Hello! I'm popping in for a quick how-to-make-some-easy-crafts post that is family friendly and good for a crowd. When the family arrives for the holidays it's nice to have a few ideas to keep people busy if the weather gets too rainy to go outside. Puzzles are great and Christmas movies and cookie decorating are essential, but I love a good old craft! With a little help, even the youngest amoungest can craft, so let's begin!

Swedish Fabric stars are probably the most challenging of the group so probably best for older children. They are very addictive to make and can be made with any cotton fabric scraps and will look festive in any color combo. The BEST directions are HERE. My strips were 4"X16". I used quilting cotton and did not have to use clips on my star tips FYI.

This is a good craft for age three and up. For the wreath above, my grandson and I cut out the center of a plastic coffee can top, leaving a scant one inch all around, then painted it red. Next, we glued red buttons all around, sprayed it with spray glue and sprinkled with red glitter. For easy clean up we put it in a box for the spraying and glittering. Add a bow and hang on a branch, no need for a hanger. We made the white one below by using buttons of all colors, then spray painting the whole thing white before we glittered. Fun for all ages!

A tree ornament in progress.

Turn old, ugly, unloved balls into something pretty again. Use balls you no longer love or purchase some inexpensive bulbs, but use plastic if you are crafting with young children. This is genius and I wish I could give credit where credit is due, but I cannot find the site where I originally found this idea!

Remove the hangers and spray them gold. Spray the balls all around with chalkboard spray paint. I used charcoal. When they are dry, take a one gallon size plastic bag and dot the inside with a few small squeezes of gold Rub N Buff or any THICK gold paste paint. Do not attempt with regular acrylic paint that comes in a bottle as it will be too thin. Close the bag and smash the paint into the bag. Put a ball inside the bag and roll it around, smashing the paint randomly onto the ball. Take it out and look at it and repeat if it needs more gold. This is a fun one!  Other beautiful combos would be the tate green, the cream or the brown with gold. I would also love the red with silver.

These are going to be my centerpiece for a dinner party this week and then I'll hand them out as party favors.

Santa Peg Doll how to

Elf how to

A Gathering of Angels tutorial

Gnomes!