How to Make Christmas Crafts for the Home

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Browse the article How to Make Christmas Crafts for the Home

Home Christmas Crafts Overview

Christmas can be the warmest and happiest season of the year for many people -- even though time always seems at a premium. The holidays are also when creating homemade Christmas decorations and presents is most fun and fulfilling -- and appreciated by those receiving the lovingly made gifts. Plus, crafting is a wonderful way to escape crowded shopping malls and the mad race to find that "perfect" gift. In this article, you'll find many projects that take a day or less to create that will make great decorations for your home. You will learn how to make a variety of Christmas crafts for your home, including:

Making Angel Crafts

Angels are commonly associated with Christmas and the holiday season. On this page, we will show you how to make some simple angel Christmas crafts to display around your home. We will give you step-by-step instructions for making a Sweet Scandinavian Angel, Angel Folk Band, and a Classic Cutwork Angel.
Making Snowman Crafts

Everyone dreams of a white Christmas, and a white Christmas naturally means snowmen. In this section, we will show you how to make several snowman-themed crafts, including the Warm and Wonderful Welcome Mat, the Heavenly Door Hanging, and a Marvelous Mitten Hanging.
Making Simple Christmas Tree Crafts

It would not be Christmas without a nicely decorated tree. On this page, we will show you how to make some Christmas-tree themed crafts for your home. We will start with two crafts that use actual trees, the Holiday Cheer Topiary and the Sweetest Christmas Tree. We will also show you how to make the smaller set of Fun in the Forrest Christmas trees.
Making Advanced Christmas Tree Crafts

On this page, we will take our Christmas tree crafts to the next level. Here you will find some more advanced projects that will really test your skills. Be assured, these crafts will be worth it. We will show you how to make a Lodge-Style Luminary, Scandinavian Basket Tree, and a Celebration of Christmas Trees.
Making Santa and Reindeer-Themed Crafts

Your Christmas crafts would not be complete with a few appearances by Santa and his reindeer. On this page, we will show you how to make several Santa and reindeer themed crafts, including a Jingle the Red-Nose Reindeer, a Jolly Metal Punch Santa, and the playful Pom Reindeer Magnet.
Making Floral-Themed Crafts

Flowers and plants have always been a part of Christmas decorations. Whether in Christmas trees or mistletoe and holly, Christmas is often associated with plants. On this page, we will show you several Christmas crafts that involve flowers, including Light the Yule Log, Christmas Cardinal Centerpiece, and a Jolly Jingle Bell Candleholder.
Making Candy-Themed Crafts

These Christmas crafts look good enough to eat, but they're not made from real candy. On this page, we will show you how to make several candy-themed Christmas crafts. We will start with the child-friendly Candy Cane Doorknob Decoration and the more advanced Sweetest Birdhouse.
Making Bird-Themed Christmas Crafts

Birds like cardinals have long been associated with Christmas. In this section, we will show you how to make some bird-themed Christmas crafts for the nature lover in all of us. We will show you how to make a Holly Jolly Cardinal Wall Hanging and a Four Calling Birds.
Making Artistic Christmas Crafts

Sometimes while making crafts you get the urge to stretch your creative wings. Wreaths and stockings are nice, but it can also be fun to think outside the box. On this page, we will show you how to make some artistic Christmas crafts, including a Merriest Wall Hanging, a Christmas Joy, and a Noel Card Holder.
Making Fun Christmas Crafts for Kids

There's no arguing that Christmas is a time for children, and you're children should be a part of all your holiday preparations -- not just the gift receiving. On this page, we will show you how to make Christmas crafts you children can participate in, including Silly Face Magnets and a Holiday Lights.

Making Angel Crafts

Let more angels into your life with angel crafts. With different crafts to choose from you'll find many projects to make for your home.

Sweet Scandinavian Angel

Here is a completed Sweet Scandinavian Angel.

You don't need to be Scandinavian to appreciate the charm of this folksy angel. What kitchen wouldn't feel warmer with her in it? Here's what you'll need:

9x12-inch felt squares: 3 flesh, 1 blue, 1 white
Press cloth
1 yard fusible webbing
Pencil
Scissors
27 inches cotton lace, 1/4 inch wide
Tacky glue
DMC flower thread to match felt plus red
5 tiny heart appliqués
1/2 yard each red and white ribbon flowers (or 10 small red ribbon flowers; 14 small white ribbon flowers; 9 inches white ribbon, 1/8 inch wide)
1 small red bow
2 white embroidered leaves, 3x21/4 inches each
6 inches white ribbon, 1/8 inch wide

To construct a Sweet Scandinavian Angel:

