My daughter is almost 9 and is interested in making gifts for her friends this year. Has anyone done a craft that has been a big hit? I also have a son who is 7 that will probably want to join in. Keep in mind, that I am not a crafty gal...
Thanks!!
My daughter's friends really liked these:
http://www.letsbepreppy.com/2012/08/crafternoon-no-crimp-...
She prettied them up with beads, and I got the foldover elastic at the fabric store for like fifty cents a yard maybe? (I have to admit, I really like them and wear them too).
"Salt" dough is fun for my kids -- here's a link for that one..
http://woodsidekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/11/clay-christma...
Candy cane decoration: cut a pipe cleaner in half, string sparkly red and white beads on it, bend the ends so the beads don't fall off and bend the pipe cleaner into a cane shape. Tie on a pretty ribbon and voila!
Wreath: cut pipe cleaner in half. Thread on a few green beads, then a red one, repeat until full. Twist ends together and shape into wreaths. Tie pretty (thin) ribbon to the top, so it will hang on the tree.
Enjoy!
My youngest had this idea when she was 8. I purchased plain, colored, ornaments at my dollar store, a pack of 6, and she decorated them according to each friend she gave one to. She put their names on it and they were huge hits. She can decorate with puff paint, sequins, glitter, buttons, ribbon, yarn. She really had a fun time doing it!
you can macrame a freinship braclet out of emboidery floss , they are all the rage right now.
You can hot glue a bow and some jingle bells to a hair clip. (you can even make jingle bell clips for shoes- fun!)
You can stuff a coffee mug with mini marshmallows in one ziploc bag, and hot coca in another ziploc bag- if you want to make it special go to walmart with a photo and they will put in on a mug for you, they run about 10 bucks I think.
Get an old frame and have her glue bright buttons and beads all the way around- put a pic inside of them both together, include a heartfelt note. One year we made 2 x 3 inch 'frames' out of salt dough, painted them gold, glued a photo to the back of them, covered that with a peice of felt cut to size. then hot glued a string of gold pearls around the front of the frame. They were so cute! stick a wire loop in the top before you bake it so it can hang on the tree!
She can sew up a small stuffed animal- im sure you can find a super easy pattern online. I've seen the cutest toys made out of old socks! I think they are called weird sock dolls. Look online. Our library had books of how to make them, they are like little monsters, ...SO CUTE! But we never got around to making them darn it..
A HUGE choc chip cookie with the child's name on it.
For adults, cover a juice can with just about anything to make a pencil holder.
Go to the library and pull some craft books in the kids section. lots of ideas!
Tiny photo scrapbooks are fun to make they probably have the kits in craft stores.
Have her write a fun little story (maybe she is the star?) and draw colored pictures for it and have it published into inexpensive books for people (Lookup online publishers)
Photo calendars are also awesome (walmart, etc)
Bookmarks made out of felt or large ribbon...
Gingerbread houses: Take pint size milk cartons, wash them, then cover them in royal icing and stick candy on them. (i like to cut open doors and windows). add little mothers brand pachaged gingerbread people cookies or marshmallow trees.I like to stick them on a 7X 7 peice of foil covered cardboard- make a path too!!!! I make a little sign near the front of the path with the family's name on it.....if there are 5 people, 5 gingerbread men are in the scene.
Paper garlands are fun, make them int he shape of a string of gingerbread men by accordion folding light brown construction paper and then cutting out the shape, (look at a cookie cutter) making sure you leave the hands and feet to touch the edge of each fold so that when you unfold them it is a garland of men. Put photos of loved ones in the face area. this can be cute with soldiers too, or angels, etc......
Grocery stores sometimes do beautiful colored holiday scenes on their paper sacks. Couple yeara ago Raleys did red and green poinsettas. I traced the shape of a large stocking where the design was, then traced a second shape onto a blank side. Cut out the two shapes, hold them together- then get a hole punch and punch holes every inch all the way around the side and bottom. "sew" it up with red curling ribbon. Stuff it with goodies!, cute and practically free!!! You can use glitter pens on the front to outline the flowers. Gum, pencils, keychains, hair clips, gift cards, candy, magic gloves, all work inside....
Put a cup of chocolate covered raisins in a baggie, tie it off with ribbon, with a note " reindeer poop". In fact, put this in your stocking!
Ideas for grownups to do: make a family cookbook, put a photo of the person on the facing page of the recipe with a little family story.
I watch The Chew now and then. I saw a craft to make that kids would like and adults would enjoy. Take a white candle (various sizes) and cinnamon sticks. Cut the sticks to a little above the candles and hot glue the sticks to the outside of the candle. Tie a pretty ribbon or string(s) around it and give two or three candles of various sizes in a nice basket. We're doing this for teachers and neighbors. The scent of the cinnamon will come out as the candle burns, and it looks very festive!
Oh, also, you can make rice crispy wreaths. You put a little food color in the mix of rice crispy treats, wrap red licorice ropes around it and adhere red and green M&M's on it along with candy canes, etc... with marshmallow fluff from the jar. You can go through the sweets isle at the store for ideas of what you can put on...the possibilities are endless! I did this for a party of 47 and they were all individual and personalized and everyone loved them! :) (you don't have to make them huge..I made mine about 6 inches in diameter)
How about baking cookies or making candy?
I just a really cute craft for her age group in Parent's Magazine today. It's making necklaces with metal washers and painting them with nail polish. Then you tie them on a cord and give them as gifts. It was cute and I loved that it used nail polish.
I like the cinnamon stick candle thing, but cinnamon sticks can be very expensive, so maybe check and see if you can find them in a craft store that are fake but smell good still??
