Christmas is approaching which means it is time to get crafting if you want to create everyone you know at least one beautiful handmade gift. Some of you will have no doubt been making things all year round, however, for those of us less organised, now is the time to get making in order to have lovely hand crafted gifts to give on the big day!
Here are some fun Christmas craft ideas:
Cards
Making personalised handmade Christmas cards is the easiest way to ensure everyone you know has something hand crafted by you this Christmas. if you have a die cutting machine, you’re going to have lots of fun creating intricately detailed cards for your loved ones. Alternatively, get handy with sequins, ribbons, accessories in more to make the most beautiful cards for your friends and family. New to card making? Consider investing in a great Christmas card making kit from Handy Hippo Crafts. They come with everything you need to create beautiful cards yourself easily.
Decorations
Christmas decorations look great at home, but they can also make truly special gifts. Your friend or family member will have a special handmade decoration made by you that they can put up or display on the tree every single year. Driftwood trees and hearts using super glue and wire are particularly beautiful. Other great decoration ideas could be:
- Salt dough hearts or Christmas shapes
- Handpainted christmas ribbon
- Knitted tree decorations
- Hand sewn stockings
- Wood chunk reindeers
Tshirt Yarn
Tshirt yarn is made using a special t shirt cutting method that ends up in the user having one long piece of yarn. Perhaps you want to knit an item for a vegan who doesn’t use wool, or you want to create a heavier, silkier blanket or product that is also cheaper to make. Whatever your reasons for avoiding a wool yarn, tshirt yarn is a fabulous material to work with, plus it is free if you have some old t shirts lying around! Consider making a blanket or cushion cover if you have lots of spare time, or look at creating bowls or even mug jumpers if you have less time. This is a great project for upcyling or environmental enthusiasts.
‘Make Your Own’ Kits
Want to inspire others to craft? Then why not put together your own ‘make your own’ kit for someone else. This is a particularly great idea if you have a particular passion for one craft and know exactly what a beginners kit should contain. Or if a friend or family member has expressed an interest in a particular craft they would like to try. Try to steer clear of ‘make your own’ kits available in the shops and create the kit yourself. For example; for a beginners knitting kit you could get a lovely box, a ball of beautiful wool, two different types of knitting needles and a vintage knitting pattern guide, or even better, a handwritten guide to making a hat or socks (something easy) that has lots of jokes and personal references in it. Try to create something that makes you think ‘I would have loved this when I first started….’.
Memory Blanket Or Stuffed Toy
This is only a craft project for those more experienced at sewing and shouldn’t be attempted by beginners as it is quite tricky. Many companies are now offering a services where the clothes or fabric belongings you have that belonged to a loved one who may have grown up now, or passed away, can be turned into a keepsake like a stuffed toy or blanket. This is so that the fabric items actually get enjoyed and used, rather than kept in a bag where no one can enjoy them.
If you are going to do this for someone you should make sure you absolutely know that they would want the fabric items cut up and reused. You should know the person well and consider asking their partner or someone close to them to check. The best case scenario is where you and the other person own lots of fabric items belonging to the person and you have some to spare which you can use for the project.
You can send the fabric away to one of the companies offering this service, or you can make it yourself which would be an incredibly thoughtful and emotional gift to give. The blanket is the easiest thing to make but you do need a lot of material unless you choose to simply make one square of the patchwork ‘special’ with the sentimental fabric. Alternatively, you could make the stuffed toy using guides and online tutorials.
Cat Toys
If you have a friend or family member who loves their feline friend, why not make them a handsewn cat toy? These are easy and fun to make, especially when you have funky fabric to use! You could also stuff them with organic catnip to make the cat extra interested! Just make sure you use non-toxic fabrics and materials and avoid easily swallowed accessories like buttons so the cat is safe to play with it.
Dog Treats
Homemade dog treats are very easy to make and there are lots of tutorials online showing how to make anything from doggy biscuits, to dog friendly cakes. Biscuits are great to make as you can package them in plastic or boxes with ribbons and tissue paper just like you would human biscuits. Be sure to list the best before date somewhere in the packaging and add your own handmade labels for that extra special touch. If there’s one thing people love more than gifts for themselves, its gifts for their pooches!
