Why should your kids have all of the holiday crafting fun? We’ve found crafts that are as much fun for the giver to make as for the giftee to receive. Don’t be surprised if you start to feel especially generous this season!
For the Co-worker with a Cubicle in Need of Cheer
1. DIY Face Planters
These adorable planters from Oh Happy Day are made with the classic craft staple, sculpey. Give the friend who sings to her plants a face to focus on.
For the Friend Who Likes to Keep her Kitchen Ship-Shape
2. DIY Finger Knit Rope Trivet
These nautical trivets couldn’t be simpler to make – your kids can even help! All you need is rope, a pair of scissors, and your fingers. Follow the instructions from Flax and Twine to make your own in half an hour.
For the Friend Who Likes to Wear Her Art on her Sleeve
3. DIY Abstract Embroidered Sweater
Let this sweater reflect your friend’s personality by including all of her favorite colors. Sugar and Cloth shows you how easy it is to create a masterpiece.
For the Sibling Who Refuses to Accept Winter
4. 30 Minute Terrarium
No matter how cold and snowy it is outside, keep a piece of summer alive with this glass terrarium. Instructions from The Lovely Drawer include a how-to for the clever stand made from Vinyl paper and a jar lid.
For the Friend Who Makes Even the Routine Glamorous
5. Gemstone Soap DIY
This is definitely a gift you won’t want to stop making. Let out your inner scientist as you experiment with color combinations to create just the right jewel. A Beautiful Mess shows you how.
For the Stylish Upcycler
6. DIY Leather Box Handles Using Thrifted Belts
Give new life to the forgotten belts in the back of your closet by turning them into modern handles. These multipurpose boxes from Idle Hands Awake are as pretty as they are functional.
For the Foodie Who Likes to Keep It Simple
7. DIY No-Sew Waist Apron
Don’t let your lack of sewing skills stop you from making the perfect apron. The instructions from Almost Makes Perfect are so easy you can make one for all of your favorite chefs (while still letting them think they’re #1).
For the Neat Freak Who Prefers Her Paperclips in Gold
8. DIY Gold Bar Acrylic Tray
Though they’re probably missing from your supply box right now, acrylic sheets might become your new favorite material after making this tray from Lovely Indeed. It’s sure to add some serious polish to whatever surface it sits on.
For the Friend Who Likes Traditional with a Twist
9. DIY Fall Flowers Cross Stitch Napkins
Kittenhood makes a classic embroidery pattern feel fresh by using unexpected colors. Follow their example with a fall floral, or put your own spin on another traditional design. If you’re new to cross stitching, this article from DMC outlines basic techniques and helpful hints.
For the Hostess Who’s a Kid at Heart
10. DIY Animal Dishes
We can’t get over how cute these dishes are! Though the instructions are in Dutch, you can still use Show Home‘s whimsical image as an inspirational jumping off point.
I think pretty much any craft project can get a holiday makeover. I recently went through my books and selected a bunch of ideas to give little updates to, and the Tooty Fruity Wagon was the first one that I was excited to make!
Plus, my friends over at the Etsy blog were also excited and asked me to write up a post for them. So head over there for the full how-to with photos! And don’t forget to print out the template for the wheels. You can get that right here.
I’m a big fan of the holiday decorations that can be stored, damage-free, from year to year. This one is super simple to make, plus it can take a licking and keep on keeping on from year to year.
I made these with upcycled sweaters, but you can use green felt or even tissue paper.
Here’s what you need:
styrofoam cones
green fabric or old sweaters
scissors
hot glue gun
colored brads
1. Cut the sleeve off and begin to wrap it around a Styrofoam cone.
2. Hot glue sweater to the cone, folding the ends in the back to create a seam.
3. Press colored metal fasteners (or brads) through the sweater and into the Styrofoam to create Christmas ornaments.
Are you in the market for a NEW menorah craft this year?
I’m crazy in love with the one I made for FamilyFun Magazine this year, using colored sand from Sandtastik. Check out the simple how-to over on Parents.com! And those candles? They are just silver paper straws with a piece of yellow grosgrain ribbon shoved in there. Easy and safe for kids to “light” themselves!