Using press cloth to cover felt, fuse 2 squares of flesh felt together, with webbing between. Trace outline of angel onto paper side of webbing -- download the angel template here. Fuse to last sheet of flesh felt. Cut angel out and remove paper. Fuse angel to doubled flesh piece. Cut angel out. Trace dress shape on paper of webbing. Fuse to blue felt and cut out. Trace, fuse, and cut out hat and apron from white felt. Remove all paper. Fuse dress to body. Trim 1/4-inch lace to fit around apron edge. Place edge of lace under edge of apron and fuse apron to dress. Glue lace at wrists. Fuse hat to head.
Using 1 strand of flower thread to match each felt color, work a buttonhole stitch around all edges except hat. Make blue French knots for eyes, and red for mouth.

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Use a buttonhole stitch around
all the edges except the hat.
Glue lace across bottom of skirt 1/4 inch up from bottom edge. Glue hearts above lace. Glue a red flower to each foot. Glue 6 white flowers around hat. Glue red bow at waist.

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Glue six of the white ribbon
flowers around the hat.
Twist strands of 8 white and red ribbon flowers together to form garland (or sew or glue red and white ribbon flowers to ribbon). Tack garland ends to hands.

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Glue one end of a string of white and
red flowers to each hand.
Sew or glue 2 embroidered leaves to back of shoulders for wings. Sew a white ribbon loop at back of head to hang.

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Glue two embroidered wings
to the back shoulders.

Angel Folk Band

What could be better than a folk band to herald the joy of Christmas? This charming and friendly bunch of angels make beautiful music together! Here's what you'll need to begin:

8x3/4x15 inches wood
Heavyweight paper and pencil
Band or scroll saw
Drill and 5/8-inch brad point drill
Fine-grain sandpaper
Acrylic paint: flesh, hydrangea pink, lilac, blue jay, cactus, dolphin grey, rouge, cardinal red, Monet blue, copen blue, dark brown
#6 or #8 flat paintbrush
Paper towel
Paper palette
Stylus
Jute
Scissors
Tacky glue
1 yard each white, light blue, mint, mauve, pink ribbon; 1/16 inch wide
1/2 yard muslin
1/2 yard fleece or batting
Needle and white thread
Iron and spray starch
3 miniature instruments
41/2-inch musical paper ribbon

To construct an Angel Folk Band:

Trace angel and wing patterns onto paper to make templates -- download the pattern here. Lightly trace angel patterns onto wood with pencil. Cut out angels with saw. Mark angels with pencil dots for hair holes. Drill hair holes 1/4 inch deep. Sand angel bodies smooth.
Paint dresses onto angel bodies using colors indicated on patterns. Let dry. Apply second coat if needed. Paint head and hands flesh. Let dry. Apply second coat if needed.
Shade arms on angels with copen blue as shown on patterns. Dip a #6 or #8 flat brush into clean water. Tap brush on paper towel to remove excess water. Dip one corner of brush into copen blue and stroke back and forth on paper palette until color blends. Color on brush will be on the outside of arms. Shade arms on all angels.

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Shade the arms on all of the angels.
Paint faces onto angels as indicated on patterns. Cheeks are floated or stylus dotted hearts. Use stylus to paint two dots side by side. At center of dots, pull paint down with point of stylus to form heart. Dot eyes on faces. Note: Different expressions on faces can be achieved by placing eyes closer together and by painting eyes at different levels on face. The closer eyes are to each other and to cheeks, the more whimsical the expression. Experiment on scrap paper.

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Paint the faces on the angels
as shown on the template.
Cut jute hair for angels. Angel A needs thirty 6-inch lengths. Apply glue into each hair hole. Insert 6 strands into each hole. Let dry. Braid hair to 11/2 inches and secure end with ribbon. Angel B needs ten 2-inch lengths. Glue 2 strands into each hair hole. Let dry. Tie ribbon to base of each hair strand grouping. Angel C needs fifteen 3-inch lengths. Glue 3 strands into each hair hole. Let dry. Tie ribbon around end of each hair strand. Angel D needs five 4-inch lengths. Glue a strand into each hair hole. Let dry. Tie ribbon to end of each hair strand. Angel E needs five 2-inch lengths. Glue a strand into each hair hole. Let dry. Tie ribbon to end of each hair strand. Trim ribbons.

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Cut lengths of jute for the angel's hair.
Cut out wings from muslin and batting. Sandwich batting between 2 muslin wings. Pin wings to hold batting in place. Starting at indentation at bottom of wing, quilt wings together with a running stitch. Knot off at starting knot. Complete all wings. Iron wings using spray starch to add body. Trim loose fibers and batting. Glue wings to angels.

