Whilst many people associate Christmas with family gatherings, presents and roast dinners, I see Christmas as a time of year when I can rediscover my creative side. Here are eight home-made craft ideas that I have used in the past to create my own Christmas gifts, treats and decorations.
Gingerbread house
In my family, building a gingerbread house is an obligatory activity at Christmas. All you need is a gingerbread recipe and icing to stick your gingerbread walls together.
Build your own advent calendar
If you enjoy sewing, you could make your own advent calendar. Sew on a pocket for each day of December, and fill each pocket with Christmas sweets. You can often find ready-made kits for this in arts and crafts shops.
Decorate a bauble
Most arts and crafts shops sell polystyrene balls that you can use to create your own bauble. You could decorate your bauble with a range of materials such as sequins, beads and glitter.
Snowman decoration
Attach two polystyrene balls together with a cocktail stick in order to create the body of a snowman. Use beads and ribbon in order to give the snowman eyes and a scarf.
Create your own Christmas cards
Add a personal touch to your Christmas gifts by creating your own Christmas cards. You can buy ready-made decorations from arts and crafts stores, but I prefer to decorate my cards myself using materials such as buttons and beads. Last year, I used buttons to create the effect of baubles hanging on a Christmas tree.
Edible snowmen
If you want to create a tasty Christmas treat, you could make an edible snowman by pushing two or more marshmallows onto a cocktail stick. Give the snowman eyes and a nose using icing and small sweets.
Hand-made tree decorations
Cut your favourite Christmas shapes from a sheet of felt, and sew these together using a needle and thread. Add a ribbon to the top of your decoration so that you can hang it onto your Christmas tree. Use materials such as beads and coloured felt in order to decorate your creation.
Decorate pine cones
This craft idea is simple but effective. You could decorate pine cones with spray paint. I normally use red, white and gold paint in order to create a Christmas effect.
Do you like making things? Which of Megan's ideas are you going to try to make?
