Making Artistic Christmas Crafts

Who said Christmas crafts all had to red, green, and feature snowmen?  The crafts on this page a nice change of pace.

Merriest Wall Hanging

What a perfect decoration for the Christmas season. Fill your wall hanging with things that give your holidays meaning.  A decorated mat filled with pictures of the kids would make a great gift for grandma and grandpa! Here are the materials you will need:

Here is a completed Merriest Wall Hanging.
©2006 Publicaitons International, Ltd.
Here is a completed Merriest Wall Hanging.

  • Mat with 25 openings
  • Ink: white, red
  • Red cardstock
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • Scissors or paper cutter
  • Assorted patterned papers
  • Paper glue
  • 5 black-and-white photos
  • Word stickers
  • Rub-on words
  • Ribbon: assorted scraps, 2 yards word
  • Embellishments: leather frame, acrylic heart, circle clips, mini brads, mini word jewelry tags, flowers, metal charms, cardboard word tag, bottle cap, acrylic word, snowflake brads
  • 4 metal book corners
  • Hand drill
  • 2 eyelets
  • Clear acid-free tape
To construct a Merriest Wall Hanging:
  1. Ink edges of mat with white ink. Measure and cut red cardstock to match size of mat. (Our mat is 12x12 inches.) Place mat over cardstock, and lightly draw a pencil line around openings of mat.

    Draw circles on the cardstock using the mat as a template.
    ©2006 Publications International, Ltd.
    Draw circles on the cardstock
    using the mat as a template.

  2. Remove mat, and cut 13 pieces of patterned paper to cover 13 circles. (Be sure paper does not cross to next circle's area.) Glue in place. Cut 2 photos to cover 2 circles. Glue in place. Add word stickers in another circle.

    Cut 13 pieces of patterned paper to cover the 13 holes.
    ©2006 Publications International, Ltd.
    Cut 13 pieces of patterned paper
     to cover the 13 holes.

  3. Place rub-on words in 2 openings. Tie ribbons around edges of mat and between openings of center hole.

  4. Adhere cardstock to mat. Cut 2 photos into squares to cover 2 separate openings, and glue over openings. Cut another photo to fit into leather frame, and place rub-on words at bottom of frame. Glue frame over an opening.

  5. Glue acrylic heart to middle opening, and add circle clips around edges. Ink edges of mini jewelry tags with red ink, and attach to an opening with a brad. Attach flowers, cardboard word tag, and a metal charm with brads to separate openings. Attach word tag to an opening with brads. Glue bottle cap to an opening. Glue other metal charms and acrylic word to separate openings. Add snow-flake brads to an opening.

  6. Place rub-on words around mat. Attach book corners. Use hand drill to drill holes in top right and left of mat for eyelets. Attach eyelets in holes. String word ribbon through eyelets, going from front to back. Tape ribbon to back to hold.

    Drill holes on the top left and right for eyelets.
    ©2006 Publications International, Ltd.
    Drill holes on the top left
    and right for eyelets.

Christmas Joy

Here is a completed Christmas Joy.
©2006 Publications International, Ltd.
Here is a completed Christmas Joy.

Bring joy into your home this holiday -- and hang it on the wall. There is no better time to remind your family and everyone visiting what the season is about! Here's what you'll need to get started:
  • 6-inch wood letters: J, O, Y
  • Fine sandpaper
  • Paper towels
  • 1-inch foam brush
  • Dark green acrylic paint
  • Crackle medium
  • Off-white acrylic paint
  • Gold paint marker
  • Hot glue gun, glue sticks
  • 1 yard gold sheer ribbon, 11/2 inches wide
  • Measuring tape
  • Scissors
  • Floral wire
  • Wire cutters
  • Assorted Christmas greens, cut into pieces
  • Liberty-style bell
  • Small brass musical instrument
  • 5 small jingle bells
To construct a Christmas Joy:
  1. Sand letters smooth, and wipe clean with damp paper towels. Use foam brush to paint front of letters dark green. Let dry, and repeat.

