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Gift bags

brown lunch sacks with Christmas stickers and red and green marker "art".

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Wrapping Paper


a roll of plain white art paper cut into sheets and decorated with stamps, stickers, stencils, glitter or whatever.

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Stationary

buy plain white paper and envelopes and decorate

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Bookmarks

cut posterboard into appropriate sizes and decorate, even add a yarn tassle at the top.


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Pot holders

String necklaces using the gold or silver shoelaces and big dyed round and square beads--can use some with letters and spell out "Merry Christmas" or the like. You can even have kids work the booth and do custom names!

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Belt or necklace tree

Use old wooden thread spools and glue them to those straight wood hangers for a tie or belt or necklace tree. You can vary this by buying pretty knob-style cabinet pulls. The kids can color with magic markers or paint the projects.


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Candles

Buy a bunch of cheap white tapers (candles). Get about 40 or 50.  Call HearthSong (1-800-325-2502) and order 2 packs of Candle Decorating Wax. This wax will set you back less than $20, and you'll have lots left over. The decorating wax is thin sheets of beeswax which can be cut into shapes and pressed onto the tapers (or smeared thinly on the tapers). Anyway, have them make festively decorated candles (maybe in pairs).


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Tie Rack

Tie rack - made out of a covered wire coathanger

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Storage Box

Take a shoe box and cover it with an attractive material (or wrapping paper) for a personalised storage box.

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Key Holder

Key holder... Just a block of wood, varnished and with a few small hooks in the front and a brass ring on the back to hang by.

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Bookends

Bookends - could use a lot of found objects and paint/spatter

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Sachets

We made sachets last year, using potpourri filling little bags made of lace, handsewn together. Heart shape is nice. Then stitch on ruffled edging, sew on a satin rose. Very pretty!  My 5yo did this without too much of a big deal. Fill after stitching. Do use double or triple layers of thin lace to avoid leakage through the net.

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Vases

Miniature vases - We painted 1 1/2" candle cups and stuffed them with moss. We then inserted blue and white baby's breath and attached a small bow to the front. The moss and baby's breath were also glued in case it got tipped over.

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Scrubber

My gran used to have us take scraps of tulle netting (the fine stuff) and mix raw oatmeal, grated soap flakes, and food flavorings in a bowl. We would place a dollop of the mix on the netting, gather it up tightly with a rubber band, and add a nice narrow satin ribbon. You use it for scrubbing your face or other things in the bath. Dip it in the water, then scrub. It's great for removing dirt after gardening, and soothing as well from the oatmeal. I now use the same thing, only I add carnation oil or vetivert oil rather than the food flavorings of cherry, rootbeer, mint, and lemon I used to like as a girl. I still use the vanilla flavoring, tho.

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Hyacinth

Materials:
plastic rings that come off of 6-packs.

Use either floral stem wire or cut sections from metal hangers for the stem. Cut each plastic holder apart into 6 separate rings. Punch 2 holes in each circle, across from each other.  Use a nail to punch the holes. Twist each circle into a figure 8, fold in half so the holes line up and thread onto the stem. Make a little hook in 
the end of the wire, add the first plastic ring, and then pinch the hook closed to hold it in place. This is the top of your flower. Continue adding plastic rings until
your flower is as long as you want it to be - 6 or 7" is a good length. Be sure to push the rings together tightly and stagger how they go on so you get a nice full flower. Spray paint with lavender or white paint, add paper or silk leaves and you have a very pretty hyacinth. "Plant" the flower in hair spray can lids filled with plaster of Paris.


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Alphabet Book

Cut out each letter of the alphabet, in caps and lower case, from colourful paper and place them in the book, one letter to a page. Then cut pictures from greeting cards to correspond with the letters and make a collage on each page -- ie: S = Santa, snow, singing, etc. Supplement with magazine  pictures, but the greeting cards worked out the best.

If there were more than 26 pages in the book, use the extra pages to do numbers or colours or shapes etc.

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Christmas Cards Coasters

Sets of 'coasters' - you could get one per card and if you've got access to a laminater then you could laminate them.

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CHINESE KITES.

Materials:
Brightly coloured tissue paper
Hat wire (Or any strong but pliable wire)
Sellotape
String
Chalk or Crayons or stickers etc
Streamers or long strings of crepe paper

1)Cut length of wire approx 3 inches longer then width of tissue paper.
2)Decorate a piece of tissue paper with crayons, stickers etc
3)Lay the sheet of tissue paper flat on the table and fold down 3/4 inch of paper over the wire and tape it down
4)Bend the wire into a circle shape to make the mouth of the kite, twist wire to secure the circle.
5)With the ends of the wire make a loop to which you attach the string
6)Tape the length to make a cylinder
7)Tape on tails at the bottom and attch string to the wire loop.


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Decorated Pencil Boxes


Chose a fabric that you like. Apply it to the box using heat'n bond.  The box is flat and with proper supervision/assistance easy to apply. After applying the
cover we used felt & hot (low-temp) glue. Velvet could be used but it more expensive. Beads, sequins, etc. were glued to the top for decoration.  My daughter loved hers. It was done in gold lame'. Matchboxes could be used to make dividers.

