DIY Christmas Favors for a Memorable Holiday

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DIY Holiday Christmas Cards

One great way to send a good seasons greeting to someone is through a card. So for this year make your own Christmas cards for everyone to enjoy. You can hand make them, just begin with black creative cards that you should be able to get from any craft or art supply store. Then you can use water-based block print ink, glitter glue, markers, etc. Pick out a few decorative stencils, just position them in the places that you want and color them in and you can add in little trinkets like buttons, bows etc. Place a family photo inside and some encouraging quotes, then send them off. Or you can always go digital there are a variety of options if you decide this path. Plus, you can get your kids involved as well- have them pick out their favorite colors or shapes then present them on the cards.

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DIY Dazzling Christmas Ornaments

Christmas ornaments are the Coup D’ Etat of the Christmas tree, so create your own that will have lasting memories. Again, this a very broad area that you have a variety of options with. You can a circle around your children’s pictures and paste them on the center of circular cardboard piece then decorate the outer rim of the cardboard with colored puzzle pieces, rhinestones, colorful beads, pom-pom balls etc. You can use cardstock and cut out snow flake shapes, characters from Christmas movies, circular or diamond shapes and put glitter glue, fabric papers, color pencils, markers to color them in. Or have the kids color them. Visit some local websites and craft stores for more inspiration.

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DIY Stocking Stuffer Sets

Some of the best gifts that you can’t go wrong with are stocking stuffers. Little trinkets that the kids go crazy for, some simple ones when the kids are young are candies, toys, money and when they get a little older small sizes of perfume and cologne, wallets, or money again. However, if you intend on making creating some of your own then let’s think out of the box for the moment. First ask what is it that the child is interested in? It could be art, it could be science, it could be writing, it could mechanics etc. Once you have found that niche then you can take it from there. If it is art then gather some art supplies like small paint brushes, paints (tubes or travel sets), and a watercolour pad or acrylic pads.  That way you have covered the basics for the art if it writing then of course a cool journal especially if you could find a journal with quotes to help inspire them would be better, some pens or pencils and believe it or not little item like stamps with stamp pads or stickers help out too!  The possibilities are endless.

For this holiday season, show off some of your creative skills by making things on your own.  From the decor all the way to what goes into your children’s stocking you can create it on your own.  You don’t just have to follow the guides above, go out and research other websites and stores for ideas about how you can do more things yourself.  DIY holiday favors are just the first step towards an even more special Christmas.  Also, perhaps you have some holiday favors that you would like to share?

For more holiday gift ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

If there is one thing that spells magic for me during the holiday season, it has to be the snow globe. I have spent many a winter evenings looking into snow globes, shaking them and making up stories about the scenes inside. So this year, I decided to make my own snow globe ornaments at home from last year’s decorations that I was hoarding.

How to Make DIY Re-Purposed Snow Globe Ornaments

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Here is how to make your own re-purposed snow globe ornament:

You will need:

Old clear glass or plastic ornaments

Small plastic toys like animals, trees etc.

Hot glue

Glitter, fake snow, beads etc.

Decorative ribbon or jute twine

Spray paint (optional)

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Directions

1. Take the top off your ornament so that you can insert the toys into the glass ball. Use ornaments that open from the middle for bigger toys.
2. Think about the scene you want to create in your snow globe ornament and accordingly look for old plastic toys and trees in your box of decorations. Make sure that the toys you choose fit in well inside the glass ball. Discard any that are too big
3. You can give the old toys a new life by spray painting them in gold, silver or white. You can also leave them as it is if you like
4. Put a dab of hot glue at the bottom of your toy and push it into the glass ball with the help of tweezers.
5. Carefully fix the toys on the base of the ornament. Let the glue dry and make sure that the toys are secure
6. Decorate the snow globe ornament with glitter, metallic beads, little bells, fake snow and Styrofoam balls
7. Your snow globe ornament is ready! You can fill the glass ball with water if you like or leave it dry
8. You can now decorate the top of the ornament with ribbons or jute twine and hang it on your Christmas tree

Enjoy your re-purposed snow globe ornament and congratulate yourself on contributing towards the environment this Christmas. These are perfect for children to make time capsules of each holiday memory each year and remember their year for the future! These also make great gifts for the holidays to neighbors, co-workers and friends.

For more Christmas ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

One of the favorite Christmas decoration traditions is to have each year an addition to your ornament collection. Some buy a fabulous ornament from a store, but isn’t it much more fun and creative to just make your own? You can make one or more creative DIY Christmas ornaments, depending on the use for the ornaments. Other than decorating your Christmas tree, they are great for giving away, making wreaths, using as decoration for presents and decorate the house with.

Creative DIY Christmas Ornaments

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Decorating Ornaments From The Outside

One of the simplest methods is to buy some clear ornaments and paint them or wrap them with whatever you feel like. You can use glass paint, enamel paint pens or glitter paint for making your own creations. Also, wrapping them with fabric scraps – even from clothing that you love and cherish but no longer use, such as baby clothing – or paper or even yarn is a wonderful idea.

To make such a wrapped ornament you can use Styrofoam balls, paper or fabric, a paintbrush, glue, a ribbon, a bowl with soap and water and a rug. Cover the ball with glue and cover it with the fabric or paper scraps. Paint again with glue and let them dry. Glue two strains of the ribbon to make a loop for the ornament to hang from.

An even easier way is to take yarn and wrap the ball completely, or to use a large piece of nice fabric, using glue to keep everything in place. Just wrap the ball in it, tie the top with a matching ribbon and maybe adding some holy leaves and berries and it can be awesome.

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Decorating Ornaments From The Inside

To do that you will have to buy some clear glass ornaments balls from your craft shop. There are endless things you can fill those ornaments up with. You can fill them with paint or some sparkling nail polisher and shake the ball so the fluid goes everywhere.

Or you can fill them with tiny bells or beads. Other items that are great are sequins, glitter dust, candies, ribbons and whatever else can be fitted through the opening. Even rosemary or lavender branches, branches with holy leaves and berries, or evergreens are a great way to go.

Also, scraps of paper that have meaningful words written on them or even photos can be used as well. That way, you can even create a sort of “time capsule”, filled with notes of important events, pictures or even small items that mean something to you.

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Use Felt And Imagination

Out of colorful felt fabric you can create the nicest ornaments. You can use templates available for free on the internet and follow the simple instructions. There is no end to the ornaments you can create. Just to name a few, you can choose between Snowmen, Reindeers, Santa, Christmas Trees and Angels, which are really simple to make and a lot of fun.

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Up-cycle Items You Don’t Longer Need

There are so many things in our homes that have great potentials we just don’t think off. So, why not take a plunge into your children’s toy box. Maybe you can find some plastic horses, fairies or wooden cubes that can be used as they are or painted on. The wooden cubes can be painted with glitter paint and wrapped with a ribbon to make cute gift ornaments.

Use round bottle caps to paint them white and make some snow men. If you have wooden sticks of different lengths you can easily make a tree.

Even small mason jars can be filled with fake snow and seasonal items to make a nice ornament. To hang them just make a hole through the lid or wrap twine around them.

Add some cute ribbons and you will have all the ornaments you need!

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There are so many great alternatives to buying ready ornaments from the store. They may need some time to prepare, but they will be made by you and your kids, or you can even organize a ornament making party with you friends! Tell us some of your favorite DIY Christmas ornaments!

For more Christmas Ideas on Stagetecture, click here.