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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Crafty ideas

16 replies

BankerMommy2010 · 16/09/2013 18:06

What can I make for Christmas?

OP posts:
OnTheBottomWithAWomansWeekly · 16/09/2013 18:09

Food or fabric?

BankerMommy2010 · 16/09/2013 18:10

Anything. Im not great at sewing though! :)

OP posts:
SarahAndFuck · 16/09/2013 18:31

You or the children?

Pine cones with glitter on them.

Glue fabric over old baubles for a different look.

Stained glass angels. Cut an angel shape in the centre of a card and stick overlapping bits of different coloured tissue paper across the cut out so when the light shines through from the window you can see all the colours.

Popcorn strings. Look good in the garden and feeds the birds.

Stamp your own cards. You don't have to buy an expensive stamp, you can make a lino cut shape or even a potato shape.

Paper chains. Fun and effective.

Gingerbread biscuits. Nice to eat, nice as presents, nice hung on ribbon as decorations.

Paint twigs to match your colour scheme (gold, silver, glittery red, whatever) and put in a vase to hang decorations on.

Peppermint creams. Easy to make, can leave them white, colour them with a bit of pink or green colouring, even put chocolate on some of them.

If you make things out of felt you don't need to be able to sew. You can glue it and the edges don't fray.

If you cut fabric with pinking shears then that shouldn't fray either, so if you make bunting you only need to sew the top edge.

Or make paper bunting with wrapping paper.

Christmas breakfast. Toast a bagel or half a bread roll. Spread with soft cheese. Salmon trimmings on top of the cheese. Top with a poached egg. You can fake a poached egg by breaking one into a cup, stabbing the yolk and then microwaving it for about 30 seconds. Bit of ground pepper on top. Makes a surprisingly filling breakfast if you are not eating until mid or late afternoon.

Make peg dollies to look like fairies, angels, Father Christmas, nativity people etc.

Chocolate coffee beans. Baking paper on an oven tray. Melt 100g of chocolate in a bowl. Add 50g roasted coffee beans and stir until all the beans are coated. Put on oven tray and let the chocolate cool. Sprinkle with cocoa powder. And that's it. They make a nice gift or a nice addition to puddings or hot chocolate drink toppings.

Use fabric paints and stencils to print onto cheap canvas shopping bags. Use as gift bags for presents.

Use Christmas themed shaped hole punches to decorate gift tags, gift bags and those paper bags you can put a candle in.

SarahAndFuck · 16/09/2013 19:00

The stained glass angels should say cut an angel shape in the centre of a circle of card. You hang the circle in the window and the light shines through the tissue paper to look like stained glass.

headlesslambrini · 16/09/2013 19:03

wow sarah, you might just be my perfect MNer Grin

SarahAndFuck · 16/09/2013 19:42

Grin thank you.

I was just thinking of some more.

Decorate and cut out cardboard Christmas shapes, angels, trees, snowmen etc, and glue them onto a wooden clip peg. Use to decorate gift bags, as gift tags, to hold cards on a ribbon, to fasten on ribbons on napkin rings, to use as place names.

Make paper cones to put sweets in, can make 24 to make an advent calendar or hang them from the painted twigs with sweets or popcorn for guests to take after dinner.

Make a collage in a box frame with old gift tags, novelties, decorations, champagne corks etc. Even print off unusual Christmas pictures from the internet as backing paper (or to stick on the homemade cards and tags etc).

I remember seeing on pinterest a candle hanger that looked quite good. Someone had spray painted shallow tin cans black inside and covered the outside with festive ribbons. Then they hung them from strings of differing lengths from a branch and put decorated pegs on top to look like they were holding the strings. The branch was hanging from a ribbon tied to either end. Then a tea light inside each can. It was weirdly effective.

SarahAndFuck · 16/09/2013 20:37

And, if you buy a big gift box (or decorate a cardboard box with a removable lid), you can make a festive themed "I'm bored" box.

Put anything you like in it that is festive themed or will get bored kids and adult guests interested.

If you hit a boxing day lull, or the children start to complain or you need to entertain a few people for a little bit, get the box out.

You can easily make things for it yourself. Write out dares and forfeits and put them in a Christmasy tin or box and take turns to pick them out. You can even add jokes and quiz questions etc.

Collect cracker novelties in another small box, along with kinder egg toys, party bag bits, nothing really bigger than those things. If you can get a good collection of odd bits it's amazing how long children can be entertained with them.

Normal cards and snap cards and a small box of dominos, small notebooks and Ikea pencils, spare dice, things like that all come in useful for impromptu games and don't take up much space.

Little packets of stickers are always good for something, usually they can get the imagination going.

Even a collection of wine corks can be made use of. Add a small ball and you have a table top skittles set. Give everyone a pen and you have the makings of a caricature set where everyone draws the face of someone else at the table on one. Use a pack of cards and you have the tokens for a game of Bouchon.

Anything can go in the box really, as long as it's small, entertaining and likely to inspire someone to imagine a way to use it. Disposable camera, jar of beads, marbles, stencils, even a bit of dressing up stuff (sunglasses, false moustaches, face paints). Feathers and ribbons.

Colouring books, dot to dot, magic painting books with brushes.

Wind up toys for racing.

You can change stuff about from year to year and as the children grow up a bit etc.

WaitMonkey · 16/09/2013 20:51

Sarah, do you have a recipie for the peppermint creams please ? By the way, I've never "spoken" to you before, but your username has long been a favourite of mine.

BankerMommy2010 · 16/09/2013 21:12

Wow! Lots of ideas thank you! Id like to have a go at pepper mint creams. .. do you have recipe & method? ?

I love baking, so does my ds so think baking would be best bet...