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Form the wings from
muslin filled with batting.
Glue musical instrument to angels B, C, and E. Keep flat until glue dries. Glue musical paper ribbon to angel A and angel D and lay flat until glue dries.

Classic Cutwork Angel

What better way to herald the coming of the Christmas season than with this lovely cutwork angel. It's so beautiful you might want to hang it year round! Here are the materials you will need to get started:

9x12-inch piece ivory ultrasuede
9x12-inch piece fusible webbing
Press cloth
Steam iron
Scissors, sharp craft knife
5/8 yard blue cotton velveteen
Sewing machine
Needle, blue and white thread
12x15-inch piece fleece
18 inches gold metallic twisted cording, 3/16 inch wide
31/2-inch gold metallic tassel
22 ivory pearls, 3mm each
101/2-inch length wooden dowel, 1/4 inch diameter

To construct a Classic Cutwork Angel:

Trace angel, halo, and arms onto paper side of webbing, marking areas that will be cut out with Xs -- download the template here. Fuse webbing to wrong side of ultrasuede, using a press cloth. Cut out angel. Cut out all areas marked with Xs.

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Trace the angel on the paper
side of the fusible webbing.
Cut 18x23-inch rectangle of velveteen. Fold right sides together and sew a 1/2-inch seam allowance along 18-inch side. Refold so that seam is in center of tube. Mark and sew diagonal lines to shape bottom of banner. Trim corners and turn right side out; leaving top of banner open.

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Cut out a rectangle of velveteen.
Cut one piece of fleece the same shape as the banner. Insert fleece into banner.

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Cut out the fleece to be the
same shape as the banner.
Center angel on banner. Cover with press cloth and using steam rather than pressure, fuse angel to banner. Fuse halo and leaf shapes from cutouts one at a time so they don't slip under press cloth. Fuse arms over area shown on pattern by dotted lines.
To finish banner, fold top 21/2 inches of banner to back. Tucking under raw edges, hand sew to form a casing for dowel. Sew ends of cording in ends of casing for hanger. Sew tassel at bottom point. Scatter and sew pearls randomly around angel. Slide dowel into casing.

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Attach the ends of the cord to the
wooden dowel for hanging.

Another traditional Christmas icon is the snowman. On the next page, we will show you how to make some beautiful snowman crafts for your home.

Making Snowman Crafts

Ever since good old Frosty, snowmen have been a Christmas classic. Here are some great snowman crafts you can make at home.

Warm and Wonderful Welcome Mat

Despite its winter scene, this mat will warm the "soles" of your guests as they step inside your home! What better way to make someone feel welcome than with a friendly snow family! Here's what you'll need:

Here is an example of a finished Warm and Wonderful Welcome Mat.

Tracing paper
Pencil
Scissors
Poster board or cardboard
Stylus
Graphite paper
Craft knife
Rug (short pile, solid dark color)
White chalk
Small stencil brush
Acrylic paint: snow white, forest green, lamp black, green mist, slate grey, milk chocolate, moon yellow, country blue

To construct a Warm and Wonderful Welcome Mat:

Trace or photocopy the patterns from the template -- download the template here. Each circle template must be a separate shape. Cut out circles, and trace them onto cardboard. Cut them out. Trace remaining patterns on cardboard with stylus and graphite paper. Use a craft knife to cut out insides of patterns, creating stencils.

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Place the templates on the mat and
trace around them with chalk.
Determine the number of snow people you'd like on your mat; you can make the same number as you have family members. Begin placing the bottom sections of each snow person onto rug, and trace around templates with chalk. Once you are happy with placement, continue placing upper body sections and tracing around them with chalk.

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Apply the heaviest paint at
the bottom of the tree.
Place tree stencils in background, and line shapes with chalk. Chalk in hat and broom stencils. Create a ground line with snow white paint, leaving a small space under the base of the snow people.
With stencil brush, dab snow white to snow people's bodies, applying paint more heavily on top of each section. (This will require more than 1 coat of paint.) Apply forest green to tree sections, applying paint more heavily at the bottom of branches. Apply lamp black to hat. Let dry.
With green mist, highlight the tips of tree branches. With slate grey, highlight hat edges. Apply lamp black for coal on snow people's faces and buttons. On broom handle use milk chocolate, and on broom bristles use moon yellow.

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With slate grey paint highlight the
edges of the snow-family's hats.
Line WELCOME with country blue. Let dry.

Heavenly Door Hanging

This heavenly snow person hangs on a doorknob and will make you smile each time you enter the room! Here is what you will need:

This is a finished Heavenly Door Hanger.

