After a stressful season of exams and projects, one of the best ways to unwind is to scratch your creative brain. There’s no better way to achieve this than to attempt some holiday crafts. Whether they be gifts or decorations to honor the holiday season, making something yourself adds a personal touch. As a bonus, if using items already owned or thrifted, your projects become more environmentally and economically friendly. No matter what holidays you may celebrate, here are some ways to get crafty during winter break.
Garlands galore
A type of craft that leaves a lot of room for variation is garlands. Aside from the tradition of stringing popcorn and cranberries together — a common decoration which dates back to Williamsburg in 1842 — another food-related option is a garland composed of dried oranges. This is a craft anyone should be able to execute as long as they have oranges, string and an oven.
Another variation that is slightly more complicated is a clay star garland. The clay itself can be made by mixing cornstarch, baking soda and water over heat. To make the stars with more ease, you can purchase a small star cookie cutter, but otherwise, the craft only requires some common household items. The clay recipe could also be used to make homemade ornaments.
If you have an abundance of spare ribbon, felt or fabric around, the perfect decoration to make is a bow garland. While the easiest way to connect the bows is by hot gluing the sides together, interlocking the bows while forming them would also achieve the same result. This craft is a terrific addition to hang on a mantle or anywhere that needs some extra flair.
Lastly, although not technically a garland, paper chains have recently taken social media by storm. The idea of having unique and homemade holiday decorations is all the rage right now, and honestly, the trend can be a great way to advocate for under-consumption. If you don’t have any paper to make chains with, before buying new, consider checking thrift stores and seeing if there are any craft exchange centers near you selling pre-owned supplies.
These kinds of crafts are currently being labeled as the “‘Little Women’ aesthetic,” modeling the addition of more color and eclectic decorations after the 2019 adaptation of Little Women. Showing people how to unlock their creativity and frugalness is a refreshing change of pace from the internet’s usual mainstream content, especially considering the rampant consumeristic behaviors that traditionally accompany the holiday season.
Fabric fun
Another fun trend you can find in copious amounts on Pinterest and Instagram is patchwork sweatshirts. If you have some fabric, thread, a sewing needle and a blank piece of clothing, now is the perfect time to customize some clothes for yourself. You can also make a fun holiday-themed patchwork piece to wear to seasonal events and show off your fun fashion.
If you celebrate Christmas and revel in decorating your tree with a variety of ornaments, take the time to make your own with some leftover felt. Once again, this would require some sewing supplies, ribbon and stuffing for the ornaments, but all the supplies should be relatively inexpensive and easy to locate. This craft leaves a lot of room for customization if you want to do your own thing, or you can follow a specific design tutorial.
Pretty paper
It’s time to go back to your elementary school roots this season and make some paper snowflakes. The tutorials to execute these are endless and only require some paper and scissors. By folding paper and cutting different shapes, these crafts transform into the winter ambiance you didn’t know you were missing in your home.
A slightly more complicated step-up from snowflakes is paper stars. There are a variety of ways to go about making them but each results in a cute addition to the rest of your decorations. If you want a pop of color, you can always mix and match the colors of paper you use for the stars, or you can go completely monochrome for a classical feel.
If you are partaking in giving your loved ones gifts and want to add some extra personalization, look no further than customizing the packaging you give the gifts in. If wrapping, you can buy plain wrapping paper and add your own illustrations to make them unique to each recipient. Or, if placing your gift in a paper bag, you can do the same and try transforming the simple brown bag into a gingerbread house.
