Cinnamon Stick Trees

These ornaments have the advantage of both looking cute and smelling great at the same time. The trick to making these cinnamon stick trees is to soak them in water for a couple of hours before starting. This will make it easier to cut the sticks to length and also to thread holes through their centers.

Things you’ll need:
Cinnamon sticks
Bowl
Warm water
Embroidery thread
Medium to small sized beads
Serrated knife
Embroidery needle

Things to do:
1. Soak the cinnamon sticks in warm water for a few hours to soften them.

2. Cut the sticks into graduated lengths, each about ¼ shorter than the last, with the serrated knife.

3. Pierce through the bark with the embroidery needle at the center of each stick. If your cinnamon sticks are particularly hard, you may need to a drill with a small bit.

4. Thread the tree, starting with a bead, then the longest stick, then a bead, then the next longest, until you reach the last bean, finish with a bead and then tie the rest into a loop for hanging.

Snowy Globe Ornament

Sparkly and bright, this simple ornament with glimmer on your tree, evoking the sense of a snow globe but customizable to hold whatever little treasures you want to hold dear.

Things you’ll need:
Fillable acrylic ornaments
White and silver glitter
Small holiday items (tiny gift wrapped boxes are great)
Spray adhesive
Craft glue

Things to do:
1. On a covered and well-ventilated surface, spray the inside of the ornament lightly with glue.

2. Sprinkle a small amount of silver glitter into the ornament halves, shaking it gently until the entire inner surface is lightly covered.

3. Prepare the trinkets for the inside if needed. Here, we painted a small wooden box to look like a wrapped gift.
4. Once the glue is dry, add a generous amount of white glitter, to look like snow, and settle the trinket inside the heap.

5. Add a fine line of glue around the edge of the ornament and snap the two halves together, being careful to keep the snow inside. Allow the glue to dry before hanging.

Burlap Ribbon Pinecone Ornament

Pretty, classic and rustic all at once, these pinecone and burlap ornaments look great in any decor. Bringing the outdoors in for the holidays, with the added touch of a little glitter, makes for a fun and simple holiday decoration.

Things you’ll need:
Pinecones
Spray glue
Fine Glitter
Burlap Ribbon
Craft glue

Things to do:
1. On a covered work surface, spray the pinecones lightly with glue and then dust with glitter, turning the pinecones so that they are glittered on all sides lightly.

2. With the burlap ribbon, tie bows larger, but not too out of proportion, to the pinecones. Trim the tails of the bow and add a loop of burlap to the back for hanging. .

3. Glue the bow to the top of the pinecone. Allow the glue to dry completely before hanging.

Little Foot Reindeer Print

A sweet way to save, and share, your baby’s little footprint, this is the perfect addition to gift tags or holiday cards. Be sure to keep an open packet of baby wipes handy when applying the paint for easy cleanup.

Things you’ll need:
Cardstock
Brown and Red and Cream Acrylic Craft Paint
Paintbrush
Brown marker

Things to do:
1. Carefully paint the bottom of your baby’s foot, including the toes, with brown paint.
2. Press the foot gently onto the center of the cardstock, pushing slightly on the toes to make sure you get a good imprint. Allow the paint to dry.

3. Using the red and white paint and baby’s fingers or thumb, add a nose and eyes to the deer. Draw antlers coming off between the middle toes, leaving the big toe and pinkie impressions as ears.
4. Once dry, trim the cardstock to size and use as desired.

Foam Sheet Twisted Ornament

Although this ornament looks complicated, it’s a snap to make and because it uses craft foam, is light-weight and tough, perfect for low hanging ornaments the kids can’t hurt!

Things you’ll need:
Craft foam
Scrap paper
Bowl or jar
Scissors
Craft knife
Ballpoint pen
Glue dots

Things to do:
1. Trace a circle onto the scrap paper. Cut the circle out and fold it into quarters. Cute circular strips almost to the center fold, working in toward the center.

2. Use the paper template and transfer the outer circle and the inner lines to the foam. Cut out using the craft knife.



3. Starting at the center, pull the inner flaps and overlap, attaching them to one another using the glue dots.

4. Flip the ornament over and attach the next circle out from the center the opposite direction from the first pair.

5. Continue in this pattern until all the loops have been connected. Alternately, you can cut the first circle with pointed ends over and under the uncut center section for a slightly different look for the finished ornament.

Santa Cone Centerpieces

Bright red, a little glitzy and totally fun, these Santa inspired cones are a great addition to your holiday décor. The cone can be painted red using either craft paint or spray paint or, alternately, could be covered in red fabric.

