Guest Post: Fun Ways to Wrap!

Gift giving season is in full swing and finding new ways to wrap those odd shaped presents are always a chore, but this year it doesn’t have to be. FactoryDirectCraft.com has wonderful bags in various sizes that will fit many of those odd shaped presents, and they are easy to personalize too!

Things you’ll need:
Natural muslin bags
Stamps
Stamp pad
Glitter glue (optional)

Things to do:
1. Stamp on bag and add glitter! ( I told you this was easy!!! )
2. Optional idea: You could stamp names on the bags with alphabet stamps to make it more personal.

I also wanted to show you a quick, easy and inexpensive way to dress up your gift wrapping…

Things you’ll need:
White Sparkle Yarn

Things to do:
1. Use it in place of regular ribbon and tie it on in various ways!

Enjoy this beautiful Christmas season and happy wrapping!

Lisa from Lisa’s Creative Niche

Cinnamon Wrapped Candles

These cinnamon stick wrapped candles are a pretty addition to your holiday decor and as a bonus, the heat from the flame will send a gentle scent of cinnamon wafting through your house. As always, be careful when using candles.

Things you’ll need:
Votive candles
Cinnamon sticks
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Twine
Scissors

Things to do:
1. Add a bead of glue to the lower half of the cinnamon stick and press it into the side of the candle so that the bottom of the stick hits the table surface. Press and hold until the glue dries into the wax.


2. Continue to add cinnamon sticks around the candle until the sides are all covered.

3. Wrap a length of twine around the center of the sticks and tie tightly. Trim the ends.

Cinnamon Stick Candle Coaster

These cute little candle coasters will help keep the wax off your tables and bring a warm, wintery scent into your house all at the same time. Use just a dab of hot glue to help hold the cinnamon sticks in place while you tie them with the twine or thread to make things easier.

Things you’ll need:
Cinnamon Sticks
Embroidery thread or bakers twine
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Scissors

Things to do:
1. Line the sticks up to create a tight, solid square. Add a dab of glue between each stick to hold them in place while you work.


2. Cut a length of twine or thread about six times the width of your coaster. Tie it tightly on the underside of one of the end sticks.
3. Weave it in and out of the sticks, about ½ and inch from the ends, until you have surrounded each stitch. Pull the thread tightly and tie off, also on the bottom. Repeat with the other side.

Mini Cinnamon Stick Wreath

This wreath looks AND smells great and is perfect for the holiday season. Use any size jar ring that you have, larger rings make for a larger wreath, of course, as do longer cinnamon sticks.

Things you’ll need:
Cinnamon Sticks
Mason jar ring
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Twine

Things to do:
1. Heat up your glue gun. Set the ring so the flat side is up on your work surface.

2. Add a generous dollop of glue to the end of one of your cinnamon sticks and press onto the flat surface of the ring. Repeat three more times so that you have a stick at each quarter of the ring. This helps keep the sticks even all the way around.

3. Fill in the rest of the wreath by fitting in and gluing the sticks in the remaining space.

4. Once you have cinnamon sticks all the way around, add a second layer on top, settling the new stick into the groove between sticks on the first layer.

5. When the glue had dried on the second layer, add a loop of twine to hang the wreath from.

Felt Circle Tree

These snow capped felt trees are the perfect addition to your holiday decor. Made simply with felt circles, they pull together quickly and add a softness to that mantle display.

Things you’ll need:
White and green felt squares
Small cup or lid
Chalk
Doll cone
Scissors
Craft glue

Things to do:
1. Using the lid or cup as a template, trace circles onto the felt with the chalk and cut them out, keeping the edges as smooth as possible.

2. Starting at the bottom of the tree form, glue a row of white felt circles, overlapping them by about 1/3 as you go around.

3. Next add a layer or green circles, overlapping them with each other and with the row below to hide the surface of the tree form.
4. Continue to cover the tree with layers of circles until you reach the top, adding glue as necessary to keep all the edges and overlaps down.

