Factory Direct Craft Blog

Rustic Clothespin Snowflake Ornaments Tutorial

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It’s a crafty Christmas! Cozy up by the fire and have fun making these rustic, snowflake ornaments. They’re a lovely addition to any tree and can be painted or stain in any color to match your holiday decor.

Difficultly level: Beginner
Time to complete: 20 minutes
Age range: 12 and up

Things you’ll need:
Clothespins
Stain
Mini jingle bells
Ribbon
Greenery
Jute
Tacky glue
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Paintbrush
Scissors
Wire
Wire cutters

Things to do:

Twist eight clothespins until they separate.
Dip a paintbrush in water and use it to apply a thin layer of stain to the clothespin pieces. The water will help thin the stain, so it applies evenly.
Use tacky glue to re-attach the clothespin pieces. The flat sides should be touching.
Use hot glue to join two sets of clothespin pairs together. Add in 6 more clothespin sets to create a full star shape.
Cut a 4-inch piece of ribbon and fold the ends in, so they overlap in the center and create a bow shape. Use wire to secure and pinch the bow in the middle.
Use hot glue to attach the bow to the center of the star.
Use hot glue to attach bells and greenery on top of the ribbon.
Optional: Spray the entire snowflake with glitter for a finishing touch.
Cut an 8-inch piece of jute and knot the ends. Use hot glue to attach it to the back of the star, creating a hanger for your ornament.

DIY Embroidery Hoop Ornaments

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These embroidery hoop ornaments make lovely gifts or present toppers. Use different patterned papers to create a custom ornament for everyone on your list this season!

Difficulty level: Beginner
Time to complete: 15 minutes
Age range: 8 and up

Things you’ll need:
Small embroidery hoops
Ribbon
Smaller greenery
Red berries
Cardstock
Scissors
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Tacky glue
Jute

Things to do:

First, paint or stain your embroidery hoop.
Trace the inner circle onto a piece of paper and cut the shape out.
Use tacky glue to secure the paper to the back of the embroidery hoop.
Trim a bit of greenery and berries and use hot glue to attach them to the top of the hoop.
Tie a bow and use hot glue to attach it to the greenery bunch.
Thread a piece of jute under the screw and tie the ends so you have a loop for hanging.

How to Make Evergreen Stars Tutorial

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It’s an evergreen Christmas! These rustic stars dress up a plain wall for the holidays or make a great backdrop for a Christmas party photo booth!

Difficulty level: Beginner
Time to complete: 30 minutes
Age range: 12 and up

Things you’ll need:
Greenery
Paint sticks and/or popsicle sticks
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Wire cutters
Scissors

Things to do:

Arrange your sticks in the form of a star and make a template. There should be about 4 1/2 cm. between the ends of the star if you’re using popsicle sticks or 3 1/2 ” between the ends if you’re using paint sticks.
Use hot glue to attach sticks together.
Use hot glue to attach sticks and create the five points of your star.
Measure the length of the sticks and cut greenery pieces to fit. Use glue to hold them in place. Cover the entire star with greenery.

“Joy” Christmas Door Hanger Tutorial

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This festive wreath-alternative looks lovely displayed on your front door or inside as a part of a gallery wall.

Difficulty level: Beginner
Time to complete: 1 hour
Age range: 12 and up

Things you’ll need:
Wood J and Y letters
8-inch pine wreath
Red berry sprays
Cardinal
White paint
Mod Podge
Paint brush
Crystal fine glitter
2 1/2 -inch Ribbon
Scissors
Tape
Wire cutters
Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Things to do:

Sand the edges of your wood letters and paint them white.
Use hot glue to attach the berries to your wreath and clip a bird in the center of the wreath.
Add a wire hanger to the back of the wreath.
Apply a thin layer of mod podge to the letters and sprinkle on the crystal fine glitter. Let it dry completely.
Cut a 4 foot piece of ribbon.
Lay the letters and wreath on the ribbon, spelling the word “Joy.”
Poke a paper clip through the ribbon to make a hook for the wreath. Place a piece of tape over the back to reinforce it and hang the wreath.
Hot glue the letters in place.

DIY Mini Snow Globe Ornaments

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Add some DIY magic to your Christmas tree this season! These snow globe ornaments are easy to make and look lovely gifted as a present topper too!

Difficulty level: Beginner
Time to complete: 5 minutes
Age range: 8 and up

Things you’ll need:
Antique white bottle brush trees
Corked glass bottles
Faux snow
Screw eye hooks
White butchers twine
Diamond Dust
Funnel

Things to do:

Fill 1/4 of your glass jar with artificial snow.
Place the tree inside the jar.
Sprinkle diamond dust on top of the tree.
Place the cork lid on top. Optional: Add a drop of glue around the sides of the cork before placing back onto the bottle to ensure closure.
Screw the eye hook in the center of the cork lid.
Cut a 6-inch piece of twine and slide it through the hook, knotting the ends to create a hanger.

DIY Vintage-Inspired Joy Block Letters

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Joy to the world! These JOY block letters are the perfect addition to your mantel or holiday centerpiece. You’ll have fun painting the blocks and customizing your set for a festive display!

