Related Pages: Snowflake crafts, winter coloring pages, winter kids activities

Preschool Winter Crafts

Preschool Penguin Craft	Rainbow Ice Winter Craft	Preschool Ice Skate Craft	Pinecone Birdfeeder Craft

Winter Crafts for Kids

Sock Puppet	Winter Igloo Craft	Glove Puppets	Lacy Ice Craft

Winter Crafts for Teens & Tweens

Make Fizzie Bath Balls	Felted Sweater Mittens	Easy Felted Slippers	No Sew Slipper Socks

Be sure to check out our awesome Valentine crafts, too!

It was ambitious. It pushed my creativity. And in the end, I’ll tell you now – it ROCKED!

Over the next two weeks, I’ll be posting 11 more gift crafts that you will LOVE. Promise. And YES, kids can make all of them! They may look hard, but they aren’t! Some may be more appropriate for tweens, but nearly all of them can be made by kids as young as five. I’m seriously so proud of this series – I can’t wait to post them!

I’ll be updating this page every time a new project goes up, so bookmark it now to come back and see what’s new!

Related Pages: Printable Christmas Decorations, Printable Gift Tags, Printable Box Templates

Day 1 - Kids Modern Art Wall Plates	Day 2 - Upcycled Photo Frame	Day 3 - Super-Easy Flower Brooch
Day 4 - Anthropologie Seashell Bottles	Day 5 - A Gift for the Pets	Day 6 - Dollar Store Gilded Cake Stand
Day 7 - Easy No Sew Scarf	Day 8 - Easy Yarn Wreath	Day 9 - Easy Beaded Ribbon Necklace
Day 10 - Ballard Designs Inspired Art	Day 11 - Easy Cell Phone Case Pattern	Day 12 - Homemade Hot Chocolate Jars

Check out all of the Woo! Jr. Christmas kids activities while you are here!

This pine cone bird feeder craft is easy enough for kids to make

The hardest part of making this pine cone bird feeder craft was finding bird seed in bags of less than 5-zillion pounds!  My daughter loved it and was actually able to help quite a bit.

Related Pages: More Pinecone Crafts, Stick Crafts, Make Fairy Houses

What you need to make a simple bird feeder:

• A pine cone
• Peanut butter
  (Note – use soy butter instead if your child has a peanut allergy!)
• Ribbon
• Bird seed
• Plastic baggie

How to make a pine cone bird feeder

Start by cutting a ribbon about 24″ in length.  The idea is to make it so that squirrels can’t easily reach your delicious bird seed.  I think it’s better to attach the ribbon first so that you don’t get peanut butter and seeds everywhere later on.

Move a couple of layers from the top of the pine cone and tie the ribbon around tightly.

Next, smear peanut butter all over your pine cone bird feeder.  This part is kind of messy.  We worked to make sure we got some peanut butter in between the various layers of the pine cone for maximum bird seed coverage.

Peanut butter will make the bird seed stick to your pine cone.

Place your gooey pine cone into a bag of bird seed, hold the top shut, and shake.

(Leave the ribbon sticking out of the top of the bag so it doesn’t get covered in peanut butter.)

The seeds stick to the peanut butter to cover your pine cone.

Take it outside and hang it from a tree with the ribbon loop you created.  We put ours right outside the kitchen window so we can see if any birds come to enjoy a snack.

ETA: I may just need to face reality and rename this post “Squirrel Feeder Craft for Kids.”  *sigh*

The view that greeted me from my kitchen window this morning.

Hot Cocoa Gift Jars

My not-quite-three-year-old and I made two of these hot cocoa jar gifts in about ten minutes this morning, which worked out perfectly, since a friend unexpectedly stopped by, and we had a ready-to-go, homemade Christmas present to send home with her!

Related Pages: Christmas Rice Krispie Treats, Christmas Sugar Cookies, Printable Christmas Gift Tags

You’ll want to pick up a few extra things to make this jar gift:

• canning jars (I got used ones from a thrift store, but you can find new ones at the grocery market)
• hot cocoa mix (you can make it from scratch, but I took the easy way out!)
• mint candies
• mini marshmallows
• wax paper
• ribbon
• embellishments
• hot glue

Find everything you need for this homemade gift right at the grocery store!

