Christmas Crafts

You can do a lot with clear glass ornaments that look beautiful. They are inexpensive and they can do several in an hour.

Fill with confetti and/or glitter or other small light weight objects like artificial holly.

Paint inside (rinse each ornament with vinegar set up-side-down on paper towel to get rid of extra. Add a squirt of the cheap acrylic paint of 2-4 colors and swirl around until inside is coated. Metallic paint gives it a glitter effect. Dry upside down on paper towel to get rid of extra paint.) I like this one because if the ornament breaks, the paint holds it together until you can throw it away.

Paint outside. (Use same cheap paints or translucent glass paints)

We also have done paper ornaments - origami (there are loads of patterns on the web Christmas themed from easy to hard) and snow flakes.

http://pinterest.com/mommyarmywifey/christmas-crafts/

Seriously... it's wonderful!

Gingerbread houses. My daugther is 14 and still makes one every year. they've gotten more intricate and look a lot better than they used to

I love Christmas crafts, my favorite is this..

http://www.craftynest.com/2009/12/giant-craft-stick-snowf...

I used big and small sticks, we painted some and not others. It was a lot of fun!

This year it was this, it wasn't completely finished, we since have added a wreath around it to finish it off. I'll have to link to my FB since I don't have a site for it...it's so Santa can get in better lol

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/374562_101522...

Then there is this...

http://flipchickdesigns.blogspot.com/2011/11/muffin-tin-g...

I tend to lean towards crafts that can be used and then disposed of. For Christmas, we like making the peanut butter pine cones rolled in birdseed. We also like melting old candles and dipping pine cones in the wax to make fire kindling. This year we might just try making suet for the birds. The kids read about that in the Laura Ingalls books. We've also make colored ice blocks in old buckets for the back yard, stacking them as they freeze. For a nice dinner presentation, freeze cranberries in a jello mold to float in a punch dish, or freeze in a clear glass bowl with another bowel inset to form a beautiful icey bowl. A cranberry-ice wreath hung outside would be beautiful too. How about popcorn strung on thread to put out for the birds and squirrels? Glycerin soaps formed into holiday shapes are fun and practical. Oh, and my all time favorite - Pomanders (oranges with whole cloves!) (just Google that one) And also look into Snow Candles (similar to sand candles.)

my go to for preschool is cinnamon applesauce ornamnets. equal parts cinn and applesauce mixed up makes a dough you can roll out and cut like sugar cookies poke a hole in them and let them dry. they smell nice.

I love Orientaltrading.com

Yes, they have some cheap, cheesy stuff, but they also have so really cute, nice stuff. I'm getting this one this year: http://www.orientaltrading.com/jingle-bell-cardinal-ornam...