Christmas crafts you can do with the kids that you won’t want to throw away
Have a go at making these DIY decorations with your kids – ones that you’ll be proud to display in your home this festive season
Decorating your home for Christmas with your family is a magical way to add excitement to the holiday season, right? WRONG! Is it just me that finds the whole idea of decorating your home with kids in tow an extremely stressful affair? Every year I have visions of us all hanging up baubles in merriment listening to carols while myself and husband Charlie enjoy a glass of mulled wine and my two daughters Lily and Ada feast on warm milk and mince pies. What actually happens is Charlie and I bicker about whether the tree is straight while the kids are pulling decorations out of boxes, literally chucking stuff everywhere as I shout: “‘No, not there’, ‘Stop’, ‘You’re going to break that’, ‘Oh look, you’ve broken that’ and ‘The tree is STILL wonky’.”
My other fear is that the Christmas crafts that my two daughters have made over the years, which I thought I had accidentally thrown out, suddenly make a reappearance. Which got me thinking, there must be some full-proof stylish craft ideas that I can recreate with Ada and Lily that will actually look good when finished and hung up around the house, or sent out as cards or gifts to friends and family… ones that won’t accidentally get broken by the pesky elf on a shelf this year! Read on to see what I found in my search for the perfect DIY decs that you can make as a family that you’ll be proud to display in your home.
DIY PAPER CHRISTMAS STARS
These paper stars made out of brown and white paper bags by Instagrammer Karin at @kaatjecom would look great in a Scandi-inspired scheme. Simply glue 12 paper bags (with open end on top) one on top of each other and, once the glue is dry, draw a zig zag pattern at the open end of the bag and cut along the line. Gently fan the paper bags out and connect and glue the first and last paper bag together to make the paper star. Hole punch the top and feed through a piece of ribbon or string to hang up the star. Try coloured paper bags for something a bit more fun if the monochrome Scandi look isn’t your bag (excuse the pun).
COLOURFUL CRAYON BAUBLES
Co-editor Charlotte and I have sat mesmerised watching various Instagram reels showcasing this latest craze - and we think the finished effect looks great! To get the look, add some wax crayon shavings into a fillable plastic bauble (try @hobbycrafthq) and pop the lid on. Place the bauble into a tray or box or hold on to the tip of it and then use a hairdryer (use a low but not cool heat setting) to melt the shavings, giving a wonderful and unique painted glass effect. The trick is to move the bauble around while you heat it with the hairdryer. Take a look at heathered_nest’s reel demonstrating how to make them or follow her step-by-step instructions over on her blog here.
SNOWMAN CHRISTMAS CARDS
The perfect craft for budding tween artists is this very cute and chic Christmas card you’ll be proud to send off to friends and family this year. Artist Dani beautifully illustrates how to recreate her design over on her Instagram account @murphylane.artdesigns – you can also purchase all the materials you need for this activity direct from her. Using two sizes of plastic bottle lids, dip each into a very wet blue watercolour paint and press one above the other onto the card. Use a paint brush with water to spread the blue into the middle of the circle. Once dry, add in some details using a very fine brush to paint the twig arms, carrot nose, red scarf and black top hat. Finally, use a fineliner to draw on the eyes and smile.
PAPER CHAIN GARLANDS
Paper chains are super easy and fun to make and mostly mess-free. Plus, they can be made out of old wallpaper samples, off-cuts of magazines and gift wrap ends that you have lying around the house. Firstly cut strips out of your paper, each strip makes one chain so try to keep them all a similar size - we recommend W2.5cm x L8cm. Take your first strip and tape, glue or staple together one end to the other to make a loop. Next, thread another strip of paper through the centre of the first loop and join the ends of this strip together using glue, tape or staple. Keep going until you have your desired length. We love the Lokta paper chain kit from Toast if you want a ready-made kit.
SALT DOUGH TREE ORNAMENTS
Using a simple salt dough recipe to create Christmas tree ornaments is a lovely way to while away an afternoon in the lead-up to Christmas. Plus, it’s a fun activity the whole family can do together. Even better, even if the decorations are a little wonky or misshapen, they’ll still look elegant when mixed in with your other more grown-up tree decs! We love these Christmas ornaments made using cookie cutters and stamps by food blogger Heather. Follow a step-by-step recipe and method over on her Curly Girl Kitchen blog here.
LEAF SANTAS
Perfect for kids who are forever foraging on weekend walks is this cute example of hand-painted leaf Santas. Made by Monika & Milan as showcased on her Instagram page, she was originally inspired by @alandalicia and @_laura_prietto. Dig out some leftover paint and some little helping hands as this is an easy craft you can do with your kids in minutes.
Want more craft ideas? Check out our autumn craft ideas post and take a look at the Nest instagram account (@nest_magazine) for co-editor Charlotte’s cool picture frame hack. Plus, if you need help on choosing what Christmas presents to buy for your loved ones, don’t miss our gift guide which has over 50 ideas for the whole family.