Start by cutting two wax paper circles that are the same size as the interior of the jar.  They don’t have to be perfect.  They’re going to help keep your ingredients separate in their layers.

Fill the bottom one-third to one-half of the jar with your cocoa mix and place one of the wax paper circles on top.  Layer the mint candies next, followed by another wax paper circle.

Mints are a great addition to hot cocoa, and they look gorgeous in this display.

The top layer is mini marshmallows to float in the hot cooca.

Fun, colorful, and easy homemade gift in about five minutes!

Finally, decorate the jar with ribbons and other embellishments.  I had some silk poinsettias around, so I hot-glued them to the top for a festive look.

Jar gifts are pretty and you know they'll actually get used.

What I Learned the Hard Way: Hm.  This kids’ craft really was as easy as it looks.  I guess the biggest lesson learned is that my husband is in trouble for teaching the little one that marshmallows are “snowman poop.”  I got to hear that term over and over again this morning!

Remember, this is Day 12 of Twleve Days of Gifts Kids Can Make! 12 down and NO more to go!

Happy Holidays, everyone! xo

I’ve been wanting to make a yarn wreath for a while – and when I saw one on the Anthropologie website, I was inspired to finally do it! I chose this yarn specifically because it was similar to the one on their site, but you could make this in so many different colors (and multiple kinds of yarn) that would be suitable for any time of year. This would also be a great use of scrap yarn you have left over from other projects!

Related Pages: Rag Wreaths, Printable Christmas Gift Tags, Vintage Christmas Postcards

Yarn Wreath Craft

Here’s the original inspiration for a whopping $148 on Anthropologie. Yeah. Right.

Anthropologie Yarn Wreath

What You Need to Make This Yarn Wreath

Yarn – I used Bamboo Spun brand in Rose Camo found at Hobby Lobby.

A wreath form – I got mine at the dollar store.

That’s it!

How to Make This Yarn Wreath

It’s important to pull the yarn end from the inside of the skein, not the outside – trust me, it will make it much easier to wrap!

Simply tie the yarn around the wreath form and start wrapping!

Yarn Wrapped Wreath

It will work up faster if you wrap several loops at a time and then push them close together.

When you are done, tie off the yarn and trim the ends. Then wrap it up with a pretty bow to give it to grandma, mom, or it would make a great teacher gift, too!

Remember, this is Day 8 of Twleve Days of Gifts Kids Can Make! 8 down, 4 to go!

This no sew frayed scarf is one of my favorite projects from the gifts kids can make series! I made several of them for myself! I know it’s hard to find things that are actually useful that kids can make for dads. This one is good for dads and moms, depending on what kind of fabric you use. We used a super-soft plaid flannel for dad’s version, and used a light taupe linen for me. You’ll notice that the fabric flower brooch from Day 3 is made to match out of the same fabric!

Related Pages: Teen Crafts, Kids Winter Crafts, Printable Christmas Gift Tags

Scarf for Men:

Frayed No Sew Men's Scarf

Scarf for Women:

Women's No Sew Frayed Scarf

What You Need to Make the No Sew Scarf

All you need is fabric. Here’s how to find one that works for this project:

• Choose something that looks the same on both the front and back.
• Choose one that has a loose weave or woven with thicker thread.
• Choose one that is SOFT!
• If you have a Joann by you, their British Frenzy collection is beyond perfect for this project. Insanely soft and pretty! Unfortunately the fabric is so awesome that it’s sold out fast! They don’t have any left available online. :(

If you can find a fabric you like that is 56″ inches wide, then all you need is half a yard. The standard 45″ fabric width is a little short for a scarf, but doable, especially for a men’s scarf.

If you want something longer, get a yard and a half or two yards. You’ll have plenty of fabric left over for more scarves, fabric flower brooches, or other projects!

How to Make the No Sew Scarf

Cutting Fabric for the No Sew Scarf

If you are working with a plaid, you will want to cut your scarf length so that the plaid stripes are even as shown above.leave about a half an inch on either side of the plaid to unravel.

If you are working with a linen kind of fabric, you need to make sure that you straighten the grain of the fabric. You can do this by tearing the length instead of cutting it, or pull a thread through and cut along the line that thread made.

