Make Your Own Snowglobe!

Another super simple and fun hloiday craft that you can do with kids, or for the kids.  This one would make an awesome gift for teachers or grandparents. 

Materials

• glass jar with lid
• baby oil
• glitter
• small plastic toy (holiday themed or whatever you choose)
• hot glue gun

1. glue the toy to the inside of the lid
2. fill the jar with baby oil and pour in some glitter (silver would be the most traditional, but colored will look really cool)
3. hot glue the rim of the jar and quickly screw the lid on
4. turn upside down, shake and enjoy!

Super Simple Santa

Here’s one for the little kids.   It’s cute and easy and will take about 5 minutes, just about their attention span!

Materials:

• coffee filter
• red construction paper
• 2 googley eyes
• coton balls
• glue

1. cut  a triangle and a small circle for the nose out of the construction paper.
2. fold the coffee filter in half twice to make a triangle.
3. glue the hat to the pointy end of the filter, and have glue on the cotton balls to make the hat fluffy at the brim, add one cotton ball to the top of the hat.
4. glue the eyes and red nose on
5. draw a little mouth

Sequin and Push Pin Ornament

I think this has got to be one of the oldest crafts in the book!  In fact, when my Grandpa died a few yeard back, my sister inherrited some lovely interesting fruit made with sequins and push pins.  Apparently my mother made it for my grandparents as a gift . . .

At any rate, these ornaments can be a fun winter project for the older kids, being that they are made with push pins. 

Materials:

• a couple packs of straight or push pins
• colored sequins and beads
• styrofoam ball (or cut candy canes and trees from a chunk of styrofoam)
• colored ribbon

1. slide the sequins and beads onto the pins and stick them into the ball
2. fill the ball with the sequins and beads, making a design or whatever you choose
3. pin the ribbon to the top of the ornament for hanging

I know, it’s jsut so darn easy!  It d

Jingle Bell Wreath

You can buy them at the store for $15-50 . . .or you can make one in about 20 minutes for under $10! 

Materials:

• heavy duty craft wire
• jingle bells
• ribbon
• hot glue

If you want a large wreath, I reccommend using larger jingle bells.  They run a little bit more, but you will use fewer of them.  For mine, I’ve used one size of bells, but varried sizes (like the one shown here) can look pretty cool also.  It should take about 20-30 bells for a medium size wreath.  I measured and counted, used a little of that 3rd grade math!

1. Double up your wire so it’s good and sturdy, the bells will weigh it down and you don’t want an oblong wreath.
2. slide your first bell on and bend the wire into a hook shape so the bells don’t slide off.
3. continue to slide the bells on, alternating colors or sizes if you wish.  Make sure that they hang side by side so as to fill in empty spaces. 
4. when the wire is filled with bells and they are pushed tight together, form your circle and twist the ends, possibly crimp them with a pliers or wire crimper.
5. glue on a cheery bow or other garnish

I’ve also done a new version of this wreath, the jingle bell candy cane!

Same concept, but instead of turning the wire to form a circle, I only curved the top part, making a green and red “striped ” candy cane to hang on my door.  And the best part was, this is such an easy craft that my 3 year old son was able to help string the bells on.  Makes a great gift for a Grandma or teacher.

Nature Painting

You don’t have to be an artist to create a cool, modern painting to display in your home.  Even the kids can do this one, with a little help from an adult.

Materials:

• art canvas or large cardstock (needs to be heavy so it doesn’t wrinkle when painted)
• leaves, twigs and other natural things from the yard
• several colors of acrylic or tepera paints
• scotch or double sided tape

1. Lay the leaves out on the canvas and place tape on their undersides
2. paint over the leaves, alternating colors and letting them blend between the leaves.
3. When the paint is dry (about 5 minutes) remove the leaves
4. I chose to leave the leaf part white, but you can paint them or fill them with glitter or some other fun medium!

Toilet Paper Roll Friends

This is a great craft for the kids to do on a cold Winter day.  The possibilities are endless, and they will learn a thing or two or about recycling in the process! 

Materials

• toilet paper or paper towel tubes
• construction paper
• glue
• anything else they want!  (buttons, glitter, pipe cleaners, sequins etc)

Cut construction paper to cover the tube, create hats, trees and so much more!

Mop Angel

My mom and I used to make these together all the time!  They are very cute Christmas decorations, and make a lovely gift for friends and family.

Materials:

• 100% cotton mop (new, not used!)
• wooden ball, styrofoam ball or doll head for the head
• white felt or raffia for wings
• one small pack of doll hair (I used curly white hair)
• ribbon or other embellishments
• thin craft wire
• hot glue gun
• gold pipe cleaner

1. Section the mop into 3 parts, making the center part thicker than the side parts.  Braid the side parts to make arms and tie the ends with craft wire. 
2. Hot glue the head between the tops of the braids, and glue on hair.  Bend pipe cleaner into a circle for the halo and twist into the hair, or glue on.
3. if you are using felt for the wings, cut them to the shape and size you want and glue in the center of the back.  For raffia, twist the center and then spread the wings outward, gluing into place.
4. With ribbon or other embelishments, glue into the center of the “hands” or wire to the arms to make it like she is holding them
5. Tie a few mop strands together in the back so you can hang your angel on the wall or froma  hook.