Tracing paper
Pencil
Scissors
18x9-inch piece white velour knit
Straight pins
Sewing machine
White thread
Fiberfill
Needle
Quilting thread: white, black
2 black beads, 4mm each
2 black seed beads
12 inches gold cord, 1/4 inch wide
Gold chenille stem
Glue gun, glue sticks
Clear plastic lid (such as a margarine lid)
Grease pencil
Gold glitter dimensional fabric paint
Silver fabric star
Small wreath, 1 inch diameter
Wooden skewer
Orange felt marker

To construct a Heavenly Door Hanger:

Enlarge and trace or photocopy patterns from the template, and cut them out. Download the template here. Fold fabric in half widthwise, with right sides together. Pin snowman pattern to fabric, and trace around pattern with pencil.
Remove pattern, and pin layers of fabric together in several places. Thread sewing machine with white thread, and machine stitch along drawn line, leaving 2 inches open at the center bottom for turning.
With scissors, trim excess fabric from edge of stitching. Clip curves and corners.

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Remove the excess fabric
from around the pattern.
Turn right side out through opening at bottom. Stuff figure with fiberfill through opening. Blind stitch opening closed with needle and white thread.

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Stuff the figure with batting.
Wrap 18 inches of white quilting thread 3 times around neck of snow angel to form head. Tie a double knot to secure. Cut off excess thread.

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Wrap quilting around the
neck to form the head.
Thread needle with doubled length of white thread, and stitch leg division, stitching through front and back of body. Fold arms to front, and stitch ends of hands together.

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Create the leg division by stitching
through the front and back of the body.
Use black quilting thread to sew on 4mm beads for eyes and to stitch eyebrows. Hide beginning and finishing knots under eye beads.
Begin mouth by stitching on a seed bead. Backstitch mouth, finishing with a seed bead at opposite end. Tie gold cord around neck in a bow.
Bend an end of gold chenille stem into a 1-inch-diameter circle, twisting end back around itself. Glue remaining portion of chenille stem down center of angel's back. (Trim end of chenille stem if it is too long.)

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Glue the remaining portion of the
chenille to the back of the figure.
Trace around wing pattern on plastic lid with grease pencil. Cut out wings. Outline edge of wings with dimensional glitter paint; let 1 side dry thoroughly before painting other side. Let wings dry for several hours before attaching.
Attach wings to angel's back with needle and white quilting thread, making several cross-stitches over center of wings. Glue silver star to center of wings, covering stitches. Stitch wreath to angel's hands with white quilting thread.

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Attach the wings to the back of the figure.
Cut end off wooden skewer, and paint tip orange with marker. Glue tip to center of face for nose. Thread a loop of quilting thread to top of head for a hanger; knot ends together.

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Glue the end of the painted wooden
skewer to the snowman's face.

Marvelous Mitten Hanging

This snowman mitten hanging will amuse everyone while decorating your wall with the wonder of winter! Here is what you'll need to get started:

White paper
Pencil
3/8-yard fuzzy felt
Straight pins
Scissors
5x3-inch orange felt
Scrap iron-on adhesive
Iron
Black embroidery floss
Embroidery needle
2 black buttons, 5/8 inch each
Sewing machine
8x18 inches plaid fabric
Raffia
Safety pin
Silk and plastic greenery and holly

To construct a Marvelous Mitten Hanging:

Photocopy or trace the patterns from the template, and cut them out. Download the template here. Pin mitten pattern to doubled felt fabric, and cut out.
Iron adhesive to back of orange felt; trace nose pattern onto paper. Cut out.

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Trace the nose onto the felt and cut it out.
Iron nose to mitten front. With floss, stitch nose and mouth. Sew on button eyes.

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Using the embroidery floss,
stitch the nose and mouth.
With right sides facing, pin mitten front and back together. Sew 1/4 inch seam. Clip corners. Turn inside out.
Fold plaid material lengthwise with right sides together; iron. Use a running stitch to sew short ends together to make a large loop. Place cuff inside mitten, with seam of cuff facing inside. Use a running stitch to sew cuff on, stitching 1/2 inch away from edge. Turn cuff to outside of mitten.

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Place the plaid cuff inside the mitten with
the seam of the cuff facing inside.
Tie a bow using raffia, and pin it to cuff with safety pin. Place greenery and holly inside mitten and arrange.

You can't have Christmas without a Christmas tree, right? In the next section, we will show you how to make Christmas crafts for your home.

