5 Homemade Holiday Crafts

Looking for a great holiday gift with a personal touch, or just something to do with the kids for the holiday season? Here are five great ideas to keep the kids entertained and make your house festive for the season.

1. Painted glassware

Those popular painted wine glasses always make a great gift for any occasion. This holiday, kids and adults alike can personalize any type of glassware for a low cost. Materials necessary to complete this project include glassware to paint, and several colors of glass paint. One popular brand is FolkArt Enamels. It is dishwasher safe, and can be purchased at for fewer than three dollars. The glass, plate, or a dish can be purchased for a low cost at or the Dollar Store.

To begin, lay down newspaper. It is important to remember that this paint does not come off clothes or anything else that it may come in contact with. Next, simply plan out a design and apply it to the glassware.  If you are painting clear glass, tape a picture to the opposite side, and trace the design for a more accurate and precise design on your glassware.

After the design has been completed, allow the glassware to dry in a well ventilated area. In order to make the paint dishwasher safe, the glassware should be baked in the oven following the instructions on the paint.  Although this paint is safe to use on glassware, and is not harmful, it should be used mainly on the part of the glassware that will not come in direct contact with food or beverage.

2. Paper Snowflakes

Paper snowflakes are a timeless and delicate way to bring the beauty of snow indoors. This quick and easy craft project makes the perfect gift or decoration for a Christmas tree.

The only materials necessary for this project are square pieces of paper and a pair of scissors. The first step is to fold the paper.  Click the pictures attached to this article to see the steps.

1. It should be folded once down the center diagonally.

2. Fold the two outside corners down into the middle

3. Fold the paper in half again.

The next step is to cut out the snowflakes. Included in the photo album are three patterns to start out.

These snowflakes can be hung from the ceiling, taped to a window, or used as a holiday card. To make them even more festive, sprinkle some glitter on one side.

3. Clay Beads

Clay beads are an easy and fun craft for people of all ages. They can be strung to garnish a Christmas tree, or hung around a doorway or wreath. Clay beads can also be used to make a necklace or an ornament and given as a gift.

Materials necessary to make clay beads are clay from a craft store, waxed paper, toothpicks, and an oven. The clay must be oven bake clay, and it can be purchased at Michaels for roughly three dollars per color. One package of this clay will make hundreds of beads, depending on size, and it is available in all different colors.

There are several techniques to making different types of beads. One method is to roll out one piece of clay into a long strand. Next, another color should be rolled flat, and then wrapped around the first color. This technique is similar to making a sushi roll. When the clay is sliced, the bead will be layers of color, similar to a piece of sushi.

Small cookie cutters can also be used to create interesting shapes in these beads, and they can also be rolled out into ball shapes with swirling colors, similar to a marble. A toothpick should be used to poke a hole into each bead.

After the beads are sculpted, they must be laid out on waxed paper and put into the oven for about 20 minutes. Exact directions are on the package of clay.

4. Gingerbread Paper Dolls

Decorating paper dolls is a fun indoor activity for children, but gingerbread paper dolls are a festive way to decorate for Christmas and display a child's creativity at the same time. Materials needed for this project are a brown paper bag, scissors, and crayons.  A brown paper bag can usually be found at Market Basket for free, and depending on size, this can make about ten paper gingerbread men.

The first step is to cut the paper bag so it is one piece of flat paper. It can be as long as desired, but should be about six inches tall. Next, the paper should be folded back and forth, in a zig zag method so it is about three inches by six inches. View the photo album for a picture demonstrating this.

On the top piece, trace a gingerbread man shape and cut it out, through all the pieces of paper. It is important that the gingerbread man's arms touch the sides of the paper, and are not cut completely out. If his arms are cut out, then each man will separate from the chain, and they will not hold hands and be joined together.

Decorate the men with crayon. Any color, including white crayon should show up on the brown paper, making the men look like authentic gingerbread men.

The chain can be hung on any wall, or wrapped around a Christmas tree to add a festive, hand made decoration to any home for the holidays.

5. Home made Soap

Soap making is an easy craft, and can be personalized to make a great gift for any occasion. Soap making kits are a great way to get started, and can be purchased for about twenty dollars at a craft store. There are two ways to make soap. One includes the chemical process of turning lye into soap. This is a dangerous and time consuming project.

The suggested method of soap making includes melting down plain, white and odorless soap, adding color and scent, and molding it into a fun shape. In order to do this, plain soap, dye, scent, a mold, and a microwave are needed. All of these materials will cost about twenty dollars, so it is smart to purchase a kit. Some of these things can be found around the house, and could save money. For example, an old ice cube tray in fun shapes or a muffin tin could be used as a mold, as long as they are no longer used to make food. To begin, put the 'raw' soap into the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. When it is melted down to liquid, scent and color should be added as desired. The liquid soap should then be poured into a mold.

After about 30 minutes to an hour, the soap can be easily popped out of the mold. The soap can then be wrapped and given as a gift.