Christmas craft ideas

www.marthastewart.com/856465/easy-christmas-crafts

Thanks mumsy. That's a great site. I've looked on Pinterest too of course. But I guess what I really wanted to know is what real-life people have actually made and would recommend as not being too difficult but still effective. not convinced mine are ever going to look pinterest-worthy

Make your own Christmas cards, perhaps lino cut prints or paper sculpture insets.

If you sew, jewelery rolls, door draught excluders, or embroider book marks.

Make earrings or bangles, knit scarves or mitts or flower brooches.

Are you in the UK? There are a couple of good C based magazines out ... Prima Makes is one, and they cover all sorts of festive crafts for the home.

There was a lovely thread last year (goodness, have I been on Gransnet that long already?) on the same subject with lots of links and good ideas.

The internet abounds with ideas, and I know I have loads of old magazines (especially from the 80s when the children were small) with ideas in, knitting and sewing patterns, recipes and so on.

If you want to go the whole hog, you are looking at:

Home made Christmas cards,
Home made presents (baked, sewn, knitted)
Home made wrapping paper (potato prints!)
Home made decorations
Home baked cakes, biscuits and sweets
And a Christmas dinner made from scratch with more imaginative home made decorations on the table.

It is a lot of work, and you are right to start now!

Oh. I've just realised that it was me who started the thread last year. Faced with my first Christmas with a toddler in the house.

Here you go:

www.gransnet.com/forums/arts_and_crafts/1220728-Really-arty-crafty-ideas-for-Christmas-decorations

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I have a Cricut .its an electronic die cutting machine which while a bit of an investment has meant I can dabble in all sorts of crafts from cards, to acrylic shapes to glittering and personalising my own Christmas baubles.

Try googling Cricut and looking at some of the great videos.

I've attached a couple of pics x

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Can you crochet? Here's one or two of my projects. I'm making them for a craft fair my DD is helping with. They are raising funds for the Home Ed group my DGC attend.

Oh your crochet is so neat Hilda !

My tension is always a bit loose . I'm envious

Christmas bunting is easy to sew, you could make an advent Calendar , lots of ideas for that on Pinterest, I make personalised crackers, don't buy a kit, just buy some really cheapo crackers from Aldi or somewhere, take out the tacky presents and fill,them with small nice things appropriate for the guests - miniature whiskey, hand cream, fun hair bobbles etc. Make a lovely ribbon tag with their name on and use it as a place marker on your Christmas table.

I knitted 24 small, about 6 ins, bobble hats, bags and socks all in bright colours. Then I embroidered a number on each one. Threaded on a stick in a random order and a small present in each one, it was a well received Advent calendar. A bit time consuming but well worth it.

Have you made Christmas cards before? These are really fun & great for getting into crafts.

A few weeks ago I decided to try decoupage and practiced on shoe boxes, with a view to tackling a few chairs. It is so easy and the chairs are fabulous.

For Christmas I am making decoupage boxes for some of the family. Have finished the first one and I'm so pleased. It has a lid and clasp, it's covered inside and outside using one layer from paper napkins. The pattern is toy trains and cars and my dgs will love it to store little cars. I will make one each for two other etc. I'm also doing slightly bigger A4 size for ds and dil.

The boxes are about £8 - £12 each from Amazon and I can do one in an evening.

The special glue sealant dries clear and protects it, it's lovely then finished off the a coat of beeswax.

Prick and stitch cards are fun to make (they are sewn) and a few freeby patterns are available on the internet - e.g. Stitching cards.com ....... another idea for making gifts is to use either vintage glass "salts" or "mustards", or more modern small glass candle holders and make them into pincushions. I've done several ..... but don't know where to sell them!!!

I am a craft novice but this weekend with some help I Made a square wreath with twigs. When it was finished off it looked really good, I thought! . Even felted a robin . and am full of pride. If I can I will attach a picture, feeling proud!

Here's a photo.

I sew quilts. I made this Christmas present quilt but didn't finish in time

That's lovely Stansgran

You are all so talented!

I am attempting to knit on four needles, at the moment just a basic little hat.
Perhaps I could progress to Christmas stockings, but they would have to be for next year

I've just finished this fun reindeer beanie for my little grandson. The antlers were a bit fiddly but it's a quick project.

That's cute!

Grannyknot when you knit a beanie type hat do you do it on two needles then sew up the seam or on four needles?

I always did them on two needles but a pattern I found on the internet used four but I found it quite fiddly. Perhaps it's just a case of getting used to it.

Thanks jalima ... I use 4 needles.

I will have another attempt

Just knitting something for DGD at the moment - on two needles!

WOW, you are all so talented.I might have to have a go at a homemade table centre this year, i mean to do it every year but never get round to it