Recycled Greeting Card Ornament

Recycled Greeting Card Ornament

Ages: 3 and up (with parental supervision while cutting)

Parental Supervision Recommended

Difficulty: * * * * *

Time: 20 to 30 minutes

Don’t know what to do with your old holiday greeting cards?  Upcycle those old cards into pretty holiday ornaments!  Decorate your tree with them or use them as gift box decorations.  Parental supervision is recommended for children who are still learning to use scissors.

Materials Needed (located at your favorite craft store):

• The front of a greeting card (part with the picture)
• 2 metal brads
• String
• Hole punch
• Scissors

How-To Instructions:

1. Take your greeting card and cut it into 1-inch strips (for a total of about 6-7 strips).
2. Punch a hole in the end of each strip, about ¼-inch from each end.
3. After the holes are punched, stack the strips on top of one another all facing the same direction.
4. Insert a brad in each end so that the top “button” part of the brad is on the same side of the card with the picture.
5. Now gently spread out the strips until they begin to form a ball.
6. Loop some string around one of the brads if you want to be able to hang your ornament from your tree or attach it to a gift.  These ornaments even “unfold” for easy storage until next year!

Pom Pom Ornament

Pom Pom Ornament

Ages: 4 and up

Parental supervision recommended

Difficulty: * * * * *

Time: 15-30 minutes

Anyone can enjoy this fun, easy, and beautiful ornament for the holidays.  Keep them for your own tree or give them as gifts!  Be careful with the pins and ask your parents to help if you have any trouble.

Materials Needed (located at your favorite craft store):

• Styrofoam balls (found in the floral arranging section of the craft store)
• A bag of mid-sized pom poms (the smaller the pom poms, the more pin you can see)
• Straight pins
• Colorful ribbon

How-to Steps:

1. Stick a straight pin directly through the center of a pom pom.
2. Stick that same pin into the Styrofoam ball.
3.  You can create a pattern with your pom poms or make them random.  Following steps 1 and 2, continue until the ball is covered except for one, final spot. 
4. Choose your final pom pom.  Cut a length of ribbon long enough that your ornament can hang on the tree.  Stick a straight pin through a loop of ribbon, then stick a pom pom onto the same pin.  Now, pin to the Styrofoam ball.
5. You can create lots of different patterns, color combinations, and sizes depending on the type of pom poms you choose.  Just remember:  the fluffier the pom pom, the fluffier your ornament!

Reindeer Bookmark

Reindeer Book Mark

Ages: 2 and up

Some parental assistance may be required

Difficulty: *****

Time:  5-10 minutes

Cute as can be and couldn’t be easier, this craft is a great gift idea for your favorite reader.  Easy to make using common household items, you can whip up a whole herd of these adorable reindeer in just a few minutes. 

Materials needed:

• Paper (Card stock or light weight cardboard work well)
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Ribbon
• Markers (Brown, Black, Red)
• Optional:  Google eyes
• Red felt circle or pom-pom
• Brown inkpad

How-to steps:

1. Cut paper to size desired for book mark or card
2. Color pad of thumb with brown water color marker or use brown ink pad
3. Press thumb to the paper quickly before the ink dries
4. Draw eyes, nose, mouth and antlers with markers.  Don’t forget to add your favorite message!
5. Punch hole in top and attach ribbon

Magazine Beads

Magazine Beads

Ages: 10 and up

Parental supervision recommended

Difficulty: * * * * *

Time: 1 ½ hours hands-on; drying overnight

This craft is hands-on bead-making from old magazines; the beads can be used to make necklaces, bracelets, or earrings. Below are a list of materials and directions on how to make magazine beads!  You may need a parent or guardian to help you with the sticky stuff.

Materials Needed (located at your favorite craft store):

• 3-5 leftover glossy magazines with colorful pictures
• Ruler
• Pen
• Scissors
• Glue
• Modge Podge (or a 50/50 mixture of glue and water)
• Skinny wooden rod (like a chop stick)

How-to Steps:

1. Spend time searching for the brightest pictures in the magazines.
2. Use the ruler to measure a six-inch tall skinny triangle with a 1-inch base over a colorful picture; cut it out; repeat until you have 10-20 skinny triangle strips, or however many you need for your project.
3. Starting at the wide part, roll one triangle tightly around the wooden rod, gluing the end you start with and the last point; repeat with all strips/triangles. You may have to hold the end for a few seconds to get it to stay.
4. Paint Modge Podge lightly over each bead and let dry over night.
5. Remove beads from rod and enjoy! String from rope or use your imagination!