Making Simple Christmas Tree Crafts

Nothing says Christmas like a beautifully decorated tree. On this page, you will find some easy Christmas tree crafts to decorate your home.

Holiday Cheer Topiary

Add a touch of elegance to your Christmas-decorated home with a rosebud-studded topiary. An assortment of greens and long streamers of ribbon make it particularly eye-catching. Here are the materials you will need:

Here is a completed Holiday Cheer Topiary.

3- to 4-inch-diameter clay pot
Quick-drying floral spray paint: red and green
12-inch foam cone
1/3 block dry foam
Serrated knife
Low-temperature glue gun and glue sticks
6- to 7-inch twig
Handful Spanish moss
3 stems preserved springerii
4 stems preserved plumosus
2 stems dried boxwood
1 twig preserved cedar
2 to 3 stems preserved ming fern
Ruler
Floral knife (optional)
2 dozen dried red roses
2 to 3 stems dried red pepper berries
1 bunch dried red star flowers
Wood picks (optional)
3 yards red ribbon,
1/4 inch wide
1 yard green ribbon,
3/8 inch wide
Florist wire

To construct a Holiday Cheer Topiary:

Spray clay pot red and foam cone green with quick-drying floral spray paint (or hobby paint). Allow to dry. Shape 1/3 block of foam to fit into clay pot (you may need to cut it with a serrated knife). Glue it in place. Insert and glue twig into base of foam cone, making sure it is centered. Insert and glue other end of twig into dry foam, leaving about a 3- to 4-inch tree trunk. Cover dry foam with Spanish moss.

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Cut the foam to fit your pot and
insert a twig into the flat end.
Cut, if necessary, and evenly distribute 2- to 3-inch pieces of springerii, plumosus, boxwood, cedar, and ming fern over foam cone. Make sure to use smaller pieces at top and longer, fuller pieces at bottom.

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Cover the top of the foam with the
greenery you've chosen.
Evenly distribute red roses over entire tree, using smaller pieces at top and longer, fuller pieces at bottom. Repeat with one or two red pepper berries and clusters of red star flowers. If stems are brittle, reinforce them with wood picks. To do so, place wired end of pick next to stem overlapping approximately 1/2 to 1 inch, and wind wire snugly around stem.

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Evenly distribute the red roses
throughout the tree.
Make a bow from 2 yards of red ribbon. Drape it over top of topiary to look like a garland. Make another bow from remaining 1 yard of red ribbon and 1 yard of green ribbon. Attach to base with florist wire. Insert a cluster of pepper berries next to ribbon.

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Make a bow from two yards of ribbon
and drape it over the tree.

Sweetest Christmas Tree

This golden tree will dazzle your guests! Or take it for a hostess gift -- it will surely sweeten that party. Here's what you will need to begin:

6-inch terra-cotta pot
White acrylic paint
Paintbrush
3 gold doilies, 6 inches each
Scissors
Gloss decoupage
Foam paintbrush
Clear gloss spray
17-inch tall foam cone, 5- to
6-inch base
Low-temp glue gun, glue sticks
7 silk evergreen branches
Wire cutters
6 gold berry picks
Chenille stems
Gold-foil chocolates
4 yards sheer gold ribbon, 3/4 inch wide

To construct a Sweetest Christmas Tree:

Paint pot white; let dry.Cut doilies into quarters. Decoupage doily pieces to pot, overlapping freely. When dry, use spray gloss to seal.

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Decoupage the doily pieces to the pot.
Glue foam cone into pot. Cut evergreen branches into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Insert pieces into cone until almost covered.
Separate and twist berry picks into 4-berry clusters. Insert berry clusters around tree.
Cut chenille stems into 3-inch pieces. Glue end of stem piece to back of a chocolate, and push unglued stem end into foam. Repeat for all chocolates.
Cut the ribbon in half. With half of ribbon, wind it around tree, tucking and spot gluing as you work. With other ribbon half, tie a simple bow in middle of ribbon, and glue bow to top of tree. Let long ribbon tails fall gracefully on table.

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Tie a simple bow with the remaining
ribbon and glue it to the top of the tree.

Fun in the Forrest

These fun holiday decorations would make perfect gifts for your children's teachers -- they probably already have their fill of "world's best teacher" mugs and ornaments. Surprise them, or any of your friends, with something different and original -- something no one else can give them. Apples, stars, or birds, who could resist the whimsical appeal? There are plenty of people on your Christmas list who would just love to receive one! Here's what you will need:

6-inch mini tree; paintbrush; water container; low-temp glue gun, glue sticks
Star Tree: 3-inch wood star; 2-inch wood star; 36 assorted wood stars, 3/4 to 1/4 inch; gold acrylic paint
Apple Tree: 36 mini red apples; 3-inch wood apple box set; cardinal red acrylic paint; silver mini star garland
Bird Tree: 3- to 4-inch birdhouse; assorted small mushroom birds, 1 inch each; 8 bird's nests, 1 inch each; dolphin grey, bright red acrylic paint; small hand drill with ⅛-inch drill bit, small candy canes.

