Quick Christmas Crafts: Wreaths and Ornaments

My talented Aunt Ruby made this wreath some 40 years ago. Mom hangs it every year. Handmade is so special! 

You might say this is a Christmas miracle. After months of no blog bidnaz, I have a little something to share. Handmade holiday crafts! There’s still time to make someone special a decoration. Here are a few of the projects I’ve put together this year.

Last weekend the gals in my family got together to make wreaths, all inspired by the Dec. issue of Woman's Day magazine.

My sis-in-law and I both decided to go with paper straw wreaths. I bought the straws at Orson Gygi, a local kitchen supply company. You’ll also need a hot glue gun, ribbon, and a foam wreath form. 

Here’s how it's done:

1. Cover the inside and outer edges of your foam wreath base with ribbon. You can either pin the ribbon in place or glue it. 

2. Cut straws to two varying lengths and attach them to the wreath base, alternating between the longer and the shorter straw. 

3. When the first layer of straws is done, take another style of straw, cut it to two smaller lengths, and layer them over the background group of straws. Top the finished wreak off with a bow! 

5. Hang the wreath by attaching a loop of ribbon to the back of the wreath. 

Gina, my sis-in-law, went with blue straws for a neat snowflake effect. Cool! 

Mom opted for the box wreath, which is super cute. You’ll need several small boxes in various sizes (I got ours at Xpedx), wrapping paper, ribbon, hot glue, and a wire wreath form. 

1. Position your boxes on your wreath how you want them to fit. 

2. Wrap the boxes with wrapping paper and adhere them to the wreath frame. 

3. Top some of the boxes off with ribbon and hang the wreath. Fun!

Inspired by an awesome tutorial at Jessica Jane Handmade, I also made some clay bird ornaments for my family. I love the way they turned out.

Have you made any crafts this season? If so, I’d love to see or read about them. 

Merry Christmas!