The winter holidays may be synonymous with gift-giving, but it’s also an excellent time to roll up your sleeves and get crafty! Spending quality time with family is one of our favorite ways to celebrate, and there is no way better than to make something together. We’ve joined together with our sister site, Craft Project Ideas, to come up with 12 festive crafts to make this the coziest, most creative holiday season yet!
1. Transform your windows into a winter wonderland!
Whether your environment is frosty or humid, this adorable Made By Me Holiday Window Art takes even the plainest settings and makes them cheery! Paint layers of vibrant colors — including glitter paint! — on 12 of your favorite holiday shapes. Affix them to your windows or hang them on the tree to make adorable ornaments that sparkle like snowflakes!
2. Spruce up the tree with handmade ornaments
Craft Project Ideas brings us two stunning ornaments that even the smallest hands can assemble! Have some fine motor fun as you thread merry-colored pony beads onto fuzzy sticks for musical Jingling Bead Stars. Practice pattern-making and scissor skills to make these not-so-ugly Christmas sweater ornaments sparkle and shine. CPI has all the free printables and step-by-step how-to’s to bring the holly jolly spirit to trees, wreaths, windows, ornament holders, and centerpieces!
3. Go for a sleigh, er, monster truck ride — but make it festive!
Take your favorite gingerbread men on an updated sleigh ride in style! The Discovery Build Your Own Monster Truck set is enough to make any truck-lover euphoric, but when adorned with your favorite craft supplies from home, like fuzzy sticks, glitter, craft foam, and paint as red as Rudolph’s nose, this becomes a vehicle the reindeer would love to pull!
4. Shower love on your friends and family with handmade cards!
Is there anything better than a handmade card? Tell your loved ones you’re thinking of them with these adorable printable holiday cards. Create a traditional Christmas favorite with the Embellishment Tree. Make Hanukkah the star of the show with this 3D Shaker card! Add your favorite craft supplies to make them jingle, sparkle, and shine! These make superb additions to anyone’s holiday card wall.
5. Fancy up your kitchen décor with cute magnets!
From snowmen to reindeer to gingerbread men and all your favorites in between, the Made By Me Paint Your Own Holiday Wooden Magnets make any refrigerator, oven, or magnetic surface jolly. The 10 ready-to-paint wooden figures come with 12 vibrant paint colors and are affixed with a magnet for instant hanging. Hold up your favorite fingerprint wreaths or holiday cards with a little extra joy!
6. Give that special someone a (beaded) pet of their own!
Is someone begging for a new puppy or kitten this holiday? Satiate their requests with this adorable keychain Penguin Bead Pet that follows them everywhere! This is a perfect craft to use all those excess pony beads you have lying around the house. With step-by-step guidance, even the smallest hands can string the beads up in colorful patterns to make a special South Pole friend pet that is ready to be loved! Attach it to a keyring and take them on endless holiday adventures.
7. Make precious memories last forever!
Preserve tiny fingerprints on the Made By Me Paint Your Own Magnetic Tile Art. Craft long-lasting memories in a snap with 12 ceramic tiles and 12 vivid paints. Make fingerprint wreaths, fingerprint reindeer, Santa hats, gingerbread men, or anything your holiday heart desires. The magnetic tiles come pre-fixed with a magnet and are ready to hang as soon as they dry!
Silver bells never sounded as sweet as they do when they announce your arrival! Making the Jingle Bell Wreath Door Hanger is as easy as 1-2-3: string gold & silver jingle bells on glitter fuzzy sticks, twist them into a wreath shape, and hang them! Affix the wreath on any doorknob, string it up to dangle from windows, or wrap it around updos for a jingly surprise!
9. “Bake” up a long-lasting gingerbread house!
Build & paint a wooden gingerbread house that looks good enough to eat but sturdy enough to last through several holiday seasons! Standing 7” tall and packed with over 100 crafting accessories like festive paint, soft poms, and foam die-cut stickers, this DIY set has all the right ingredients to make a gingerbread house with none of the baking mess! Spend an afternoon offline and build it together as a family!
10. Deck the halls with Santa’s favorite reindeer!
Light up your space with the most famous bright-red nose! All you need to create this adorable String Art Rudolph is fuzzy sticks, friendship thread, craft sticks, and that ever-important red shimmer pom for a ruby-red nose. Glue him onto a canvas for an instant framed décor or attach a string between his clothespin antlers for a sweet ornament that’ll go down in history!
All aboard the Made by Me Express! The kid-friendly paintable wooden train set has all the essentials to make 4 solid-wood train cars with real working wheels. A few layers of shiny paint and this easy-to-assemble locomotive is ready to wrap around your Christmas tree! Go classic red and green or mix any of the 6 included paints to create your own jolly shades. This kit is perfect for little hands who want to play with the decorations.
12. Never wonder how many days are left again!
Keep an eye on the time and create your own adorable Countdown Snowman! This jolly soul features the iconic foam top hat, wiggly eyes, and a fuzzy stick carrot nose. Fill in his happy face with the number of days until your holiday or use the free printable template to countdown 24 days to Christmas and move his nose every day! Don’t forget to check out the Teacher’s Corner to learn how to transform this craft into a great mini math lesson! Subtract the number of days left using the crafted visual and watch little minds solve the equation.
No matter what you create, your family will surely love a handmade holiday season. This is the time of year to create special memories! Take pictures of your crafts and tag @HorizonGroupUSA and @CraftProjectIdeas for a chance to be featured on our page!