Cookie Cutter Chimes

Holiday Chime
Bring sweet sounds and sweet thoughts of holiday baking into your seasonal décor with a holiday chime that uses festive bronze and silver cookie cutter shapes.
MATERIALS
6 bronze and silver cookie cutters (stars, bells, trees, and other holiday shapes)
2 spools of 1/4-inch wide ribbon (in two different colors if you like)
1 medium-sized embroidery hoop

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut six, 30” ribbon pieces (three in each color). These will be used to tie the cookie cutters to the embroidery hoop.
2. Cut six, 18” pieces of ribbon (one color). These will be tied to the embroidery hoop for hanging.
3. Tie one of the 30” ribbon pieces to the cookie cutters with a simple knot and cut off any excess.
4. Tie the other end of the ribbon to the embroidery hoop in a bow (or tie in a tight knot and tie a bow over the knot with extra ribbon). Alternate the lengths slightly, but make sure the cookie cutters will still touch for the “chime” sound.
5. Space the 18” ribbon on the top of the embroidery hoop so there is one ribbon on each side of the circle and tie in tight knots.
6. Tie the other ends together in a knot, make a loop for hanging and tie the excess in a bow.
7. Hang from a ceiling hook, curtain rod over a window or outside on the front porch as a simple, welcoming accent

Don’t want to use your best cookie cutters?  Try a thrift store like Goodwill or check out your grocery store for inexpensive cutters to use for your crafts this holiday season!

Knit Mitten Ornaments

Knit Mitten Ornaments Make the most of old or outgrown mittens with these adorable, inexpensive holiday decorations. Incorporating greenery, berries and twigs lends an organic, festive touch to these darling creations. And with so many ways to liven up your forgotten gloves, you can hang one in every room of your home! MATERIALS Mittens Fiber filler (a small handful) Mixed greens (try different varieties like Fir, Taxus, Thuja and Boxwood) Floral wire Berries (live or artificial “pip” berries) Small twigs (live or artificial) Three 5/8” (or larger) jingle bells Hot glue gun Small strips of ribbon, beads, buttons, charms and bells Three small candy canes Tip: Never heard of pip berries? They’re small artificial berries that come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes, readily available at your local craft store. For this project, try the small individual berries with malleable stems that you can curl for a quirky, artistic touch. INSTRUCTIONS Lightly stuff the bottom of the mitten with fiber filler—don’t forget the thumb! Set aside. Arrange the mixed greens in proportion to the mitten’s size, setting the tallest pieces in the back and shortest in the front. Hold the arrangement tightly at the base and use a 6-7” piece of floral wire to wrap the greens together. Begin at the base of the greens, working upward. Use the excess wire to create a 4-6″ loop, fastening the loose end of wire at the base of the loop to create a hanger. Wrap the wired stems with a small amount of fiber filler as cushioning in the mitten. Insert the greens into the mitten and fluff to arrange. Using small pieces of floral wire, fasten assorted berries and twigs to your greenery to add color and texture. If using pip berries, wrap the stems around your finger then pull for a whimsical curl. Attach a complementary ribbon around the mitten cuff and string on a jingle bell. Tie the additional bells onto the two ribbon ends, staggering their placement for extra charm. Using your hot glue gun, attach buttons, beads and charms to the mitten cuff. Finally, insert the three small candy canes. Find the perfect spot to hang your mitten—your tree, the doorknob of your guest bath, even a kitchen cabinet.   Tip: Mittens for little hands work perfectly for this project, but so do socks for little feet! Dig up those long-lost children’s socks, especially pairs in fun holiday patterns. Stuff your sock and fill with festive materials to create miniature stockings that look extra sweet hung along a mantle or tacked onto a special gift. This holiday, celebrate the season by using natural items like greenery, berries and twigs. They bring the outdoors in and add sophisticated, organic touches to these charming décor projects.

It Pays to DIY!

I’m a painter, love to paint murals.  I’ve done several, most of them for my son.  Recently we converted a spare bedroom in our house to a playroom for him, and he requested that I paint Wow Wow Wubbzy on his walls for him.  I painted the characters and posted the pictures on my Flickr account for my family to see. 

Yesterday I popped on the Wubblog see if the new Wubbzy toys had come out yet, and this is what I saw:

Playroom Paintings

Another great find on Flickr! I found these awesome paintings on user melwar23’s page. Sometimes it’s tough to get the details on Flickr, because you’re just stumbling across people’s photos, but the comment reads:

These are in Allen’s playroom. He requested the chracter from Wow wow Wubbzy, his favorite show! 

It sounds like someone got some awesome Wubbzy decorations in their playroom. How cool is that! Wubbzy, Widget, Walden and Daizy all adorn these gorgeous walls. There’s even a Birdie Bird! Great job, melwar23! – Carrie

This is actually the 2nd time I’ve hit the Wubblog with one of my creations!  A few months ago, before all the Wubbzy goodies had hit store shelves, I made a plush Wubbzy for my son for his birthday.  That, too, was showcased on the Wubblog!