To construct Fun in the Forrest:

Star Tree: Basecoat all stars and base of tree with gold. Apply second coat if needed. Let dry. Glue base of mini tree to 3-inch star.

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Glue the base of the mini
tree to the 3-inch star.
Glue small stars to ends of branches. Larger stars should go toward bottom of tree. Glue 2-inch star to tree top.
Apple Tree: Paint apple box with cardinal red. Let dry.
Remove base of mini tree, leaving only a thick wire at bottom. Apply glue into hole of apple top and insert tree wire. Let dry.

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First, remove the base from the mini tree.
String mini star garland on tree starting at bottom and ending at top of tree. Glue mini red apples to ends of branches.

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Starting at the bottom, glue the
star garland to the tree.
Bird Tree: Drill a hole at the top center of the birdhouse. Paint body of birdhouse with grey. Paint roof, bottom, and perch with bright red. Let dry.
Remove base of mini tree by twisting base until base pulls free, leaving only a thick wire at bottom. Apply glue into hole at top of birdhouse and insert tree wire. Let dry.
Glue bird's nests and candy canes to ends of branches. Glue mushroom birds to tips of other branches.

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Glue the candy canes to the
ends of the branches.

On the next page, we will learn how to make some more advanced Christmas tree crafts.

Making Advanced Christmas Tree Crafts

Now we'll learn how to make some Christmas tree crafts that require a little more preparation and effort.

Lodge-Style Luminary

Here is an example of a finished Lodge-Style Luminary.

Create a glowing piece of art that has the look of a handcrafted stained-glass luminary. You'll be surprised at how stunning it will be. Here's what you need to get started:

4 sheets craft plastic
Pencil
Ruler
Scissors
Clear tape
2 packages lead strips, 1/8 inch wide
Craft knife
Lead shapes: 6 stars, 2 moons
Glass paints: denim blue, ivy green, sunny yellow, clear frost, crystal clear, amber, cocoa brown
Glass paint tool set
4 black report cover plastic spines
Electric candle

To construct a Lodge-Style Luminary:

Cut plastic sheets into four 6x9-inch pieces. Download the pattern here.
Tape pattern to back of a cut plastic sheet, with pattern showing through plastic. Allow 1/2 inch of clear plastic on each side of pattern.
Working on a section at a time, lay vertical lead lines down and trim ends. Then lay horizontal lead lines, allowing ends to overlap vertical lines. Trim excess. (Use trimmed pieces for short lead lines.) Lay down diagonal lines; overlap ends. Tightly trim ends at junctions, creating square pieces and/or small diamonds on top of underlying lead strips to look like mock solder joints. Place 2 stars and a celestial moon in sky area.

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Lay down lead lines over the
pattern and trim off the excess.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 on another plastic sheet. Repeat steps 2 and 3 on remaining plastic sheets, omitting moon and trees and placing 1 star on each sheet.
Paint each panel as follows: sky is denim blue; trees are ivy green; stars and corner squares are sunny yellow; moon is clear frost; top, bottom, and sides are crystal clear; mountain and background are amber; tree trunk is cocoa brown. (Note: Use sharp tip of metal combing tool to gently push paint into tight corners and junctions. If you are not using combing tool, use a liner brush to push paint into corners.) Let paint dry completely (see manu-facturer's instructions).

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Use sunny yellow to color the stars.
Match 2 finished panels back to back (1 with trees and 1 without). Slide black plastic report spines over plastic panel edges to connect. Repeat for all panels and edges. Position luminary over electric candle.

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Use black plastic report spines
to connect the panels.