For years, this pom-pom stocking from Anthropologie kept showing up in my Pinterest feed. Every time I would click to pin it, I’d get that little message: “looks like you’ve already saved this!” (Happens to me more often than I’d like to admit!)
Finally, I decided I wanted to try to DIY it myself with an upcycled sweater instead of felt. I hit up the local Goodwill in Brooklyn and found the perfect knit sweater to try it out on. Here’s the best part…no knitting, no sewing machine…you literally do not need any artisanal skills whatsoever. I shared the full DIY over on Ebay…go check it out!
When you are throwing a holiday party, there are so many necessary things to consider: the food, the drink, and the decor are really the bare minimum. And when it comes to decor, unless you want to go hog wild, I’d recommend just choosing a few key details that will make an impression.
It’s pretty much a given that everyone, kids and adults, will have a drink in their near vicinity at a holiday party, so making something to doll up your cups and glasses is a fun way to bring in some holiday spirit. Here are three ideas that I made for eBay that are fun and easy enough for kids to make.
Winter break staycations are long stretches of down time, and without travel, school, or planned activities, kids (and adults!) have a magnetic pull to devices (it’s not just my kids, right?). You don’t have to jam-pack your days with 9-to-5 programming, but steal a few of these ideas to get your kids moving, creating, and inventing!
Backwards Day
A classic, hilarious day that will keep your kids giggling and gasping at every turn. Here are some favorite ways to play.
•Mealtime Madness: Eat breakfast or lunch under the table like this idea from Real Simple. Consider the crazy idea of eating dinner for breakfast or dessert before the meal.
•Wacky Wardrobe: Wear pajamas during the day or tie a sock around your head as a headband. My kids crack up every time they turn their t-shirts into head scarves!
•Backwards Books: Read a bedtime story from end to the beginning. Choose a book that your kids know well and ask for their help. Cue the giggles!
Time Travel
It’s a good time of year to talk about the passage of time, how grown-up your kids have gotten, and how families change every year. Travel back in time (and into the future) with these bonding activities.
•Time capsule: Package up a box with elements of here and now. Include things like newspaper articles, a photo of you and your kids taken that exact day, a ticket stub from a recent movie, or a list of the top ten songs of the year. Make sure to plug the date into the calendar a year, two years, or five years in the future so you don’t forget to dig it up!
•Family Tree: Teach your kids about lineage and how even their grandparents had parents who told them to brush their teeth and go to bed! Create a simple family tree like this one from my first book Project Kid, using Play-doh lids and branches from the backyard.
•Fast Forward: Kids love imagining what their futures hold, and role playing it with them is a great way to have them think about what it would mean to have that dream job, family, house, etc. Plan a family “dinner party” where everyone comes to the table as who they imagine they’ll be in the future. Dress the part and ask questions to get to know each other’s future selves.
Invention Day
Inventions don’t have to be mechanical gadgets and gizmos that require rocket science degrees to figure out. Explain to your kids that artists, authors, and chefs are all inventors in one way or another. Give your kids an opportunity to reinvent and reimagine something that they’re familiar with.
•Happy Endings: Spend a moment thinking about your kids’ favorite book or movie and consider what would have happened if things had gone a different way. What if Dorothy had taken the other yellow brick road? What if Elsa had never accidentally zapped Anna with magic frozen powers? Write down the way the story would have gone, invent new characters if needed, and make drawings to go with the major plot twists.
•Get Cooking!: It’s proven that when kids get involved in the kitchen, they are more likely to try new foods and flavors. Talk about what you want to make together and find a recipe that works for you. Check out the book Cooking Class by Deanna Cook which gives you great tips and tricks for getting your kids involved.
•Bits and Bots: One of my favorite crafts to do with kids is robot crafting. The reason I like it so much is because there is no right or wrong. If you want to add a red on/off switch, go for it. If your robot has an extra arm just for holding a bucket of Legos, why not? Start with a base like this one, scour your house for materials, and let your imagination take off!
Home Sweet Home
As the New Year approaches, start by making some changes to the space in which you live. Nothing inspires a fresh start like a little home environment editing.