Things you’ll need:
Paper cone
Red paint or fabric
Faux fur
Black ribbon
Rhinestone buckle
Craft glue
Clothespins or bull clips

Things to do:
1. Paint or cover the cone in red and allow it to dry before continuing.

2. Cut a 1 inch wide strip across the grain of the fur.
3. Coat the bottom inch of the cone in glue and stretch the fur around it so it lays tight around the cone. Hold the fur in place with clothespins or bull clips until the glue dries.

4. Wrap the black ribbon around the cone about half way up the cone, overlapping the ribbon slightly and cutting to length.
5. Slip the buckle over the ribbon and center it. Wrap the ribbon around the cone and glue into place, folding the end of the ribbon over at the end before gluing to keep it from fraying.

Spool Snowman Ornament

These wooden spool snowmen ornaments have an old-timey look that kinds and adults alike will love. Be sure to allow the paint to dry all the way before stringing the snowmen together so that they dangle well and don’t stick together.

Things you’ll need:
Wooden spools
Narrow ribbon
Large brown button
Permanent Markers in orange, black and red
Embroidery needle with a large eye
White acrylic paint
Paintbrush

Things to do:
1. On a covered work surface, paint the spools with two thin coats of white paint, allowing them to dry between coats and being sure to cover all sides of the spools.

2. Thread the ribbon onto the needle and then thread through the bottom of the button and up through the spools. Pull out a loop of ribbon and knot at the top of the spools in a know large enough that it wont pull through the hole in the spool. Thread the ribbon back through the spools and back through a hole in the button.


3. Knot under the button and trim the ribbon tails.

DIY Snow Globes

I love snowglobes. And really, I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t. There’s something magical about them that I just cant resist and so I’m so excited to have figured out a way to make my own, just the way I want them. You can use any jar with a tight fitting lid, using glass with a pattern – such as the diamond textured one pictured, can add interest to the snow globes.

Things you’ll need:
Jars with tight fitting lids
Superglue
White and/or clear glitter
Mini trees and/or other small items
Dish soap
Water

Things to do:
1. Glue the items you want in your snow globe onto the inside of the lid using the superglue. Allow the glue to dry completely before proceeding.


2. Fill the jar with a half-inch or so of glitter, you can adjust this to make more or less snow as desired. Add a few drops of dish soap and then fill the jar to the top with water. The soap helps the glitter fall slowly.

3. Squeeze glue around the gasket of the jar and then quickly screw the top on tightly. Allow the glue to dry before flipping the jar and watching the snow fall.

Handprint Tree Burlap Bag

A few years ago, my family made a decision to stop using paper gift wrap during the holidays, instead we’ve built up a collection of fabric bags of various sizes to hold our Christmas gifts. Because man of these bags are given away each year (and hopefully reused by the recipient) we’re always making more. This year we’ve been working on smaller, rustic burlap bags decorated by the kids. These tree bags are almost as fun to make as they are to receive and can be customized with little painted gifts under the boughs, painted or glittered ornaments or, as seen here, they look great with a simple rustic star.

Things you’ll need:
Burlap bags
Craft or fabric paint in green, brown and silver or gold
Paintbrush
Scrap paper
Glitter

Things to do:
1. Slip paper into the bag to keep the paint form seeping though to the other side.
2. Generously paint your child’s hand with the green paint, you want plenty of paint to come in contact with the open weave of the burlap in order to get a good print.

3. Press the hand down on the fabric so that the corner of the palm opposite the thumb is up, making the point of the tree.

4. Using the paintbrush, add a star and a trunk to your tree, sprinkling glitter onto the star while the paint is still wet.

5. Allow the paint to dry and then shake off the excess glitter.

Circle and Bead Tree

A sweet little ornament or hanging decoration, this project requires only a few supplies and can look both modern and rustic depending on the beads and paper you choose.

Things you’ll need:
Cardstock
Wooden beads
Ribbon
Darning needle or large embroidery needle
Circle cutter or scissors

Things to do:
1. Using either a circle cutter or scissors and various cups for templates, cut 6-10 graduated circles, each about ½ inch smaller than the last.

2. Thread the darning needle with ribbon and knot it in a loop at one end. Thread through two beads and then press into the center of the smallest circle. Add a bead and then thread through the next smallest circle.

3. Continue in the pattern until you have used all the circles and then thread on four or five beads to create a trunk. Knot well at the end and trim the tail.

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