3 Christmas Gifts For Crafty Babes

If you’re looking for an alternative to store-bought Christmas gifts this year, we’ve got you covered.

Famously, corporations capitalize on Christmas. We’re encouraged to spend, spend, spend. If we really love our Grandma, we’ll cash out on that cashmere sweater for her, right? If our best friend is really our best friend, we’ll grab her a top-brand beauty set in the Black Friday sales, won’t we?

This assumption is not only dangerous for our wallets- it’s dangerous for our mental health, too. Last year, a UK study found that Christmas harms the mental health of nearly a quarter of the British public.

We’ve compiled a list of gifts you can make yourself and give to your mom/dad/sister/cat (no judgement here). For a deconstructed bonus idea, you can gift the materials for the DIY and give your friend an activity to do on these cold winter days. Win-win!

Cross-Stitch Creation

What you’ll need:

• 1 cross-stitch hoop
• 1 embroidery needle
• Cotton or embroidery thread
• Embroidery pattern of your choosing (there are lots of downloadable patterns online)
• Cross stitch material (linen or aida usually works best)
• Scissors 

Place the material inside the hoop and tighten it using the brass screw on the hoop. Thread your needle and begin your cross stitch, following the stitches laid out on the pattern. Make diagonal stitches in an ‘X’ shape and continue this until complete. Once you’ve finished the pattern, you can snip off the spare edges and display your creation.

(If this description was too simplistic, don’t worry- there are loads of beginners YouTube tutorials out there. Happy stitching!)

A Classic Christmas Wreath

What you’ll need:

• Gardening gloves
• A thin wire (garden wire would be best)
• A variety of foliage
• Extra Christmas decorations
• Transparent thread, if needed

Put on your gardening gloves to prevent injury. Begin by creating a circle with your garden wire, to whatever size you like. Make sure that there are extra lengths of wire left when you’ve created your circle (think of a rollercoaster loop-the-loop shape). To finish your initial circle, tightly wrap the extra lengths of wire around the wire circle to secure them. 

Cut some more wire (enough to make an extra circle), and beginning at the thickest part of your initial circle, wrap the wire around (in a barbed-wire type weave). This will reinforce your wreath base. When the two ends meet, wrap them tightly around the initial circle. Repeat this step 3-4 times, until your wreath based is steady and reinforced.

From here, use some creative liberties. Place your foliage into the gaps in the wire wreath and continue until your wreath is complete. Green foliage with a touch of seasonal sparkle (use glitter if you’re feeling brave) will make it pop. If you’re having difficulty securing the foliage and decorations, using a thinner, transparent wire (often called beauty wire) will secure them in place. Place your Christmas decorations for a final touch, and you’re done! 

Blizzarding Baubles

What you’ll need:

• Plain Christmas baubles (if you don’t have these at home, they can be purchased cheaply online. An alternative is painting an old Christmas bauble white for your new design)
• Acrylic paint (in the colors of your choosing)
• Glitter
• Extra Christmas decorations

The beauty of these is that they’re so versatile. You can paint your bauble with any design- from a snowman in a blizzard, to cute dog in reindeer antlers. If you’re stuck for ideas, there’s lots of inspiration online. Just don’t forget the glitter for that extra Christmas touch!

So there you go- three versatile, hands-on Christmas crafts to keep you (or your giftee) busy this festive season. When you’re getting all the thanks on Christmas morning, you won’t have to reveal the source of your ideas. We won’t tell if you don’t!

Top image via: The Appliance Judge

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