I’ve been keeping a look out for last-minute, non-food crafting or just making ideas. This is actually remarkably hard. I’m not looking to make decorations, necessarily; I want week-of-Christmas activities.
Oh, and I don’t knit.
So what about these paper drops ornaments? Simple. Elegant.
Try some fancy paper!
Around Christmas I was out shopping and saw a pair of tree earrings made of crystals just like these and immediately fell in love: they are festive but not gaudy. They were a little more than I wanted to spend on a Christmas bauble, though. I figured I’d look for them after the holiday on sale and could put them away for next year. (There’s always next year!)
Etsy to the rescue. I found several users selling earrings like these and many of them marked down. This particular pair of earrings from NewLifeDesigns were the most like what I envisioned, so I ordered them. They arrived just as I was packing away my decorations, so I placed them in one of the boxes (hopefully I’ll be surprised later). The earrings are lovely in person, and I had a great experience with the seller as well.
Here are some lovely ideas from the Los Angeles Times: 50 ways to make your holiday gifts homemade.
Not only are homemade gifts less expensive, they also capture the spirit of holiday giving in a way that purchased gifts simply can’t. And if you consider the ubiquitous traffic and holiday crowds, a leisurely morning spent baking breadsticks or whipping up a batch of homemade marshmallows seems positively Zen-like by comparison.
All of the gifts are food-related, from cookies to a winter soup starter. I love the idea of food as gifts, especially sweets.
I’ve always loved the idea of cookie cutter ornaments, because sometimes they are just to pretty to keep in a drawer. Try out this ornament craft from Martha Stewart.
They also have a wide variety of additional ornament craft ideas.
Moo is a printing company based in London which will make lovely products (cards, business cards) from your photos on Flickr or Facebook or Bebo. They also offer their own designs. For the upcoming season, they’ve got Christmas & Holiday Cards in addition to their regular lineup.
Since every card in your pack can be different, you can send personalized greetings to your friends and family. As a bonus, MOO is making a donation for each pack sold to WSPA – World Society for the Protection of Animals.
I was already thinking of making my Christmas cards with MOO, so this is a bonus!