Christmas Crafts
Christmas Crafts
PAPER CHAINS
Materials needed: Construction paper or ribbon in 2 or 3 different colors and glue.
To make a paper chain, cut strips about 3/4" wide and 5" long. Bend a strip into a circle and have fasten with a drop of glue. This can be held in place with a paper clip until glue dries. Slip a second strip through the loop and make a second circle, glue the ends together and clip. Continue the process. The glue should dry after about 5 strips. Stiff calico ribbons can be used the same way and will last from year to year. Chains are festive on the tree, around windows or doors.
PAPER LACE CHAINS
Materials needed: 3 to 5 pkg.. of 8-in. paper doilies and glue.
Trim the solid patterned center from each of the doilies, clipping the circle once from outside to inside. Join the doilies end to end, gluing them together right side up, upside down, etc..
KISSING BALLS
A favorite Christmas decoration hung from doorways or hall light. It can be made with cones, pods and all of the greenery in your area, and dried berries Using a large Styrofoam ball as the base, attach florist's wire to the cones or pods and insert the ends of the wire into the ball until it is completely covered. Add a large bow and a ribbon loop for hanging.
STAINED GLASS WINDOW
Materials needed: black cardboard and different colors of crepe or tissue paper
If you have a small window in your door it would be perfect for a stained glass window, but you can make any shape you want and hang in in any window. Cut the shape of the window you want out of the black cardboard. Cut pieces out of the cardboard, leaving inch for between cut-outs. Cut out shapes from crepe or tissue paper slightly larger than the holes in the cardboard and glue them in place. Fasten to your window and it will look beautiful when the light shines through it.
FOIL FLAKES
Cut a strip of metallic paper 22 inches long and 2 inches wide. Fold the paper into inch pleats. Cut angular designs along both sides of the folded foil. This will form the cutout pattern of the snowflake when unfolded. Start with a few cuts and add more as you see how they look. Run a threaded needle through each fold inch from the bottom. Tie the ends of the thread together. Open the snowflake like a fan until the ends come together. Join them with tape and your is ready to hang from the tree.
CELLOPHANE BALLS
Make 12 circles 3 inches in diameter in clear or colored cellophane. Fold each circle in half without creasing it, then fold it again in quarters. Run a threaded needle through the pointed tip of the cone-shaped figure. String all twelve together and form them into a ball.
CHRISTMAS BELLS
Using colored construction paper trace and cut out three bells exactly the same size. Fold each bell the long way down the center. Glue the sides of the bells together to form a three-sided ornament. Hang it on the tree or use as a centerpiece.
POMANDER
Materials needed:
1 orange
clear tape or narrow masking tape
a small nail
1 jar whole cloves
satin ribbon 1/4 to inches wide
Starting at the top, circle the orange with two lines of tape so that it looks as if it has been divided in quarters. Use the nail to poke a hole near the top of the orange and beside the tape. Gently push a clove into the hole. Keep poking holes and pushing cloves until you have cloves along both sides of both lines of tape. Carefully remove the tape. Cut two pieces of ribbon, each about 28 inches long. Bring one ribbon around the orange in the space where the tape was and tie it in a single loop at the top. Let the ends hang down. Bring the second ribbon around the orange along the other tape line. Tie it in a bow on top of the first ribbon. Bring together the ends from the first ribbon and knot them so that you now have a loop to hang your pomander. The orange will shrink over the next few weeks, but by undoing the bow and re-tying it, you will make the ribbons snug again.
DANISH WOVEN BASKETS
Materials Needed:
2 pieces of different colored shiny paper and glue.
Cut a rectangle 2 1/4 inches by 8 inches out of each piece of paper. Fold the rectangles in half. Hold each one so that the open edges are at the top. Round off the corners. Cut two slits up from the folded edge, making them 3/4 inch apart and 2 3/4 inches long. Start weaving one part into the other as shown. Tuck 1 between the layers of C, tuck B between the layers of 1, and 1 between the layers of A. Slide the woven part up a little and now tuck C between 2, 2 between B, and A between 2. Finally, tuck 3 inside C. B inside 3, and 3 inside A. You should be able to see a pattern on the inside as well as on the front and back when you open your basket. Glue a handle between the two woven layers on each side of the heart. Fill your basket with nuts, candies or other treats and hang it on your tree or give it as a gift.
POPCORN STRINGS
Make lots of popcorn without butter or salt. Thread a long, strong piece of thread into a needle and poke it through a piece of popcorn. Thread on about 5 pieces of popcorn and then thread a cranberry or a red bead. Keep threading until you have enough to go around the tree (you can tie short strings together).
