The holidays are special times when family and friends gather to celebrate with food, fun, presents and good cheer. Make your home festive with these colorful holiday crafts.

There are many types of crafts from paper projects to yarn, tile, paint, clay and any number of other mediums. Take a stroll through your local craft supply store for some good inspiration. Crafts can be done to decorate the home, use as gifts or to keep hands busy.

Here two fun Christmas crafts to try:

Craft Gifts: Artwork Magnet - Everyone loves magnets!

Supplies:

3 Clothespins (the spring kind)

Glue

Magnet Strip

Paint

Paint Stir Stick

What to do:

Step #1 - Paint the paint stir stick any color you wish.

Step #2 - Paint the 3 clothespins a matching color or a contrasting color.

Step #3 - Wait for the paint to dry

Step #4 - Glue the 3 clothespins onto the stir stick ( one in the middle, one about 2" from each end).

Step #5 - Paint to decorate or use a marker to decorate. You can also write a message on the remaining sections of stick.

Step #6 - Attach the magnet strip to the back of the paint stir stick.

Step #7 – Wrap in holiday gift wrap and tie with ribbons and bows.

Christmas Cookie Jar:

 

These are big hits with all cookie lovers and are super easy and fun to make and decorate.

Supplies you will need:

Mason Jars for the number of gifts you are making (Quart size canning jars with lids)

Scrap Fabric in Christmas colors and patterns

Christmas Ribbon

Paper (to write the recipe on)

Glue

The recipe and the required ingredients

Jar:

Step #1 - Make sure you carefully wash the jar and lid (even ones you just bought), then make sure you throughly dry the jar and lid.

Step #2 - Pick your favorite recipe

Filling the jar

Step #1 - Gather together all of the dry ingredients for the recipe.

Step #2 - Make sure you measure the ingredients accurately (small kids will need help with this).

Step #3 - Add each ingredient carefully to the jar.

Step #4 - Decorate the Jar with Christmas fabric and ribbons. Don't forget to decorate the lid by cutting out a circle of the fabric that is 6 - 8" across (trace a bowl if it is easier).

Step #5 - Next, place the round section of the jar's lid on the jar and center the fabric on that.

Step #6 - Screw the other section of the lid in place to hold the fabric.

Step #7 - Fluff out the ends of the fabric that sticks out from under the lid.

Step #8 - Print out the recipe on a card/gift tag or index card

Step #9 - Punch a hole in the recipe card/gift tag or index card so that you can tie a ribbon through it.

Step #10 - Attach the ribbon and recipe tag to the neck of the jar.

Step #11 - You can secure the ribbon with a small dab of glue

This gift is great because it is its own gift wrapping!

 

A fun family project during the holidays is to make your own Christmas tree ornaments. Here are some easy crafts that will soon have you making your very own ornaments.

Pinecone Ornaments

Supplies:

• Pine Cones 
• Paint
• Beads, glitter or sequins, yarn and small buttons to decorate with 
• Ribbon
• Glue

What to do:

1. Cut a 6" length of ribbon.
2. Tie into a circle and glue the tied part to the pointy tip of the pine cone.
3. Paint the cone green 
4. While the paint is still wet sprinkle with the glitter.
5. Once the paint is dry you can decorate with beads and sequins to look like ornaments on the tree.
6. You can paint the tips white to look like snow.
7. You can hang on your Christmas tree as an ornament or you can place it on a shelf by putting it into a small clay decorated pot.

Ice Cream Cone Ornament

These are fun to make and anyone over 3 yrs of age can make these.

Supplies you will need:

• Either the cake or the sugar ice cream cones
• A solid colored ball ornament big enough to sit on the cones
• White acrylic pain
• Tiny glass beads
• Glue or hot glue
• Spray acrylic
• Ribbon

What to do:

1. Hold the cone by the base
2. Place glue all along the inside rim of the cone.
3. Place the ball ornament on the cone with the hanging side up
4. Make sure the ornament is dry before doing the next part. (hot glue works faster).
5. Drizzle white paint on top of the ball
6. Sprinkle glass beads on top of the wet white paint.

