Christmas Crafts ideas/plans

[StrumpersPlunkett]

have been on pinterest and have so many little things that I would like to start..
What have you done that have gone down well as gifts or as home decorations?

We always do loads of paper chains (DD is only 3) she has them put up in here room.
Ive just finished my advent calendar from a Pintrest idea and will alsonbe making a santas washing line.
The doors become reindeer and snowmen which everyone loved last year.

I've never made any gift but this year I'm doung hampers for my parents and DPs parent so will off for some pintrest inspiration soonish.

Im just too excited and Christmasy all the time!

Christmas bark, is lovely and really easy.

Line a swiss roll tin with greaseproof paper.
Melt some dark chocolate (about 300/400 grams) and pour into the bottom of the lined tin, when that has set do the same with milk chocolate and pour that over the now set dark chocolate.

Get a couple of boxes of the green, white and red peppermint candy canes and bash them up with a rolling pin!
Melt the same amount of white chocolate, and mix in half the bashed up candy canes then pour the candy cane/ white chocolate mix on top of the now set milk chocolate. Then sprinkle on the rest of the bashed up candy canes. When the whole lot has set you can turn it out onto a folded tea towel and attack it with the rolling pin again to get some lovely Christmas bark.

I put them into jars with some nice ribbon and given them to friends and nursery staff. Not met anyone yet who doesn't love it. My only problem is now I have no one left to give it to!

ooh that all sounds lovely

thanks

I'm woefully non crafty but this year I'm planning to do some ice candles (stole idea from Pinterest I think)

Large straight sided container, smaller container inside.
Add some holly and ivy between the two and fill with water then freeze. Candle in the middle and put in the garden.

I'll experiment with what works best beforehand and remember to use boiled (several times) water so the ice is clear.

I did some felt ornaments last year and did some little decorative stockings for the kids. Probably just paper chains this year.

For children:

Hand print pictures (many hands make a tree, two in brown can make antlers plus a rednose-thumbprint) that kind of thing.

Get a large piece of paper - if possible, use the 'wrong' side of an extremely cheap roll of wallpaper. Lay down child, draw around child, they colour in as they like, cut it out and stick.on their door. It should look like a gingerbread man.

Little bits of card cut out to make a fridgesnowman: roughly-cut round black.circles for coal eyes and mouth, orange card carrot for the nose, 3-4 more black circles for buttons going down the middle of your fridge. It looked really nice last year, possibly because I'd cleared all the crap - calendars, taxi numbers, reminders etc etc - off so it was clear and simple!

Pine cones dipped in.glue and rolled in glitter.

Big piece of card twigs and pebbly shit leaves picked up on a walk in the woods, make into a Christmas tree collage.