OP posts:
SarahAndFuck · 16/09/2013 21:14

Thank you Smile

I have a couple of recipes for the peppermint creams.

2oz Stork Margarine
2 Tablespoons milk
Few drops peppermint essence
1lb icing sugar
few drops colouring if you want to colour them
icing sugar for kneading and rolling
melted chocolate to decorate if you wish (after refrigeration)

Put margarine, milk and essence into a saucepan and heat gently until margarine is melted. Do not allow to boil.

Cool slightly, pour over icing sugar and mix well.

Knead with icing sugar (and colour at this point if you wish)

Sprinkle work surface and rolling pin with icing sugar.

Roll out to approx 1/4 inch thick and use shaped cutters to cut individual creams.

Refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

Decorate with chocolate if you wish.

The other recipe is as follows.

White from 1 large egg
Few drops peppermint essence
400g icing sugar
few drops colouring if you wish
Icing sugar for kneading and rolling.

Whisk 1 large egg white into peaks in a clean, dry bowl.

Add peppermint essence and 400g of icing and mix well until you have a stiff paste.

Sprinkle work surface and rolling pin with icing sugar.

Knead and roll to 1/4 inch thick.

Cut with shaped cutters.

Refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

Decorate with chocolate if required.

The top one is my favourite because it's the one my Mum and Grandma both used to use, and I find it a bit easier than the egg white one. Whisking peaks is somehow not as easy as it sounds for me Grin

There's also a nice truffle recipe if you want.

150g of good quality chocolate broken into pieces
150ml double cream
75g light brown sugar

Put chocolate in a heat proof bowl.

Put cream and sugar into a small pan.

Bring to the boil while stirring constantly to dissolve sugar, and simmer for one minute then cool for about 30 seconds.

Pour the mixture onto the chocolate, a little at a time, and mix quickly and well but don't over mix. Mixture should be smooth and glossy in appearance.

Allow to cool and refrigerate until it has completely set.

Remove from fridge and allow it to reach room temperature.

Coat hands with cocoa powder and quickly roll teaspoons of mixture into small balls. It will melt on your hands if you take too long.

Roll truffles in cocoa powder, chopped nuts, coconut etc.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

BopsX3 · 16/09/2013 21:18

I think Sarah should get the Christmas crafty award Grin

I'm going to save this thread and use Sarah's ideas to get crafty with the kids for Christmas decorations Smile

LoganMummy · 16/09/2013 21:20

Wow Sarah, this is amazing and just what I'm looking for, thanks!

Making edible gifts this year and in need of Christmas crafts to do with DS so thank you!

MakeHayIsAWhaleNow · 16/09/2013 21:23

Advent buckets - tie 24 of those tiny ones together with ribbon, paint numbers on them, fill with chocolate and artfully drape somewhere out of reach of dcs tasteful. Cheaper than the John Lewis version (other overpriced stores are available).

SarahAndFuck · 16/09/2013 22:00

Grin thanks. I'll take my bow.

I've been thinking of a few more.

Decorated Lollipop Sticks. Paint or use coloured sticks. Red ones to make Father Christmas, white to make a snowman, brown to make a reindeer. Stick on goggly eyes, cut out hats and boots from card, pom pom noses etc. Stick a string on the bag to use as hanging decorates or use as place markers, even book markers.

Or cut out figures and stick them onto the lollipop sticks as puppets. Could try a nativity scene or santa, elves and reindeer (and even a sleigh).

Toilet roll tubes to make santa's, snowmen, carol singers, reindeers or elves.

Use a handprint to make a reindeer (fingers as legs, thumb at an angle for neck and head or fingers and thumb as antlers and face drawn on palm) and draw on eyes and hooves etc or santa's beard with a face drawn above. Can do on cards or cut out as decorations.

Paint pebbles or bits of driftwood with Christmas faces.

Food one Make Melted snowmen out of a rich tea biscuits covered in glazed icing (icing sugar and warm water mixed) with a white marshmallow stuck in it as a head. Use icing pens to draw on eyes, mouth, nose and stick arms.

Christmas wreaths out of paper plates. Cut out the middle and use the outer circle. Cut up old wrapping paper as leaves and flowers, use glitter, stickers, red pom poms as holly berries, ribbons etc.

Paper cone party hats to look like Christmas trees or snowmen.

Another stained glass one. Cut a Christmas tree shape out of card and punch holes in it as baubles. Stick coloured tissue paper behind holes and hang up so light shines through.

Last year I drew the outline of a big Christmas tree on card and DS painted it. When it was dry he used stickers from Poundland to decorate it and it looks really good. He was occupied for hours over several days, first painting and then sticking, and was very proud when he had finished. And I've saved it to hang up again this year.

Make a grinch out of green card and stick on bits for the face and a santa hat.

Make pipe cleaner antlers for a candy cane and stick goggly eyes on them as reindeer.

Tea light holders from jars with tissue paper stuck on with PVA glue. Looks really good if you use different colours overlapping.

Cut out circles and decorate with faces, then glue together in a big circle to make a wreath.

Self hardening clay and cookie cutters shaped like letters to spell out Merry Christmas. Paint once dry and hang from ribbons or thread.

Use small pots (or deodorant lids etc) and stand a pine cone in them as a christmas tree. Decorate with little stars, pom poms and pipe cleaners as tinsel.

Use coloured handprints to stick together in a circle as a wreath.

Cut the cups out of egg boxes, turn upside down, decorate, hang from a ribbon and use as bells.

SarahAndFuck · 16/09/2013 22:01

Toilet roll tubes with upside down bun cases on top can make nice little houses for the carol singers or nativity figures to stand outside.

WaitMonkey · 16/09/2013 23:00

Thanking you Sarah.

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