Scandinavian Basket Tree

A tree brings warmth to a room, and this little tree can be altered to fit any decor. Simply change the color of the bows and container. Be creative! Here are the materials for the basic design:

Red bucket, size proportional to tree
1/4 yard burlap
Scissors
Disposal bowl
2-pound bag plaster of paris
Mixing stick
Small artificial tree, 16 to 26 inches
3 to 4 sprigs red berries
Wire cutters
Hot glue gun, glue sticks
8 to 12 baskets, 2 to 3 inches each
Spool thin craft wire
12 to 16 cinnamon sticks, 3 to 4 inches long
Spool red ribbon, 1/4 inch wide
Fresh or dried baby's breath
Scissors
Tacky craft glue
Wheat star ornament

To construct a Scandinavian Basket Tree:

Place burlap into bucket as lining. Trim excess burlap.
In disposable bowl, mix plaster of paris according to manu-facturer's instructions. Pour into bucket, filling to 1 inch below top. Discard extra plaster in trash; do not pour down sink! Place tree base into plaster. Let plaster set.
Use wire cutters to cut small clusters of berries. Hot glue berry clusters into baskets. Cut 6-inch length of wire for each basket. Wire baskets around tree to branches.
Cut 6-inch lengths of wire, and use them to attach cinnamon sticks to branches between baskets at different angles.

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Attach the cinnamon sticks to the
tree between the baskets.
Cut ribbon into 6-inch lengths, and tie bows. Glue bows to branches.
Snip baby's breath tops. Gather into small bundles, and dip stems into tacky glue. Place stems into center of tree.

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Bundle the baby's breath and
place it on the tree.
Cut 6 inches of wire, and wire star ornament to top of tree.

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Wire the star ornament
to the top of the tree.

Celebration of Christmas Trees

These felt trees will bring charm and freshness to your holidays, and kids will love making presents for their favorite people. Here's what you'll need:

Pencil
Paper
Ruler
Felt: 3 sheets per tree
Scissors
Cone air freshener or 6x27/8-inch foam cone
Craft glue
Small sparkle pom poms, sequins, small jewels, decorative buttons
Needle, red thread

To construct a Celebration of Christmas Trees:

Make circle patterns in these sizes: 51/2 inches, 41/2 inches, 31/2 inches in diameter. From felt, cut out two 51/2-inch circles, two 41/2-inch circles, and three 31/2-inch circles.
Cut a 21/2-inch cross slit in the center of each large and medium circle. In all but 1 small circle, cut 2-inch cross slits centered in each circle. With remaining small circle, cut a slit from outside edge to center for tree peak.

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Cut a crosshatch slit in the
center of each felt circle.
Slide a large circle over cone as far as it will go; glue in place. Continue adding circles, with second large circle,2 medium circles, and 2 small circles. Adjust and check that surface of cone does not show between circles. Form the last small circle into a cone peak, and place on top.

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Slide the circles over the cone
in decreasing order of size.
Decorate trees by gluing on pom poms, sequins, jewels, or sewing on decorative buttons.

It was only a matter of time before we got around to Santa Claus. Sure enough, on the next page, we will show you how to make Santa and Reindeer-themed crafts.

Making Santa and Reindeer-Themed Crafts

A discussion of Christmas crafts would not be complete without a few Santa projects thrown in. On this page you will find some Santa crafts and some reindeer crafts.

Jingle the Red-Nose Reindeer

This whimsical fellow is in full holiday spirit. He'll certainly add a festive touch to your Christmas celebrations. Write a warm greeting on the chalkboard to welcome yuletide guests. Here are the materials you will need:

Here is a finished Jingle the Red-Nose Reindeer.

Two 3-inch foam eggs, one 6-inch foam egg
Serrated knife
Two 6-inch extruded foam hearts
Round wood toothpicks
Foam glue
4-inch wood dowel, 5/8 inch diameter
2 pairs disposable wooden chopsticks
5-inch foam ball
Brown paper bag or craft paper
Decoupage medium
Paintbrushes: 1 inch, 1/2 flat
Wood shapes: 2-1/2-inch flat snowflake, 2-inch circle, 2-inch star, three 2-inch teardrops, two 3/8-inch circles
2x4-inch craft chalkboard, chalk
Wood hand drill, 5/64-inch bit
Acrylic paint: beige, yellow, red, black, white
17 inches red ribbon, 1/2 to 1 inch wide
Ruler
Needle
Red thread
Jingle bells: 7 silver 19mm or 3/4 inch, 1 red 25mm or 1 inch, 2 red 12mm or 1/2 inch
19-gauge craft wire
Wire cutters
Fine white floral wire
Scissors
22 inches wire-edged ribbon, 2-1/2 inches wide

To construct a Jingle the Red-Nose Reindeer:

With a serrated knife, cut both 3-inch foam eggs in half lengthwise. Cut a 1-inch V notch from peak end of each egg half to create 4 hooves. Cut both heart forms in half at center seams. Cut heart halves into pieces as shown. Break 4 toothpicks in half.

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Cut up the hearts as
shown to form the antlers.
Apply foam glue to bottom of a small foam piece, and push a toothpick half into bottom; attach to large piece. See photo for placement. Let dry.