Let this dry overnight

Lightly spray the cone part with acrylic. DO NOT GET TOO CLOSE TO THE CONE WHILE SPRAYING as this may melt the cone. This will seal the cone.

Tie a colorful ribbon through the loop of the ornament

Your ornament is done.

****NOTE*****
if you want to write the child's name and date on the base of the cone before spraying with acrylic it is a nice touch.

Balloon Tree Ornament

You will need:

Balloons that are small and round

• Liquid Starch
• Newspaper cut into little pieces
• Corn seeds
• Glue
• Gold paint
• Matches
• Lace
• Pin

What to do:

1. Blow up the balloons until they are the size to fit into the palm of your hand.
2. Smear the starch all over the balloon (you can use paper mache if you want)
3. Put the pieces of newspaper all over the starch and then let dry
4. Repeat this procedure until you have 3 layers.
5. Once the newspaper is completely dry you can use a pin to pop the balloons.
6. Decorate using the seeds and glue.
7. Paint it with the gold paint.
8. Tie lace onto the match
9.  Put the match inside the ornament to be the hanger.
10. Tie the ornament onto the Christmas tree.

If you are on a real tight budget this Christmas or just love to be crafty during the holidays here are some wonderful homemade Christmas card ideas for you to try this holiday season.

Potato Stamp Cards:

• Supplies you may need for your homemade Christmas Cards:
• Paper Bags or Craft Paper
• Potatoes or Sponges
• Paint or colored ink
• Ribbons
• Hole Punch
• Ink Pen
• Paring Knife (adult supervision)
• Plastic Plate
• Scissors

Step #1 - Check to see if you can find any left over envelopes. You can look in old Christmas card boxes or the drawer where mom or dad pays the bills (ask first). If you find any unused envelopes you can use them and you will need to be sure that the cards you make will fit inside these cards.

Step #2 - Measure the envelope (if you didn't find any have mom or dad buy some for you).

Step #3 - Cut out the brown paper bag to be the same height as the card but twice as wide as the card.

Step #4 - Cut the potatoe in half with an adult helping.

Cut out a Christmas tree shape on the exposed side of the potato (white not the skin).

Cut away potato from the outer edge of the tree that surrounds the tree. You can use three potatoes to cut out different sizes of trees.

Step #5 - Put the paint or ink onto the plastic plate

Dip the Potato Tree into the paint or ink, now place it on what will be the front of your card (one tree or you can make a group of trees).

Step #6 - Make two holes with the hole punch about a centimeter apart below the Christmas tree.

Step #7 - Insert one end of the ribbon through the left hole, and then put it through the other hole. Loop each end around back and through the opposite hole. Now, pull the ribbon out the front of the card. Tie the ribbon into a pretty Christmas bow.

Step #8 - Use the scissors to trim the ribbon.

You can stamp more trees on the inside or write a holiday greeting.

You can also place Christmas stickers on the card or place crayon ornaments on the trees.

You can also decorate the envelopes too.

Use the sponge instead of the potato or buy stamps in the store.

Easy Construction Paper Cards: 

Every child knows how to make Christmas cards out of construction paper. You just fold a piece of construction paper in half. Decorate the one outside half like the front of a Christmas greeting card and write a greeting on the inside of the card. Use Christmas colors (green, red, purple). Use Christmas stickers to decorate the cards if you wish.

Left Over Christmas Cards:

If your family saves old Christmas cards ask if you can use them to make new cards.

You will need:

• the old Christmas cards
• construction paper
• glue
• pen, crayons or markers,
• scissors to make these homemade cards.

Sort through the pile of old Christmas cards to find the front of your homemade card. Once you find one you like, cut the front off the old card. You can use parts and not the entire front if you like. You can also use more than one old card to make a different picture.

1. Fold the construction paper in half
2. Glue the old card picture onto the front of your construction paper card.
3. Using the pen, crayons or marker add to the picture, or draw new pictures to go with the old card picture.
4. Write a holiday greeting on the inside of the card with your pen. You can copy greetings from the old cards.