•Clean and Lean: There’s literally no better time to edit down what you have than the fresh start of a New Year. As gifts are coming in, think, out with the old, in with the new. Challenge the kids to pick one item from every year of their age to donate (so a 5-year-old would choose 5 things). Clothes, toys, books, magazines…all fair game!
•Change It Up: Even if it’s not time for a new sofa or you can’t quite rationalize spending the cash on a new rug, you can give your home a refresh with what you already have. Rearrange the art on your walls, color-code your bookshelf, move a lamp to a new corner, and let the kids figure out how to make simple changes in their bedrooms. A casual wall display like this one from Design Sponge shows you that things don’t have to feel too precious.
•Adorn a Door: People are often afraid of bold wall paint, but it can do wonders for adding a pop when you need it. Here’s the quickest, easies, and most affordable tip: just paint a door. We painted the inside of our front door a sunshine yellow, and it made a small but impactful difference.
Are you the type that likes the idea of making holiday gifts more than the time and effort it takes to actually do it? It can be super stressful when you want to DIY a bunch of gifts, especially when all of your friends have such different tastes that one idea does not fit all. Here’s an easy, crafty gift that really can suit everyone on your list.
Got a Francophile in your life? An animal lover? A holiday fanatic? Visit eBay.com to find trinkets and tart tins that fit perfectly together to make this personalized holiday gift. And also, visit eBay.com for the instructions!
I was so excited this week to see that Design Mom, one of my favorite blogs since the beginning of the blogosphere, posted a project from my recent book, Project Kid: Crafts that Go!
If you don’t know this blog and you have kids, you should start paying attention. She has six kids (aka major street cred in the genre of parenting), has great taste, and reports on current events and trends, beyond just kids and design. (But if you are into design, you should also check out her book—we share the same publisher!)
Visit Design Mom to get the full set of instructions, with pics!
Every year when the holiday season is approaching, I can’t wait to see what Pinterest has in store when I search Thanksgiving place cards. There’s nothing wrong with some store bought tent cards and a nice pen, but it’s fun to play with nontraditional materials to add an unexpected design element to the table. We’ve collected ten ideas below that will keep your table feeling fresh and festive this year, without too much effort!
1. A placemat that doubles as a place card is not only an elegant time saver, it’s also a space saver, leaving more room on the table for Thanksgiving goodies. This version from Country Living couldn’t be easier to make.
2. Show me anything made from honeycomb paper and you are guaranteed two thumbs up! These turkey place cards from Say Yes are so simple and cute. You can attach a little paper flag if you want to add names.
3. These painted wood slice place cards from FamilyFun also double as a sweet take-home favor with a pin on the back. Mix up full names and initials for a playful display.
4. How cute are these emoji acorn place cards? These silly place cards from Bustle are sure to be a crowd pleaser with both the youngest and oldest Thanksgiving guests. Plus, your kids will love the assignment of making these while you’re getting the rest of the meal prepared.
5. Before pine wreaths start popping up everywhere, these tiny rosemary wreaths hint at what’s to come while still fitting in perfectly with your Thanksgiving spread. Wreaths via Camille Styles .
7. I love the simplicity of these pumpkin shapes from Oh Happy Day, and the ombre coloring is a modern alternative to a fully orange gourd.
8. These Plymouth Rocks (hehe!) from Parents are super simple…have the kids find rocks in the backyard, paint them, then glue on alphabet pasta letters to make cute place cards. Guests can take them home to reuse as paper weights!
9. These elaborate looking egg dioramas aren’t actually as tricky as they look. They guarantee plenty of oohs and ahhs, plus they can transform into ornaments for Christmas. (via Oh Happy Day)
10. This place card idea is cute enough to eat – and luckily you can! You can start using your leftovers before Thanksgiving day is even over. You Are My Fave uses pie dough scraps and alphabet cookie cutters to create these sweet letters.
1. Cut the sleeve off and begin to wrap it around a Styrofoam cone.
Got a Francophile in your life? An animal lover? A holiday fanatic? Visit 
