Christmas Crafts

Our Christmas preparations went well this year, so we actually had time in December to do some fun stuff. In addition to seeing the Nutcracker ballet and participating in a homeschool group Christmas play, we made some cute things for friends.



These little votive holders sparkle like snow even when they're not lit. We applied snowflake stickers, then painted them white and sprinkled white glitter on the wet paint. The original idea was to remove the stickers and let the candle flame show, but that didn't work so well so we decided to leave them on instead and were happy with how that turned out.
















Jed has been making an ornament each Christmas for several years now. This year's wood cut-out was in the shape of a vintage ornament, so I spray painted them a shiny gold and then Jed glued down braided gimp ribbons to mimic the wavy lines seen on the real thing.





















This was probably our favorite project - altered matchboxes. We prepped these the same as the votive holders: white paint, then white glitter. When that was dry we glued on white pom-poms for the snowman's body, then added construction paper eyes, buttons, nose and top hat, and stick arms. They're filled with red and green M&Ms for a sweet treat.













I've been baking for our neighbors every Christmas as long as I can remember, and I've never enjoyed it much. Last year I decided to find an alternative, and cookies-in-a-jar fit the bill nicely. I love this idea because the recipients can bake them to enjoy whenever they like, most likely after all the other holiday goodies are gone. However, I heard from several folks that made them with their children or grandchildren before Christmas and appreciated not having to measure out all the ingredients, especially with little hands "helping." :)