Festive Christmas Craft/DIY Ideas

Design winter gift baskets that family members will be thrilled to see under the tree. Add shiny tinsel to the container of your choice, such as a rustic chest or cardboard box covered with festive wrapping paper. Then fill it with items that they can use throughout the season such as a knit scarf, themed food socks, warm gloves and an electric blanket.

Create your own holiday cards that you can design and personalize. Include a favorite family photo on the front or simply create a design featuring winter-themed stickers, die-cut paper shapes, buttons, glitter glue, rubber stamps or swatches of fabric and ribbon, for example. Include a personal greeting inside the card or write a favorite song lyric.

Your children can help you design simple decorations featuring felt cut into the shapes of holly, bells or candy canes. You can also string colorful buttons or beads onto thin pieces of wire and bend them into shapes like stars or snowflakes. Create mini frames for your children’s school pictures out of painted Popsicle sticks.

The project will be simple if you start with a pre-made wreath made out of artificial branches, or real Christmas tree boughs. Layer on simple, yet festive, touches such as vibrant lengths of ribbon strung through the boughs, a coat of spray snow flocking, or small glass ornaments. Add a battery-operated string of mini lights for sparkle.

Design a set of winter-themed pillows that you can use to decorate your couches or chairs all season long. If you’d rather not sew your own pillows using fabric or felt and stuffing, purchase pre-made canvas pillows and decorate with fabric markers, puffy paints, glitter glue, embroidered designs or buttons, or ribbon that you’ve attached around the edges.

Turn glass jars into sweet accents that will add color to spots throughout your home. Fill them with items such as dried cranberries, a string of battery-operated rainbow lights, and cotton balls flecked with glitter. You can also design a faux snow globe by lining the bottom with white cotton and creating a winter scene with a house, snowman or reindeer.

Spending a few hours crafting in December may give you just the break you need from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. As a result of your efforts, you’ll be more relaxed and have an assortment of festive decorations to make your home more cheerful and celebratory.