

Original ornaments
You may have had sticker shock the last time you shopped for holiday ornaments – but luckily with some inspiration from renowned crafter and author, Mark Montano, you can update your tree for almost free when you design your own. Here’s what you’ll need: eight wooden clothespins, cardboard, scissors, glue, spray paint, large rhinestones, hot glue gun and glue sticks, fishing wire and loose glitter or Glitter Blast glitter spray.

To start, take the clothespins apart and arrange the wood pieces in a starburst pattern with the fat ends of the pieces touching in the center and the skinny ends forming the points. Cut out two 2 1/2 inch cardboard circles. Glue a cardboard circle in the center of the clothespins and let it dry. Flip your starburst over, glue the other cardboard circle in the center and let it dry. Next, spray paint the entire ornament in a color of your choice. Cover the cardboard and about half an inch of the surrounding clothespins with glue and sprinkle glitter on top – or use Glitter Blast glitter spray. Flip the starburst over and repeat. When dry, use hot glue to adhere a rhinestone in the center of both sides. For the hanger, fold a 10-inch piece of fishing wire in half and hot glue the ends to one of the clothespins. Once dry, hang on your tree and enjoy.

For more holiday craft ideas from Krylon, visit www.yourholidaystyle.com; for craft ideas from Mark Montano, visit http://markmontanoblogs.blogspot.com/.

How to craft a lot of fun for the holidays

(NC)—Across our beautiful country, Canadians are actively preparing for one of the “most wonderful times of the year”. They gather in the homes of their loved ones, sing carols in front of a crackling fire and decorate their homes with holiday cheer. Because of the brisk air outside, Canadians are poised to take full advantage of the warmth that homemade holiday décor can bring to their homes.

“The holidays are a perfect time of year for families to get together and get creative,” says Shelli Gardner, cofounder of Stampin’ Up!, a crafting and décor company explains.

“Whether you’re decorating your house prior to the festivities, creating a perfect table setting for your holiday meal or gathering all of your memories in a scrapbook, our crafts will give you and your family a lot of options this holiday season.”

There are so many ways to add the perfect pinch of pizzazz to your home says Gardner, and here are a few:

Decorate

Nothing is more festive during the holidays than a perfectly festooned home. Stampin Up! offers you a variety of ways to turn your home into a yuletide extravaganza. The holiday stocking Bigz L Die, for example, lets you cut paper or fabric to create your own stocking. Bigz décor elements are fantastic holiday-themed vinyl pieces that create a beautiful damask background to bring the spirit of the season right into your home. You can also add a hint of holiday flair with the stitched felt and quilted satin ribbon, which allow you and those you love to design the perfect tree ornament or greeting card. Top these off with mini jingle bells to make your seasonal projects and décor ring out.

Greet

The designer series paper makes the art of card creating a cinch. You and your family will want to wrap yourselves up in these warm textures to create cozy cards for the holidays. Nothing spreads cheer faster than handmade greetings. You can even add a touch of glimmer and give them an antique look with embossing powder.

Set the table

Letterpress plates give an embossed look to items, lending a hint of year-end joy to any gathering. Use various cards to assign place settings, label dishes and create cocktail themes. The time it will take your family to make the table cards will definitely allow the chef of the house to focus on the feast.

Give

The holiday spirit is built around love and generosity for others. There is no greater way to share your love than through a personalized gift. Why don’t you bake some homemade cookies and customize them with sweet pressed cookie stamps to give to your neighbour who shoveled your driveway last week? These stamps are food- and kid-safe and can be used with your favourite shortbread cookie dough or fondant. Better yet, give your sweets a personalized touch by placing them in a homemade decorated box wrapped with the designer series paper and designer fabric.

“As you can see, there are so many ways to add seasonal merriment to your home,” says Gardner. “Anyone interested in learning more about these creative ideas is encouraged to attend a demonstrator’s workshop. Visit www.stampinup.ca to find a demonstrator in your area and add a little spice to your holiday.

www.newscanada.com

Crafty Santa’s Cookies Plate

“Oh it’s beginning to look like Christmas,” and you are missing a very essential part to the Christmas holidays; Santa’s Cookie Plate. Yes, I know that Santa isn’t what the holidays are about but every year, thousands of children pile various types of cookies onto a plate before heading up for their restless Christmas Eve slumber. Why would Santa want a cookie off of a plain cookie plate?

Well, he probably doesn’t care but more than likely, you do, which is probably why you have come to this site to find out how to make the perfect Christmas Cookie Plate.

What you need:

• One plate: I find that ceramic plates work best and white is the best color to work with since the colors show on the plate very well.
• Christmas Stamps: I love this stamp that I purchased at the craft store Michael’s. The little Santas are from a Stampin Up set.
• Staze-On: This is a permanent stamp ink and it can be purchased at any craft store in the stamping section. Black ink is best but you can work with many different Staze-On colors.
• Sharpies: Any permanent fine tipped markers work but I am a huge fan of Sharpie. The colors are bright and they stay to the surface. Choose colors that will complement your stamp.
• Sealer Spray: There are different products on the market but find one that is safe to use on items that hold food. Krylon clear acrylic is one of these.

Directions:

1. Wash your plate and then dry it completely before you start. This is very important since a wet plate will make the images bleed.
2. Once the plate is completely dry, figure out what type of design you will want on it before you start stamping. This can be done by laying out the stamps on the plate.
3. Using the Staze-On, cover the stamp completely with ink. If the stamp is small, you can press the stamp onto the inkpad but if it is big, reverse the process and press the inkpad onto the upside down stamp. This gives you more control over where the ink is going.
4. Stamp the images. Generally, if you are stamping and make a mistake, it can be removed with a wet dishcloth; however, if the image sets, you will need to use a powdered bathroom cleaner, such as Comet, to remove the ink.
5. Once all your images are stamped onto the plate, color them in. For my plate, I used red and black as the primary colors.
6. Allow the plate to set overnight.
7. In the morning, spray with the sealer. It is better if you test it on a different plate before you spray the finished plate. Allow the sealer to dry completely and then reapply again. Repeat for a third coat.

Once your plate is sealed, it will be all ready for Christmas Eve. If you wash the plate, make sure you do a wipe down of the plate with a damp cloth. If you need to submerge it into the water, never use really hot water and never soak it. Also, never use hard cleaners on the images.

-Sirena Van Schaik