Upcycled Christmas Cards: Garland!

I have hundreds of Christmas cards from years gone by.  I just can't recycle them, yet they are clogging up drawers, desks, and bags here and there in my house.  I was brainstorming ideas on how to use them in a craft project.  So, I came up with garland.  

Grab a pencil and a round item that you can use to trace the area you want to cut out.  I used the top of a small round plastic to go container.  A lid or rim of a cup would work, too.  Outline the area to be cut.  I had my kids do the cutting; although not perfectly straight, it adds a cute touch knowing that they helped with the project.  

Select some beautiful ribbon.  I had some pretty red satin ribbon with gold snowflakes on it, so I used that.  I did not pre-cut, I just unrolled a bit and started gluing.  Put a spot of hot glue directly on one side of the ribbon and adhere one of the card cut-outs.  Leave about a 2-3 inch space between each one.  I glued 3 and then reversed the ribbon and glued 3 more on the backsides, too.  That way, when you hang the garland, you won't have to worry about hanging it just right so the back doesn't show.  

Continue this process until you have used all your cutouts.  I ended up gluing 42 circles, or 21 two-sided sections.  I added it to our tree, but I think it would look equally cute across the top of a window or on the wall.  You could even mount it and use clothespins to hold cards from this year!

                           

Lego Snow Globes!

Tons of blogs have DIY snow globes.  I was excited to try this with the kiddos, but wanted to bring a fresh spin to the project for readers.  I came up with the idea for them to be Lego-centered.  We went to our local Lego shop and they all picked out the minifigure of their choice.  We came up with Jack Sparrow, a skiing girl, and Indiana Jones.  I am so pleased with the way they came out!

Here is what you'll need:

Distilled water
Mineral oil
Artificial trees (easily found at the dollar store or craft store)
Artificial snow
Glitter
Plumber's tape
A jar (I used old food bottles, like those used for pickles and olives, but mason jars work great, too)
Hot glue gun
                                     

Clean and dry your jar (if needed).  Heat the glue gun.  If the minifig your child has chosen has removable parts, be sure to put a dab of hot glue to secure those to the figure.  While drying, hot glue your tree to the lid of the jar.  Feel free to trim the tree a bit if you are using a smaller jar.  Then, glue your minifig to the lid, next to your tree.

In your jar, add distilled water and about 1/2 ounce of mineral oil.  Do not fill to the top; leave a 1 inch space.  Add the artificial snow (about a tablespoon, a little goes a LONG way!).  Add glitter (again, a little goes a long way).  Around the rim of the jar, add a strip of plumber's tape (this helps create a better seal on the jar).

Carefully insert the lid and screw tightly.  Invert and watch the magic happen!  You may have a drip or two; wipe dry and shake gently again.  If this continues to happen, you may need to add a little more plumber's tape.

Craft Spotlight: Upcycled Christmas Light Ornaments

By Meg Hodson

I am an avid recycler and try to be a good role model for my children when it comes to conserving and recycling.  So, when we were recently decorating our Christmas tree, we were testing our lights and inevitably, many needed replacing.  I gazed at the pile of colored bulbs on our counter, not wanting to just throw them away.  Then a great idea struck me.

I have always loved to tie ornaments or other small trinkets to presents.  I will usually buy a package of small bulbs strictly for this purpose.  But looking at these old bulbs, I decided to play with the idea of using them instead.  I am very excited about the results!

To make them sparkle (and to get the kids involved with this project), I had them coat each bulb heavily with a glue stick.  (The bulbs I had are the C7 old-fashioned bulbs, but the C9's should work equally as well) Then, I gently rolled them in small cups of glitter.  I found, through experimentation, that matching bulb to glitter color worked best, in case there were microscopic areas that were missed by glitter. So, I chose green on green, red on red, and used white with silver.  To let them dry, I used a cookie cooling rack and set them upright in the holes.  I did not use a craft sealant of any kind on these, but they are a little delicate and I think it would be a good idea.

Once dry, have your hot glue gun ready and ribbon of your choice (I used 1/4 inch wide single face satin).  First, cut off a strand and glue the ends on opposites side of the end of the bulb (see photo below).  Let dry for a minute and cut another strand to tie a bow across the end of the bulb.

                         Tweet

And you're done!  They look positively adorable on gifts and equally adorable hanging on the tree. Have fun!

          

Let's Get Crafty: Christmas Ball Wreath

By Meg Hodson

When Martha Stewart was first on the scene, this was one of the first craft projects I watched her make.  So, my sister and I tackled it, and it turned out great.  As I was coming up with good ideas for kid craft projects for the blog, this one crossed my mind.  But to personalize it on the kids' level, I added a twist.

Each of my three children had one ornament to personalize.They drew a picture, wrote their name on the ornament in permanent marker (supervised, of course!), or whatever they wanted to do to that one ornament.

                 

So, for this project, here is the list of what you will need:

Kids Christmas Ball Ornament Wreath

Wreath Frame (9-12 inch diameter, a foam or willow straw frame is best)

Lots of ball ornaments (readily available at the dollar store or Target)

Glue gun (to be used by adults only)

Permanent markets (like a Sharpie, but the dollar store has good knock-offs)

I started by gluing the three personalized ornaments the kids completed. I spaced them evenly apart on the wreath.

 

Then, begin hot gluing the remaining ornaments.  I began by gluing some of the large ornaments in a "zig zag" pattern around the top of the wreath (see photo below).  The kids can participate, but I apply the glue, then they hold the ornaments in place.  Then, continue gluing until the inner and outer sides are completely covered.  Some of these side ornaments will be glued to the wreath form; as it begins to fill up, you will need to apply glue on the ornaments themselves and glue them together to fill the gaps.

If desired, you can hot glue a pre-tied bow at the bottom center of the wreath.  You could even add a small ornament or sign in lieu of the ribbon.  

Although strong, this wreath is very fragile, so handle with care.  I recommend one of those wreath boxes to store it in.  For hanging, use a metal wreath hanger that goes over the door.  I even add a few glue dots behind the lower back portion of the wreath so it doesn't bang against the door.