DIY: Crocheted Christmas Baubles

Getting back on track with sharing ornament DIYs for the fast approaching holiday season - here is a great crochet ornament tutorial from Meet Me at Mike's blog!  These are just adorable and we think they'll be the perfect ornament for our tree since they will be cat shatter proof!

DIY: Miniature Lantern Ornaments

The Crafty Crow's blog has a ton of great ornament DIYs - especially ones that are kid friendly to make for the holidays!  You will definitely want to start saving those left over toilet paper rolls so that you can craft these up!

These little lanterns are about 2" tall and are made 
from a toilet paper tube. You can make two lanterns from
each tube. They are adorable individually and hung as
a group for a garland. You can also forgo the hanger
and pop one over a light on your tree to
see it really glow!*

Supplies:
toilet paper tube
pencil
scissors
acrylic paint
paint brush
glue
wire for hanging (optional)

Directions:


#1 cut the tp tube open vertically

#2 cut the tube in half horizontally

#3 cut 2" off so you are left with... #4

#5 paint the inside yellow if you want the lantern
to look like it's glowing from the inside and use
the color of your choice for the outside; let dry

#6 fold in half horizontally, then make small,
evenly spaced cuts beginning on the fold to
¼" from the open edge

#7 glue the lantern closed; squash down a
bit to shape

For the handle I used #20 floral wire, shaped the
rounded part around the barrel of a marker, then flipped
up each end to hook through the slots of the lantern.

*Use caution, tree lights can get very hot!

DIY: Balloon and String Ornaments

Staying with our ornament theme - here is a great DIY ornament from just string and balloons!  Holidash has more great DIYs so check them out!

Credit: Alison Czarnecki

My favorite homemade ornaments are made with balloons and string; they evoke a bit of yesteryear charm and they certainly won't break the bank.

Credit: Allison Czarnecki

Supplies

white string
Elmer's glue
glitter
pack of small deflated balloons
ribbon (to hang finished ornament)
wax paper and safety pin

Take your basic package of balloons (you don't want weird shapes here, unless you want weird shaped ornaments)and blow them up to around the size of your palm. Set these off to the side and don't let any small children or animals have them; they're not just hazardous, they make obnoxious toys.

Now measure around the width and the length of the balloons with your string to see what lengths you need to cut to fully cover the balloon. I recommend cutting a little longer than you think you'll need. Once you have a whole slew of string cut, you're ready to mix your glue.

Credit: Allison Czarnecki

Mix together two parts water to one part glue in a bowl until completely combined. Use warm water or your glue will harden when you mix. Now add in your glitter. The glitter will get really diluted with the glue and barely show up, so if you want a lot, now's the time to get crazy with your glitter.

Once your glue and glitter are all mixed up it's time to start dipping! Get excited.

Credit: Allison Czarnecki

Soak one string at a time in the glue mixture. Let the string get completely soaked with glue before removing.

Lay the string carefully across the balloon, making sure it meets the other end of the string on the opposite side. Pinch the two ends of the string together, set the balloon down on your waxed paper, and repeat with string #2.

Credit: Allison Czarnecki

Repeat this until your balloon is completely covered in glued strings. Make sure your pattern doesn't all go one way or another or it will all slide off when the strings dry. I might have done the hard investigative work for you on that one. AHEM.

Once your balloon is all glued up to your satisfaction, set it the waxed paper and let it dry for 24 hours. Do this to as many balloons as you want for ornaments. Go really crazy here, these are cheap.

When your balloons are dry, it's time to pop your balloons. You're going to pull these out of the balloon (very, very carefully) so no one knows they were even there. It'll be our little secret.

Tie on a ribbon to hang the ornament, and you're done. So cute and easy.

DIY: Upcycled Felted Sweater Ornaments

We may explode from the excitement brought on by this tutorial from Alphamom's blog.  It's Christmas themed, it's upcycling, and it's easy!  The trifecta.

