Fun Holiday Art Projects to Help You Celebrate the Season
One of the best times to let your artistic talents show is during the holidays. Even if you don’t consider yourself particularly crafty, the holiday season is a great time to try your hand at some new projects, perhaps even making gifts for friends or members of your family. You can also make decorations that are just for you to display proudly around the house or in your room. No matter your skill level, these fun art projects are a sure thing.
Peace and Love in Thumbtacks
This craft is so simple you’ll only need a few supplies. Gather a craft or X-Acto® knife, foam core board, spray adhesive and a package of thumbtacks. To stay festive, gold is a great choice, or red, silver and green work well also. To make the sign, glue two pieces of foam board together (one won’t be strong enough to hold the letters). Next, find some word text art on the Internet that’s meaningful to you. Good ideas are peace, joy, love and gratitude to go along with the holidays. Choose a font that is decorative and festive – cursive make a softer statement while block print is bolder. Print out the art, and use spray adhesive to attach it to the foam board. Cut the letters out with your knife. Next, outline the letters by pushing the thumbtacks in along the border. When you’re finished with the outline, start from the outside in, filling the space with the remainder of the thumbtacks. Next, affix a wall hanging fixture to the back of your craft to hang it, or use another method to display it proudly in your room or dorm.
Personalized Mug
Create a personalized mug by buying a plain white ceramic mug and adding some indelible markers to the mix. Free-hand draw some Christmas scenes with red, green and other colors if you like. You can either personalize this mug with your name, or for someone else as a gift. If you do happen to make a mistake, no worries. Simply wipe it away with a little bit of rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball. When your personalized mug is finished, place it in the oven for 350 degrees Fahrenheit at 30 minutes. This will “set” the art you’ve drawn on it. Allow the mug to cool, give it a good handwashing, and it’s ready to use for some hot cocoa on a snowy day.
DIY Friendship Bracelet
This is a great idea to give to a friend at the holidays. Making this jewelry definitely involves a trip to the craft store, but it’s well worth it. You’ll need several spools of colored nylon thread in your choice of colors, brass wire, a wire cutter, chain, clasp ends and jump rings. Making this jewelry definitely involves a trip to the craft store, but it’s well worth it. To make the bracelet, cut a 35 cm piece of thread and tie a knot over one of the jump rings. Next, cut a different color at 70 cm and braid the two threads. When you’ve finished braiding, thread the four hanging strands through a loop on the one of the clasps. Cut and wrap wire around the ends that are hanging out, and cut the excess thread after you’ve wrapped it with the wire. Repeat this same process again to create the other side of the bracelet (the jump ring is the focal point of the bracelet). Repeat this process four more times, until you have three separate colors on two individual sides of jump rings. This one may sound a little tough, but if you look at pictures of paracord braiding, it’ll make sense in a snap. This definitely makes a great gift for your girlfriends, sisters or even for mom.
Homemade Christmas Cards
These days, it’s easy to print out great cards for free or low cost from the Internet, but take it a step further to add a really personal touch. Find a box of old, vintage Christmas cards either online or at a store, and cut out scenes from them, such as candy canes, Santa Claus and Christmas trees. Glue these scenes to your own card stock, and dazzle it up with personal touches, such as marker art, glitter and your own special message for a personalized holiday card.