The Holiday Guide 2012: DIY Christmas Projects.

I've always been a *quick* crafter. I like projects that move along quickly, instantly gratify, and can involve little (highly distractable and messy) hands.

[personalized from minted.com]

Here are some of our DIY projects for the season...and a few we have on our radar for season's to come!

Homemade Christmas Cards
These cards were inspired by a (very expensive) set of Christmas cards we saw at Indigo a few weeks ago...

We made cards and tags with paper, pencils, stickers and washi tape. These couldn't have been easier or more mess free.

I traced a shape with a pencil. Winnie filled it in with sparkly stickers or washi tape (I had to help a bit with the washi tape) and then we erased the pencils lines. We made mostly trees but also some wreaths and stars.

A few other fun card/tag projects...

[pictures: pinterest]
I love the idea of using old books or newspapers, old pictures, leftover scraps of fabric, etc to make one of a kind cards:)

Ornaments
I plan on making a big batch of these ornaments from the blog: Katy Elliot.
She also, very ingeniously, uses these cinnamon scented ornaments as tags. How nice would it be to get a package that smelled of cinnamon?!

Decor
Last year we decorated with a lot of red and orange and green. We dried and candied oranges for our banister...

This year the theme is red, pink and white.

So far, I have made some red, white and hot pink felt poinsettias for the bannisters:

I think they'll look even better when we get the lights twisted into the garland!

Winnie and I put up this white doily tree in our sunroom...

We also whipped up some felt mistletoe...now pinned up in the corners of the house...

Today, I'm going to run out and grab a few extra embroidery hoops and fresh evergreen boughs. Using leftover red ribbon, I plan to make big single wreaths like these (from Martha Stewart) for all of the windows on our main floor.

I like to include some Christmas decor crafts in our advent calendar. I'll be sure to post them as we go and include pics of our *finished* red, white and pink themed house!

Wrapping Paper
We made THIS home made wrapping paper a couple of years ago. It was SO much fun!

Here are some more great wrapping paper ideas!

And......a holiday crafting E-book!!

A Hip Handmade Holiday

A Hip Handmade Holiday is a digital craft book. When you purchase the book you will receive a 150+ page pdf that includes 18 craft projects, 9 instructional videos and over 100 printable gift tags, stickers, stencils, labels, and patterns.

Our book includes projects for all levels of crafters plus we offer pro-tips, short cuts for quicker crafting, and pointers on how to make each craft your own.

It's getting rave reviews.....

Happy Holiday Crafting!

PS If you aren't a crafter, The Mulberry Winter Fair and Fat Goose Craft Fair are happening this weekend. Lots of handmade goodness to enjoy!