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Use toothpicks to construct
the antlers as shown.
Insert dowel into 6-inch foam egg so egg tilts back slightly. This is the head and neck. Insert a chopstick into each hoof, and then insert each into bottom of foam ball. Check stability. Glue chopsticks into foam hooves with foam glue.

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Insert a chopstick into each hoof and
attach the ends to the foam ball.
Crumple pieces of brown paper, and wet paper with water. Tear paper into 1-, 2-, and 3-inch random shapes.
Working on a small area at a time, apply decoupage medium to foam with paintbrush. Lay paper pieces on decoupaged surface, and brush decoupage over paper. Cover body, head, hooves, and 3 wood teardrop shapes (ears and tail) with paper and decoupage. Let dry. Glue legs into body with foam glue.

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Apply the brown paper bag to the
foam one area at a time.
Drill a hole in top of snowflake and 2-inch circle, center of star, and tip of 1 coated teardrop. Then drill a hole on each top side corner of chalkboard.
Paint antlers, legs, and neck rod beige; star yellow; 2-inch circle red; 3/8-inch circles black; and snowflake white. Paint white stripe on red circle (orna-ment), and add white highlights to 3/8-inch circles (for eyes).
Attach antlers to sides of head with broken toothpicks and foam glue. Glue eye circles in place. Let glue dry.
With needle and thread, stitch 7 silver jingle bells to red ribbon, begin 31/2 inches up from each end of ribbon. Center and space bells about 11/2 inches apart. Glue ribbon harness in place around middle of body.
Cut three 3-inch lengths of craft wire, and thread a length through a red jingle bell. Fold wires in half with bells centered. Push wire with largest bell into front of face for nose. Pass 1 wire of smaller red bell through drilled hole on star and other through hole on teardrop tail. Push wire of teardrop/tail into backside of body; use wire on backside of star to wrap on antler to attach. Reinforce attachments with glue.
Write a message on chalkboard. Cut and attach 8 to 10 inches of craft wire to 1 side of chalkboard, hang chalkboard around neck, and attach wire to other side. Cut varied lengths of string or white floral wire to hang snowflake and ball ornament on antlers. Wrap and tie wire-edged ribbon around neck.

Jolly Metal Punch Santa

Hang our favorite Christmas friend on a wall to greet our holiday visitors. He is so jolly that friends will be asking for their own. Here's what you'll need:

Embossing metal, medium pewter
9x12-inch sheet craft foam, 2mm
Tape
Red ballpoint pen
Hobby awl
Heavy-duty scissors
Transparent burgundy or red glass and tile color paint
#8 round paintbrush
Tissue or absorbent cloth
18 inches silver craft wire, 22 gauge
Wire cutters

To construct a Jolly Metal Punch Santa:

Unroll and smooth metal sheet on craft foam. Tape pattern to metal, and firmly trace pattern lines with red pen. Download the pattern here.

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Trace the pattern on the
metal with a red pen.
Check to make sure pattern lines are impressed clearly on metal. If not, retrace lines. Remove paper pattern, and flip metal sheet over. Using pad of fingertip, press around lines to create "puffy" embossed areas beside lines.

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Make sure the lines of the pattern are
impressed clearly on the metal.
Staying on back of metal, use hobby awl to punch holes along all pattern lines.

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Use a hobby awl to punch holes
along the pattern lines.
Turn metal over, and punch eye dots using pointed end of wood embossing tool that came with metal. Using opposite flat, round end of wood tool, gently press circles all over hat. Turn metal over to back side, and rub out hat with pad of fingertip to give only a very slight impression of a circular pattern on front.
Cut out design along outside pattern lines.
Thin glass paint with a little water. Paint lip, tip of nose, cheeks, and hat. With tissue or absorbent cloth, quickly lift or wipe away paint, leaving only a tint.
Thread a wire end through a hole punched on one side of Santa; twist wire end to secure. Thread other end of wire through a hole on opposite side, and twist wire end to secure.

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Thread a wire through each
end of the Santa pattern.

Pom Reindeer Magnet

Kids can make these Pom Reindeer Magnets to hold their Christmas lists on the refrigerator. Before Santa comes, they can attach a note to the magnet that says, "Enjoy what's in the fridge!" Here's what you will need:

Poms: 1-inch beige, 2-inch brown, and 1/4-inch red
White glue
Felt: 1x1-inch red and 2x2-inch brown
Scissors
Two wiggle eyes, 10mm each
Two beige chenille stems, 12 inches each
Ruler
Tracing paper
Pencil
12-inch length of red rattail cord

Consumer Guide:

How to Make Christmas Crafts for the Home