What Christmas craft things do you do? (Not knitting/crochet)

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I say not knitting and crochet as you have to spend time learning the basics before you can do Christmas crafts with them, although I would love to learn how, just not right now.

So, other crafts - what do you do? I did some dried orange slices last year. That’s it 🤣.

Any ideas? Paper things? Sewing things? Food things (but not edible)? Clay type things? Decorations? Pictures? Things that are single use only, things you save for years, stuff for windows?

I make Potpourri. I collect the pine cones, soak them in vinegar/water then bake them low to kill germs. I use them with dried orange clove, & star anise then use my favourite White Company winter oil. I love it so much last year I might make a few small bags as gifts.

I also make mini Christmas cakes using the 200ml of baked beans as I found everyone is too full to eat the cake on xmas day so by making mini ones everyone has one to take home.

Last year I made my own Christmas center piece by foraging with friends on a winter walk (was so much fun) then taking more premium cuttings from my own garden of eucalyptus, bay and olive. This year I don't need a center piece so might make a swag or wreath.

I have also been collecting (much to my husbands horror) the tomato puree tubes as if you cut them open and clean them you can make beautiful decorations with them (have a look online)

I might also do my own gift tags this year by cutting last years xmas cards up!

Ooh I love Christmas crafts.

• garlands up bannisters and over the mantlepiece. I get all the stuff from my garden (big conifers and dried stuff from the summer) and wire it onto rope for the bannisters and chicken wire over a log for the mantlepiece.
• lots of paper baubles - origami stars, punched shapes folded in half and stuck back to back, strips glued top and bottom to make round stripes. I get the paper from magazines, but also left over wrapping paper.
• I make my own gift bags from amazon packing paper and make the handles from ribbon.
• cut out christmas cards to make tags.
• we draw decorations with chalk pens. Only on the windows that face the backgarden though as I'm not very good!
• stained glass window biscuits for the tree.
• Christmas cards with calligraphy writing on them saying "let it snow" or "O Holy Night". I dont have many skills with this either but have practiced those phrases so much I'm not too bad.

-pinecone elves - these are quite fiddly and time consuming so i dont make them every year.

I am definitely going to check out the tomato puree tube ideas.

@Rose785 I also make mini Christmas cakes using the 200ml of baked beans as I found everyone is too full to eat the cake on xmas day so by making mini ones everyone has one to take home. Do you just use the same recipe or do you have to modify it as the proportions of the tin are different? And you just line the tin with grease proof paper?

I have also been collecting (much to my husbands horror) the tomato puree tubes as if you cut them open and clean them you can make beautiful decorations with them (have a look online) This is genius, I’ll definitely do this.

Last year I made my own Christmas center piece by foraging with friends on a winter walk (was so much fun) then taking more premium cuttings from my own garden of eucalyptus, bay and olive Are you in the UK and if so, can anyone grow eucalyptus, bay and olive?

I might also do my own gift tags this year by cutting last years xmas cards up! Last year I cut up lots of circles, I was going to make one of those cardboard ball decorations where you fold each circle into triangles and glue the leftover bits together. Didn’t get around to actually making it though!

(one for with the children). We cut up coloured paper and old wrapping paper and make great long paper chains. Some we do hang up but most just trail round the house. They are constantly added to as time goes along.

I dona craft every year for my son, love working on it on dark evenings. I made a big felt stocking for his 1st Christmas, with embroidery on it and a Christmas tree etc, then I bought a blank wooden drawer advent calendar and painted that the year after. The next I used air dry clay to make gingerbread style Christmas ornaments for him using a tractor cookie cutter, was so fun to make those and see his little hands putting them on the tree! I also make alot of paper decorations, loved a loo roll one I saw last year to make stars garlands.

Paperchains are very in again, so making those with festive patterned paper or gold and one colour can be a calm crafting activity. Did a craft evening with friends a few years ago where we made tree ornaments with plaster of paris and lots of bits and bobs like beads, buttons, all sorts of random bits that looked really pretty.

I've made my own reusable fabric crackers which I put a new snap in every year. There's a brilliant pattern for them on Etsy, very beginner friendly!