  2. Apply crackle medium to letters; let dry. Paint letters off-white; let dry. As paint dries, crackle lines appear.

    Paint the letters off-white and let them dry.
    ©2006 Publications International, Ltd.
    Paint the letters off-white and let them dry.

  3. Outline edges of each letter with gold paint marker.

  4. Hot glue O at an angle on top of J and Y (see photo for reference). Reinforce back of O with hot glue as needed.

    Hot glue the O at an angle to the J and the Y.
    ©2006 Publications International, Ltd.
    Hot glue the O at an angle
     to the J and the Y.

  5. Cut a 12-inch length of ribbon, and glue an end behind O next to J. Measure 6 inches from glued end, and glue this point to bottom of O next to Y, leaving a tail. Cut and glue a small length of ribbon to upper left of O. With remaining ribbon, form a 2-loop bow with loops of about 2 inches each. Secure center of bow with floral wire. Glue bow to lower right of O on top of other ribbon.Trim ribbon ends on a diagonal.

  6. Glue small sprigs of Christmas greens to center of bow and to ribbon at top of O. Twist a small length of floral wire through loop of liberty bell. Glue wire to center of ribbon so bell hangs down.

  7. Tie small instrument to ribbon tail at bottom of O. Glue 3 jingle bells to ribbon at top of O and 2 to ribbon at bottom of O.

    Tie the small instrument to the ribbon attached to the O.
    ©2006 Publications International, Ltd.
    Tie the small instrument to the
    ribbon attached to the O.

Noel Card Holder

This card holder is a snap to make -- and what a fun and whimsical way to display your holiday spirit! Here are teh materials you will need:

Here is a finished Noel Card Holder.
©2006 Publications International, Ltd.
Here is a finished Noel Card Holder.

  • 4 wood base-and-pegs sets
  • Wood glue
  • Wire cutters
  • Ruler
  • Sandpaper
  • Tack cloth
  • Wood letters: N, O, E, L (with predrilled holes)
  • Acrylic paint: white, bright red, green apple, Christmas green
  • Paintbrushes: 2-inch foam, #6 flat, #12 flat, 1/2-inch flat
  • Pencil with new eraser
  • White floral wire
  • Needle-nose pliers
  • Matte clear acrylic spray sealer
  • 1 yard apple green wire-edge ribbon, 3/8 inch wide
To construct a Noel Card Holder:
  1. Insert side pegs into base holes, then attach bases. Use wood glue to hold pieces securely. Use wire cutters to cut dowels: Make three 1-inch, one 11/2-inch, three 2-inch, two 3-inch, and one 31/2-inch pieces. Leave 6 pegs uncut for back row.

    Attach the two bases with side pegs.
    ©2006 Publications International, Ltd.
    Attach the two bases with side pegs.

  2. Lightly sand base, dowels, and letters to remove rough areas. Wipe with tack cloth to remove dust.

  3. Apply 2 to 3 coats of paint to cover surfaces completely. Using appropriate brush for area, paint base top and bottom Christmas green, sides of base and all pegs bright red, N and E front and back bright red and sides green apple, O and L front and back green apple and sides bright red. Let paint dry between applications.

  4. Paint white stripes on N and E, use pencil eraser to stamp white dots on front of O and L. Paint white stripes along sides of base using 1/2-inch brush. Let dry, and follow with green apple stripes using #12 flat brush.

    Use a pencil eraser to stamp white dots onto the O and L.
    ©2006 Publications International, Ltd.
    Use a pencil eraser to stamp
    white dots onto the O and L.

  5. Twist and wrap white floral wire around red pegs, and form swirls at top.

    Wrap the floral wire around the red pegs.
    ©2006 Publications International, Ltd.
    Wrap the floral wire around the red pegs.

  6. Insert pegs with letters into front holes of middle 2 bases. Insert other pegs, graduating heights from front to back. Add wood glue to hold.

  7. Spray with sealer; let dry between coats. Cut and tie green ribbons onto letter pegs.
On our final page, we will show you how to make some fun Christmas crafts for kids.