It’s all about doing more with less this holiday season. So deck the halls with these miniature wreath ornaments made from cast-off wool sweaters. Felted sweaters are a thrifty and eco-friendly way to use recycled materials. Your old moth-eaten or thrifted sweaters can be made into plush toys, mittens, patchwork blankets, skirts, purses, scarves, laptop covers or anything else that you can imagine. The possibilities are endless. To felt a sweater, you must wash it in hot water and run it through the dryer. Keep in mind that your sweaters must be 100% wool in order to felt properly.


I used tapestry needles for this project because they are easy for young kids to handle and have a blunt tip. You could make these ornaments as large as you want, but if you get any bigger than 5″ in diameter you might need to use wire to keep the circular shape.
Supplies:
· Felted sweaters
· Tapestry needle
· Heavy-duty coated cotton thread
· Twine or ribbon
Instructions:
Once felted, you’ll need to cut your sweaters into 1″ squares. Older kids can do this, but I find that my young kids are frustrated when trying to cut any type of fabric. After I cut the sweaters, I put the squares in a bowl for the kids and let them choose their colors. You’ll need about 50 squares for each ornament. This may seem like a lot but once you get going, it moves along quickly.

Then cut a length of thread at least 30″ long. Thread the needle and tie the ends of the thread into a knot, forming a loop. You’ll want to make a couple of knots so that it won’t slip through the loose fibers of the sweater. Older children can practice their knot tying skills. I have found that a loop is easier for children to sew with as the needle won’t come un-threaded.
The kids can string the felt pieces by simply poking the needle through the center of each square. Once the thread is close to full (with a few inches on either end), you’ll want to make sure that it will form a nice loop. You can see that my kids ran out of patience on a couple of these. Then you can pull your knot down a bit to make room to tie the two ends together a couple of times. An adult or older child will need to do this as the thread needs to be pulled tightly. Then add some twine or ribbon for hanging and you’re done.



When crafting with younger kids, it’s essential to have all of your supplies prepared and ready to go. My four-year-old stayed focused on this project for about 15 minutes, which was long enough to make one full ornament. My older daughter (almost six) made four of them! I think these little ornaments would make great teacher or neighbor gifts. Remember that these are made of wool, so be sure to store them in an airtight container to keep the moths away.

DIY: Bird Seed Ornament (can be used outside!)

Saltwater kids has a great and easy ornament tutorial that can be used inside and outside!  These would be great to make with the kids!

 My boys spend hours perched in our front window, just watching birds.

They especially love putting out treats for their feathered friends.

It is amazing how quiet and still a three & five year-old can be - completely memorized. 


So, for gifts this year we are keeping it simple - giving an experience rather than just more stuff.  We are giving the experience of spending a few moments watching nature - a few moments to slow down, and relax.

These molded bird seed ornaments are a lot of fun to make, and very inexpensive. You may already have all the materials you need in your home - we were able to make gifts for all the wonderful friends in our life for around $3.

I found this recipe here, and it worked great!

You'll Need:

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 tbsp. corn syrup
4 cups birdseed
molds (muffin tin, cookie cutters, etc.)
nonstick spray
drinking straw
waxed paper
ribbon/twin

1: Combine the flour, water, gelatin and corn syrup in a large mixing bowl. Stir until well-combined.

2: Add the birdseed to the mixture, stir until well coated.

3: Spray your mold(s) with cooking spray, and spoon birdseed mixture into each mold. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack it down, and make the top smooth.

Poke a hole through top of each birdseed mold using a drinking straw, making sure it goes all the way through.

4: Leave the birdseed mixture in the molds for two to three hours. Then, remove the straws and lay out a sheet of waxed paper. Gently remove the hardened ornaments from the mold, and place them on the wax paper upside down. Allow them to dry for at least two to three more hours, or overnight.

5: Cut your ribbon and carefully put it through the hole. 

6: Package them up!