Make sure that the scarf is at least 10″ to 12″ inches wide and however long you want it to be.

Next, simply start pulling out additional threads along the sides of the scarf.

Fraying Flannel for a Scarf

You’ll probably want to do this on all four sides of the scarf, unless your selvedge edge looks presentable enough to leave it as-is. Only take enough threads out to keep it from unraveling further – about 3/8 of an inch (10mm) is enough. Anything more than that is optional, and will look pretty, but the threads get harder to remove the longer the frayed threads become.

Finished No Sew Frayed Scarf

That’s it – you’re done! If you are feeling ambitious, you can fray it more or even pull out threads further inside the fabric like this:

Fraying the Scarf in Rows

As pretty as this looks, it was definitely harder and more time consuming to do this second step. It actually took a few hours to do this on both long edges of the scarf. I’m not sure a kid would have the patience for that, but you and I probably do!

Remember, this is Day 7 of Twleve Days of Gifts Kids Can Make! 7 down, 5 to go!

This craft is so stunningly pretty, even I had a hard time believing that kids could pull this off. Creating this faux mercury glass look is as easy as using glitter – though I must admit it is just as messy. (OK, it’s actually a little messier – but it’s worth it! Promise!)

I used a dollar store clear glass items and adapted this tutorial from Dollar Store Crafts on how to make an apothecary jar.

Related Pages: DIY Modern Art Plates, Family Keepsake Plates, Snowflake Crafts

Faux Mercury Glass Cake Stand - Gifts Kids Can Make

What You Need to Make This DIY Mercury Glass Cake Stand

Safety Note: Metal leaf is very light and will blow up into the air at the very slightest air movement. I doubt the stuff is unsafe, but if you have  a child with respiratory problems, this project probably isn’t suitable for them.

A clear glass serving plate – if you can find one with a molded texture on the back, it will make the final result look even prettier!

A clear glass candle stick holder

E6000 glass glue

A soft dry paintbrush

Metal leaf – this is the same kind used for gilding. I used silver, but gold is also available. You don’t need full sheets, just a package of scrap leaf.

Leaf sizing or ModPodge. I recommend the outdoor ModPodge for this project because you may need to wash the cake stand at some point. If you use the metal leaf sizing, you will also need metal leaf sealant for your topcoat.

*Note: The finished cake stand is NOT dishwasher safe! Not even close! Get it only wet enough to clean your surfaces.

How to Make This DIY Mercury Glass Cake Stand

Wash and dry your glass pieces, and be sure to remove any price tags or stickers (and any adhesive residue left behind).

Glass cake stand parts from the dollar store

Apply your metal leaf sizing or a very thin layer of ModPodge to the BACK of the plate. You don’t want to risk your food coming into contact with your craft materials. Follow the directions on the product – mine told me to wait 30 minutes for the sizing to become sticky.

When the plate is ready, carefully sprinkle the metal leaf flakes onto the area you glued with the ModPodge or sizing.

Applying metal leaf to the back of the plate

Now take your soft dry paintbrush and simple start pressing the metal leaf onto the glass surface. This part is so much fun! It’s almost like you are painting with silver!

Brushing the metal leaf onto the back of the plate

Don’t worry if there are tiny imperfections and holes, because it just makes it look more mercury glass-ish.

I’ll warn you now. When you are done with this part, you are probably going to need one of these:

This project kinda requires a Dustbuster or vacuum cleaner!

Moving along, then…

Repeat this same process on the outside of the candle stick holder.

Here’s what you’ll have when you are done:

Finished Gilded Cake Stand Parts

Let the project dry for a little while, and then use your E6000 glue to attach the candle stick holder to the very center of the bottom of the plate. Let the glue dry overnight.

Lastly, put on 1-2 coats of Outdoor ModPodge or metal leaf sealant over the bottom of cake plate and candle stick stem. Don’t put it on top of the plate – you want that to be just plain glass so that it’s safe to be in contact with food.

And you’re done! This is SO PRETTY when it is finished – really, it looks so totally store bought, your gift recipient will NEVER guess it’s dollar store origins!

Make a Cake Stand

Remember, this is Day 6 of Twleve Days of Gifts Kids Can Make! 6 down, 6 to go!