This post was originally published in 2015, we’re re-posting it today to inspire some simple crafting before Christmas!
Today we’re rounding up past Christmas crafts. While Sarah was busy ordering gifts yesterday, I was finishing up the decorating. I love to get everything up as soon as possible so that there’s plenty of time to enjoy it (plus, I need the decorating out of the way so that I have every extra moment left to think about gift shopping!). If you’re taking your time and in need of decorations, we put together a list of past DIY projects that we made, love, and we’re excited to put out again this year.
This list provides a range of projects from those that can be finished in 30 minutes to others that may take a few hours, and the skill-level required varies from the simple to the more complex. In addition to decorating your house, some of these projects like the felt and cinnamon ornaments make great gift tags. What we have here is a little bit of something for everyone.
Matchbox Advent Calendar – who cares if we’re already a week into December. If you’re in need of an advent calendar, we have the cutest one around. The little matchboxes are perfect for individual pieces of chocolate, jewelry, a note with the day’s special activity, and cash (give them what they want!). This calendar comes with the fun bonus that the boxes have numbers on one side and a puzzle on the other.
Balsa Christmas Trees – these trees are so easy to make and look beautiful sparkling on the mantle. This year we added a string of white Christmas lights to the mantle to really increase the sparkle magic. While the balsa wood is too delicate for little hands to manipulate, they would love to help by sprinkling glitter over the glue… yes, we dared to give the 2.5 year old glitter.
Felt Ornaments – this was by far the most relaxing Christmas decorations I made last year. I worked on them bit by bit in the evenings while watching TV Christmas movies on Netflix. I don’t do much embroidery, which made this a fun change of pace, and really, the blanket stitch is so easy that this a great beginner project. In addition to hanging these from the tree, I hung one on our new wreath and hung others in little nooks around the house that needed a touch of cheer.
Cinnamon Ornaments – it was such a treat to open the box that these were stored in since last year. They still have a strong cinnamon scent and look fantastic. We hung a few on the tree and used others to make small garland segments to hang around the house.
Embroidered Christmas Cards – while we’re going the photo route again this year, there’s nothing I love receiving more than a quality homemade card, and that’s exactly what these are. This is another simple embroidery project that’s perfect for beginners, but packs such a powerful punch when opened by your recipients.
Knit Christmas Stockings – this is a post that I’ve spent a lot of time reviewing this week. I’m currently knitting a fourth stocking for Luc, and I’m so excited to show you the final version. Its design is a bit different than the other three, but still matches the set by using the same yarn and measurements. Until I can unveil our latest stocking, go back and knit yourself one of last year’s beauties.
Orange and Clove Pomander – just like the cinnamon ornaments, these beauties smell fantastic a whole year later, and both projects permeated our Christmas boxes with a beautifully spicy smell. The pomander’s are super easy to make and are even a great project for kids, helping them to improve their dexterity and giving them the creative freedom to make a variety of designs on a globe surface. Plus, it’ll keep them busy for hours while you’re wrapping presents or frantically searching Amazon for the perfect last minute gifts. See that, something for everyone :-).