I've decorated small wood slices to make gift tags, just drawing a Christmasy picture of text on one side with a black rollerball pen and drilled a hole to thread ribbon through

Made wreaths and garlands from a mix of cheap fake garland and greenery that we chopped from the garden/countryside

I made a light up Christmas village from some blank MDF house shapes I bought, painted them white and gold. Stuck 2 house shapes back to back separated by a wood batton each side and threaded them on a string of fairy lights

Christmas baking - rum truffles, mini Christmas cake using a baked bean tin

Paper snowflakes, lots of patterns online. Give them an iron and then hang in the window with invisible thread

Chalk pen drawing on windows - blue tack a picture to trace on the outside of the glass, draw on the inside. The chalk pen washes off with water

Have made little hanging gingerbread men, snowmen and reindeer out of felt stuffed with toy filling

Cross stitched a picture

This year I'm making oversized "paper" chains using velvet instead of paper. Going to use sticky back velvet jewellery tray liner, and stick red and green velvet together, then cut strips and glue gun the chains

@Candlesonthetable lots of paper baubles - origami stars, punched shapes folded in half and stuck back to back, strips glued top and bottom to make round stripes. I get the paper from magazines, but also left over wrapping paper ooh I’ll google these. Any photos to share?

we draw decorations with chalk pens. Only on the windows that face the backgarden though as I'm not very good! I never thought of this, sounds doable for me and my skill level!

stained glass window biscuits for the tree Are they edible? Or you keep them for years?

Origami stars in a variety of sizes and colours. Then I hang them in chains, add them individually to walls, windows, doors. I make a few more each year and must have around a 100 now.

I can definitely manage that, that’s going on the list.

@Imisscoffee2021 I used air dry clay to make gingerbread style Christmas ornaments for him using a tractor cookie cutter, was so fun to make those and see his little hands putting them on the tree! Are they edible?

Did a craft evening with friends a few years ago where we made tree ornaments with plaster of paris and lots of bits and bobs like beads, buttons, all sorts of random bits that looked really pretty. So many ideas that I hadn’t thought of!

We do stuff with pine cones. Gather them up on the dog walk and a low bake in the bottom oven so they puff out nicely. They are really versatile so wrap with yarn, spray or a bit of glue and glitter. Really easy and cheap to do with children.

@ShakaWhenTheWallsFell Paper snowflakes, lots of patterns online. Give them an iron and then hang in the window with invisible thread I’ve not made these for years!

Chalk pen drawing on windows - blue tack a picture to trace on the outside of the glass, draw on the inside. The chalk pen washes off with water Going to do that thanks.

Have made little hanging gingerbread men, snowmen and reindeer out of felt stuffed with toy filling Ooh they sound nice, thanks.

Have you done the Christmas trees made from folding pages of a hardback? They look very effective and are very simple.

It's also a way of using old hardbacks that charity shops don't want.

@Songlines Origami stars in a variety of sizes and colours. Then I hang them in chains, add them individually to walls, windows, doors. I make a few more each year and must have around a 100 now.
I’ve seen these online but always discounted them because they look really hard. I’ll give them a go this year as they look so nice.

Would they look good hanging upside down on the tree, or in a garland do you think?

OR - could I open them in the oven and fill them with a suet bird feed paste?

@Rose785 I need more information about the mini Christmas cakes too please! What recipe do you use? And does the lip on the top of the tins not catch the cake when you try and take it out?

Never tried this! Good idea thanks.

If you found small tins that use a tin opener rather than a ring pull it might be better? I would have to buy some, I just have the normal size ones.

There are some suggested threads at the bottom of the page, I’ll look at those too.

I make reusable fabric gift bags. The ones for family I take back once they’ve opened their presents so I can use them again, but I lose a few to other people each year so make more. I hope the people who receive them also reuse them the following year.

I also like having one ‘bigger’ project that I do over a few months, often a kit from Bucilla for a stocking or a wreath but they possibly aren’t to everyone’s taste!

No I just paint them to look like they're iced gingerbread, use a cookie cutter for ease getting thr shape. You can do it with any shape and paint them a beige biscuit colour, fleck some darker bits of paint on by flicking the brush then paint the "icing" on with white paint. Then varnish :)

The list is endless.
one of my favorites was making stars out of polymer clay. You could make other shapes cutting freehand or with cookie cutters. You can’t use the cutters for food in the future though. They stay in the craft supply.

For the Mini Christmas cakes I just follow the normal Mary Berries recipe ( I tweak it to suit my taste as I prefer more crunchier nuts and more cherries) The tins I do two sets of baking lining (takes ages to cut out as I do 9 cakes line top and bottom and sides so end of cutting 36 circles and 18 strips for around the sides (I do that one evening while watching a xmas movie) I cut a long thin strip to put on the bottom to help me pull out - them cake out fine tbh. I don't think I baked them for as long as recommended I think chat gpt helped me work out the timings! I then feed them using a brush rather than a teaspoon so I have more control of the brandy.

@ShakaWhenTheWallsFell I have always wanted to do the chalk drawing on the window but can't draw I don't know why I never thought of this (just trace it from the other side) Genius! Thank you!

I have made lots of cards over the years. Our first couple of Christmases we didn't have a lot of tree decorations so I made a lot out of card, glitter and string, they only lasted the season but did the job. I have made rum truffles a few times, they went down well at work. I cross stitch so have sewn pieces for presents. I made brownies and mince pies for my grandmother.

Following for ideas.