DIY: Yarn and Candy Cane Ornaments

Hostess with the Mostest is our featured DIY Ornament tutorial for today!  We love how fun these candy cane and yarn ornaments look.  They seem super easy also, which is a bonus.

Ready for some super easy holiday DIY? These cute Yarn & Candy Cane Ornaments are a breeze to whip up!
This was a happy accident that occurred when I was trying to figure out how to make regular yarn ball flowers look more “holiday-ish” for a Christmas table centerpiece. I’m still planning to make some sort of “bouquet” from these, but am also loving how they look on the their own – either as hanging ornaments or just as “sitting” decor for the table or tree!


*****
YARN & CANDY CANE ORNAMENTS
You’ll Need:
- 2″ styrofoam balls
- yarn in your favorite colors
- mini candy canes
- hot glue gun
Directions:
1. Insert 5 mini candy canes in a circle around the ball. Try to space them out somewhat evenly, but it doesn’t need to be perfect!
2. One at a time, remove each candy cane from it’s styrofoam hole, add a little hot glue to the hole, then stick the candy cane back in… this will ensure that the candy canes stay put.
3. Start wrapping yarn randomly around the ball, weaving in between the candy canes until the entire ball is covered. Trim the yarn and secure the end with a small dab of hot glue.
That’s it! Add a ribbon loop if you want to use these as hanging ornaments. You can also try this idea with regular sized candy canes and 4″ styrofoam balls to create GIANT ornaments!
*****

DIY: Reusable Felt Christmas Gift Bags!

Blueberry Junkie has a great idea for keeping down the amount of wrapping paper thrown away this holiday season.  We love that these bags are so cute and completely reusable!  It's like putting a gift inside of a gift.  Check out their blog for more DIY.

It’s that gift giving time of year again, which means a lot of wrapping. Last year, tired of all the waste in packaging during the Holidays, I decided to stop using wrapping paper, boxes, and other materials that get discarded. Instead, I decided to sew several simple felt bags to present my gifts in. Yes, this requires some work, but these gift bags are extremely easy and quick to make, you will have several in no time. The best part, once you make them, you can keep reusing them year after year.  They make a great environmentally friendly alternative to paper wrapping.

Felt is a great material to work with, as it doesn’t fray, therefore, it requires minimal sewing. This tutorial is for a bag that measures 8.5 x 11in (you can use a regular printer paper as a template) but you can make it as bit or as small as you need to.

Materials and Tools

- red felt 2 (8×11.5 in), scrap of off white felt and pink felt
- embroidery floss in black and pink
- embroidery thread
- scissors, pins, ruler, chalk pencil
- sewing machine
- ribbon

Gather all your supplies and materials. The sewing machine is optional, as you can easily do this entire project by hand. I like to use it to save time.

How-To

1. measure carefully and cut two pieces measuring 8.5 x 11in out of the red felt. If you want to skip the measuring, just grab a sheet of paper (printer paper will do the trick), pin it onto the red felt and cut around it.  Put the red felt aside for now.
2. Take your cookie cutter shape (I chose a star for this project) and trace it onto the off-white felt.  Cut it.
3. Pin the star felt shape into place on the lower part one of your 8.5 x 11 piece of red felt. I chose to use my sewing machine to stitch on the star, but this can easily be done by hand using a running stitch.
4. Once the star has been stitched on, it is time to add some details. With embroidery thread and an embroidery needle I added eyes and a mouth.
5. Cut 2 small circles out of pink felt and using a running stitch them, secure them onto the star.  Almost done.
6. Take your 2 pieces of red felt, align them carefully and pin the edges. Using your sewing machine (you can also do this by hand), stitch around the sides and the bottom edges. Leave the bottom edge open.  Voila! your reusable felt gift back is ready.

All that is left to do now is insert your present, add a pretty ribbon to close the bag and you are done.  Customization options are only limited by your imagination. Instead of a star, try monogramming it with the recipient’s initial.  You can also make bags in other colors to match you Christmas color scheme.