Christmas Projects

Blog 49

This week, I finally worked on some Christmas projects which I like to present in this blog. All of them are easy, do not need a lot of equipment and materials, and require only an hour or two to finish.

The first project is a set of coasters.

I picked up a package of four black tiles and a couple of oil based Sharpies. These opaque paint markers work on almost any surface according to the manufacturer. They definitely worked well on the tiles.

The paint is quick-drying, fade, abrasion and water resistant, which is great because it allows you to wipe off the coasters.

I even tried them out on a cork coaster. I needed two coats but the design is nicely visible.

Next, I created little tree ornaments. As all of my family and most of my friends live in Germany, creating a small lightweight gift is always something on my mind. This year, I created small felt tree ornaments.

All you need are some cloth or felt pieces, fabric paint or markers, and ribbon for the hanger. You can add little pompoms or small buttons to make the little gloves even fancier.

To start, cut two identical gloves out of your cloth. If you use felt this is easy to do. If you use a cloth which has a different front than back, make sure that the back glove is reversed. Create the design on the front (or both sides) of the gloves. Once you are finished and the paint is dry, attach a second cloth piece to the back. Do not forget to pin the ribbon ends between the two felt pieces. Sew the pieces together with a topstitch in the colour of your felt.

The last project is a collage.

I cut out some inspirational and loving words from magazines. Then I took a photograph of my daughter and I and changed it with the help of Picasa to a pencil sketch before I printed it out. Picasa is a photo editing and management programme.

On a piece of watercolour paper, I created a background with colours of liquid acrylic paints, then glued the photo and the magazine cut-outs with gel medium (glue would also work) to the paper. I added some more paint, then took some watercolour pencils to colour the photo. Now, I only have to buy a frame and have a nice personal gift for my daughter. I plan to do the same for my son.

Instead of liquid acrylic paints, you can also use watercolours, markers or pencils.

I hope I gave you some ideas. Hopefully, these ideas will just be the starting point for you. When I started looking for ideas for Christmas projects online and in magazines, what I saw created a whole explosion of new ideas. The more I thought about something, the more ideas suddenly came to my mind.

I wish you lots of fun creating some unique gifts. Get the whole family involved and create some wonderful memories.