Difficulty level: Beginner
Time to complete: 45 minutes
Age range: 12 and up

Things you’ll need:
Wood Blocks
Alphabet Stencils
Acrylic Paint (red, white and green)
Antiquing medium
Bottle Brush Trees
Paint Brush
Stencil Brush
Clear Glaze

Things to do:
1. Paint you wood blocks with chalk paint and let it dry completely.
2. Use a paint brush and antiquing paint to lightly antique the blocks.
3. Use your stencil to paint “J-O-Y” onto your blocks.
4. Add decorative greenery and berries with paint.
5. Spray the blocks with a clear glaze to protect your paint and add shine.
6. Set a tree on top of each block.

How to Make a Modern Snowball Garland

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Let it snow! This festive, snowball garland brings a winter wonderland vibe to your home. Use the garland to decorate a Christmas tree or display it in your windows.

Difficulty level: Beginner
Time to complete: 45 minutes
Age range: 8 and up

Things you’ll need:
White yarn
Pompom maker
Large beads
Gold spray paint
Gold metallic cord
Scissors
Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Things to do:

First, determine how long you want your garland to be. You’ll need a snowball every 5 inches.
Paint your large beads gold and set them aside until dry.
String 5-inches of beads onto your gold cord.
Attach a pompom with hot glue directly to the cord.
Repeat steps 3-4 until the entire length of garland is covered. Leave roughly 6-inches of cord at either end to tie in a loop to create a hanger.

How to Make a Snowman Door Hanger

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Do you want to build a snowman? This simple winter craft is the perfect cozy afternoon activity! Have your kids help you wrap the yarn for the snowballs and watch the snowman come to life.

Difficulty level: Beginner
Time to complete: 30 minutes
Age range: 12 and up

Things you’ll need:
Styrofoam balls (3-inch, 4-inch, 5-inch)
White chunky yarn
Buttons
Burlap ribbon
Scissors
Florist pin
Heavy gauge black wire
Wire cutters
Cardstock
Felt (black and grey)
String
Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Things to do:
1. Wrap all three Styrofoam balls with chunky yarn.
2. Twist your black wire into arms for your snowman. Insert the arms on both sides of the 4-inch ball.
3. Hot glue the three balls together and let the glue dry completely.
4. Cut a 2″ strip of felt and glue it into a hat shape. Trace around it to cut the top felt. Then cut a 4″ circle for the brim. Glue together and trim any excess edges.
5. Add a 3/4 ” band of grey felt around the base of the hat.
6. Glue hat and buttons onto the snowman.
7. Tie the burlap ribbon scarf around the neck.
8. Knot the ends of a piece of string together, creating a loop. Push it down into the back of the head and secure with a florist pin for hanging.

DIY Lanyard Face Mask Holder

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As families start thinking more about going back to school and other activities, what is the easiest way to deal with when it comes time to take mask off during those activities? While working with our boys on wearing their mask, we tried the hold it on one ear while you eat method and that is hard for anyone, not alone a kid, so I decided to make some super simple mask holders. They love them and say it’s so much easier and now they do not have to worry about what to do when they can pull their mask down.

I opted to personalize theirs with their names in case they leave them laying around anywhere, but it really is up to you. Let the kids help and decide how they wish to make it their own. These are also great for adults as well!

Things you’ll need:
Jewelry cord
Beads
Lobster claw clasps
Scissors

Things to do:
1. Use your child or whomever you are making it for to get a measurement of how long the cord should be. You simply want to lay mid chest.

2. Cut to desired length.

3. Tie one of the lobster claws to an end.

4. Once you sort your beads and get them how you want, simply bead them onto the cord.
5. Tie lobster claw to other end of cord.

6. Depending on the mask the clips may fit around the cord by simply clipping the cord, or you can loop around the ear piece. A simple, easy solution!

Rock and Pebble Flower Nature Art Tutorial

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Use natural elements around you to make art. We are camping in Vermont this week and I wanted a memento to remember the trip by. So I gathered up some goodies from around our camp site and got crafty. Now, I won’t lie, I got so into this one, I ended up not taking as many pictures as I normally would, so I do apologize for that, but I will walk you through it!

Things you’ll need:
Rocks and pebbles
Stick
Piece of wood/driftwood for backdrop
Glue
Scissors (optional)

Things to do:
1. Acquire all found materials: rocks, sticks, pieces of flatter wood; get creative, have fun.
2. Work on placement of how you want to place all your found objects. I went with a flower theme, but work with the rocks you have. Maybe robots for the kiddos or butterflies, play with the shapes you have.

3. Once your placement is figured out, start gluing. I used Gorilla glue, which worked just fine, but you can use other kinds as well.

4. After making the 2 smaller flowers, I decided to keep going. You could leave them as is, or, like me, make a bigger piece of art.

5. I was able to find an old piece of board that had been outside and weathered. I then attached my small pieces with the flowers and added more rock art.

6. Voila! We have a souvenir from our camping trip and I never had to worry about social distancing at a store or anything.

– Daneen Doggett-Wolfe

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