Cute Christmas craft ideas

I have had the following ideas sent to me by a friend who found them online.  I apologies in advance as I have no reference to the original creators of the following ideas but just had to share them as they are so cute for Christmas.  I cant wait to have a go at some of these with the families I work with...

1. How cute are these snowmen to personalise with photos of your children?

2. Love this idea for cute personal reindeer's to help Father Christmas pull his sleigh.

3. How sweet is this to make for the tree or to give as personal gifts for loved ones?

4. This is a beautiful hand made gift....for every occasion

Simple Christmas jigsaw puzzles

I have seen a lot of ideas for simple children's jigsaws made out of lolly sticks.  Yes you heard correctly....lolly sticks.  

Lolly sticks are really cheap to buy in the craft section of your supermarket or craft shops and have many uses.  You may already have some in your craft stash if you have one.

We decided (little helper and I) to have a go at making a really simple set of three jigsaws with a Christmas theme.  Excuse the quality of the photos but we were having fun taking them.

What you will need:

• 3 - 5 lolly sticks depending on your design
• Felt pens or you can use children's paints

1. Place the amount of lolly sticks needed for your design side by side length-ways.  Place them against a tub or similar prop to stop them from moving while you draw / colour your design.

2. Draw your design on the lolly sticks using your felt pens or similar.

Mix the pictures up.... singly  

Or mix all the pieces together....

You can also make these using:

• Magazine pictures
• Family photographs
• Wrapping paper

The list is endless.  have fun!

Christmas is coming...... Here's a lovely personalised family decoration thats easy to make and cheap too!

Well the shops are stocked with lots of lovely Christmas treats and decorations and the big day will soon be here.  However Christmas doesn't have to be an expensive time as there are lots of ideas around for decorations that can be made very cheaply or by using things from around the home.

While I set myself the challenge of making the sensory / coloured hand print book, I came across some old pringles lids I had kept (other crisps in tubes are available).  

I made the following tonight in a very short time to show you how easy these family keepsakes are to make to hang on the tree, wreath or similar.

Children love getting involved and can help to decorate them, you can add glitter too.

These are the items I started with:

• 3 x pringles lids (use can use as many as you need for the tree)
• Pieces of ribbon left over from last Christmas
• Sharp needle
• Cotton
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Family photographs

Cut out family faces from photographs by using the pringles lid as a template.  The pictures will then fit into the lid nice and snug.  I used a glue stick to reinforce the pictures to stay in the lid.  You can also add pictures back to back so that when the decoration hangs on the tree and moves you can see a picture on both sides.

I then folded the thicker ribbon into bow shapes and used the thinner ribbon to hold them together as seen in the picture below.  I then used the needle and cotton to sew the back of the bow and make a loop to hand the decoration onto the tree.  I tacked the cotton to the back of the bow again, then left a length of cotton before threading the needle through the plastic lid a few times and knotting.

Finished product hanging on my tree...

You can add beads, buttons etc.  The possibilities are endless.  Have fun!