Holiday Craft for the Kids

Part of the excitement of preparing for the holidays includes gift-making. Homemade gifts from our children (and grandchildren) can be creative expressions of the holiday spirit and the most cherished of gifts. With that in mind, my granddaughter and I set to work on some special (we hope) gifts that kids can easily make for giving.



Decorative Holiday Jars
We assembled glass craft containers for decorating. You can also use baby food jars and small juice glasses. Our list of decorating items included:
• Red and green craft paper
• Lace
• Tiny shells
• Cut-out pieces of old holiday cards and stationery
• Grosgrain ribbon

Two of our jars were made with pieces of craft paper and holiday stationery, cut to the circumference and height of each glass. Then we simply glued the holiday stationery and craft paper onto the glass. When dry, we applied a piece of lace over top of the craft paper jar folded to the height of the glass, then glued to secure.
 

My granddaughter especially enjoyed discovering pretty shells and gluing them onto a plain piece of paper cut to the size of the glass. Once the shells were set, we glued the shell paper strip around the glass and secured till dry.
 

A juice glass was converted to a cotton swab holder by folding and gluing cutouts of holiday cards, and completed by a cutout card doily to display it on.

These jars can hold tea candles, candy, cinnamon sticks, reindeer food, or…whatever!

Contributed by Kathy Bolger, Senior Graphic Designer, Today’s Woman magazine.