Retro Felt Ornament

These cute felt ornaments have a fun retro look and are a great snuggly evening project to work on. If you have kids with moderately deft fingers, stitching the flaps together can be fun for them, try marking where you want them to stitch with chalk so that they get the pattern right.

Things you’ll need:
Felt
Template
Chalk
Scissors
Embroidery thread and needle

Things to do:
1. Trace and cut 6 shapes from your felt. Stack them up so the edges line up and stitch right down the center though all the layers. You can use the excess thread at the end to make a loop for hanging.


2. Pull together the flaps in pairs, stitching at the very center.

3. Using one side from two different pairs of flaps, stitch half way between the center and the end on each side. Continue to do this all the way around.

4. Trim all ends before hanging.

Peppermint Candy Felt Strip Wreath

Reminiscent of peppermint candies and candy canes, this wobble strip wreath is a fun and easy project to add to your holiday to-do list. A little hint, the longer you make the strips, the less you’ll have to overlap to keep them down!

Things you’ll need:
Green and white felt
Scissors
Styrofoam foam wreath
Fabric pins and/or glue

Things to do:
1. Cut wide, four-inch strips from the felt then cut down the center in a wobbly but consistent line to create two strips, one with a flat edge and one with a waved edge.


2. Layer the white and green in a slightly offset manner and set them at an angle to start wrapping so that you are wrapping both colors at once. Insert a pin or add a dab of glue to hold the ends on the backside when you start.

3. Continue to wrap, adding a new strip by tucking it under the end of the last one as you go, being sure to line up the edge of the wobbles as best you can.
4. Once you have wrapped the entire surface of the wreath, gently peel back the first row of felt and tuck the ends under so that you have a consistent look around the entire thing. Pin or glue in place

Salt Dough Tags

Mix up a quick batch of these holiday gift tags and you’ll be ready to wrap and dazzle this year. All it takes is a few ingredients that you’re sure to have in your pantry and your craft stash and you are set!

Things you’ll need:
Salt
Flour
Warm water
Bowl
Wooden spoon
Circle cutter or glass
Straw
Rolling pin
Stamps

Things to do:
1. Mix up a dough using one part water to two parts each salt and flour (for a small batch start with 1 cup flour, 1 cup salt and ½ cup warm water. Knead until it’s the consistency of play dough.
2. Roll out the dough until it’s 1/8 inch thick.
3. Cut out circles and discard extra dough or re-roll and cut more circles.

4. Press stamps into the center of the rounds firmly but not so hard that it distorts the circle.

5. Cut a hole in the top of each circle using the straw.
6. Allow the tags to dry, this can take up to two days, flipping them once to allow the back side to dry as well.

Fingerprint Snowmen

When it’s too cold outside to play, why not make snowmen indoors? These little cards are a great way for kids to create winter greetings for family and friends and are a fun afternoon project.

Things you’ll need:
Colored cardstock
White acrylic paint
Orange, red, black and brown markers
Foam brush

Things to do:
1. Fold the cardstock in half “hamburger” to create a card.
2. Paint a generous coat of white paint on your child’s four fingers and the top of the palm and press in the center of the card along the bottom edge, fingers held slightly apart.

3. Allow the paint to dry and then add eyes, nose, mouth, arms and accessories to the four “snowmen”.

4. Add a holiday greeting before sending them off!

DIY Faux Snow Balls

Just the thing for your winter displays, these faux snowballs are glittery and fun without the bother of melting ice in your house! Be sure to use white Styrofoam balls for the base so that you get a nice white finish in the end.

Things you’ll need:
Styrofoam balls
Mod Podge
Epsom Salt

Things to do:
1. Working on a covered work surface, paint the ball in sections with a generous amount of Mod Podge and then press in a good coating of salt.

2. Continue to add Mod Podge and salt until the whole thing is covered.
3. Scoop a heap of salt onto the surface and roll the ball in to fill in any places that might have been missed. Allow it to dry in the pile of salt to keep it from sticking to the work surface.

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