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Decoupage Jewelry Boxes

Use wrapping paper with some really pretty Victorian designs. (One package of folded wrapping paper will do many, many jewelry boxes!)  Cut out the designs, lightly brush the back with Modge Podge and placed on box.  When dry (didn't take very long) brushed Modge Podge over the entire box. You can also sponge the Modge Podge on to give it a really neat, textured finish.  You can completely cover the box with the decoupage, or paint the box first then just apply a few decorative designs.

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Candle Holders

Take clay that doesn't harden (usually oil-based - available in any craft store in many colors) and roll it into little balls - as big or small as you want, but maybe 2 in. diameter. Then, smoosh the candle into it. It conforms to the candle, stays flat, doesn't burn, and then you or girls can embellish with leaves, evergreen, flowers, etc., depending on your theme. The best part is that it will never dry, you can take apart and save, redecorate, and reshape for another ceremony at another time. (If using on an expensive table cloth, put a little waxed paper under the ball.)

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Tye Dye T-Shirt

Lay the shirt out flat and grab a small pinch of it in the middle.  With this small fingerful, start twisting your hand so the shirt is twisting like a snail. When the whole thing is in a sort of snail pattern (and very tightly coiled) you really need two people to do this next step, take some large rubber bands and start putting them on the shirt to hold this snail shape.  You will need three to four rubber bands and when you have finished putting them on the shirt, they should look like and asterisk *
or a color wheel. Put your colors of dye in those plastic bottles that you use for hair dye (the ones with the pointed nozzles) and very carefully apply to your shirt using one color between each set of rubber bands. This part is really messy so be sure that everything is covered. Don't be afraid to really soak each section to make sure that you get an optimum amount of color.  Leave the shirts in their coils and rubber bands with the dye on for eight hours.  Just put each shirt in a plastic bag and let it set. After eight hours, take all the shirts in their bags to the bathtub, undo them and rinse them out until most of the excess dye is down the drain. Then, put them in the washer and wash and dry them and they should be ready to wear.

This pattern will give you a seashell pattern on the front and back of the shirt. If you would prefer a striped motif, lay the shirt out flat and fold it lengthwise accordian style very tightly and apply your rubber bands crosswise so that it looks like a segmented worm. Then apply your colors between the segments and follow the rest of the directions.


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Water Bottle Holder

Used the top, elastic part of an old tube sock and cut off the bottom.  (The socks need to still have lots of elastic in them, not baggy.) Then stitch the bottom closed. Sew a long, wide ribbon onto the top so that you can put it over your head and diagonally across your chest, and wala! A water bottle holder to go where you go!

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Holders

Metal shower curtian hooks are THE best thing for attaching anything with a handle or hole onto your belt loop. If an item (papers, small 1st aid kit,ect) doesn't have a handle or hole, put it in a ziplock bag and poke a hole in that.


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Pot Pourri

1 litre soda bottle

Cut off the bottom of the bottle. Fill it with pot pourri then glue  on a net cover. Finish off by covering the rough edges of the net (or muslin or other 'holey' fabric) with lace or ribbon.

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T-shirt Iron-Ons with Sandpaper

Materials:

Sheets of 50grit sandpaper
T-shirts
Lots of crayons
Iron
Plain paper

Take a piece of sandpaper and color a design on it (the heavier the color the better the print)

Then take the sandpaper, position on the shirt (colored side down of course)  Place the plain paper over top, and iron on (use high setting - but be careful not to burn anything).

This transfers really neat - when the crayon melts into the t-shirt is sort of gives a tye-dye effect. Looks really cool!!! And supposed to be dryer safe - but you may want to line dry the fist couple of washings.

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POMANDER

Materials:
citrus fruit (orange, lemon,... - may work with any hard fruit, e.g. apple)
whole cloves
ground cinnamon
skewer or awl
curling ribbon

Cut out about 6 lengthwise THIN wedges evenly spaced in the fruit, through the skin only.

Use the skewer to punch holes along the uncut surface of the fruit and one through the center of the fruit from end to end.

Press in cloves (except for top and bottom holes).

Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon in each wedge. Poke thoroughly with skewer to embed in fruit flesh. (Alternative is to press in cinnamon curls.)

Cut several long strands of curling ribbon. Fold in half and knot in center. Use the skewer to punch the knot through the fruit for hanging.

Make a knot at the bottom so fruit won't slip off. Curl hanging ends.

Hang in warm (dry) place until dry.

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STAIN GLASS

Materials:
Tissue wrapping paper, tracing paper, or other thin translucent/transparent paper.
Wax paper (will also need an iron), or clear contact paper.
Colored markers or other water-based color that will "soak" into the paper.

Procedure:
Trace desired design onto transparent paper. (Coloring books are a good source of simple pictures.)
Color.
Place designs (can be rough cut) between wax paper, that is in turn between layers of newspaper. Use warm iron to melt the wax and paper together.  OR
Place designs (can be rough cut) carefully onto sticky side of clear contact paper. Turn over and carefully cover the other side with contact paper. Smooth from center out to remove air bubbles and folds. If a bubble persists, it can be pricked with a needle and deflated.  Cut out the individual shapes and fasten hanging strings/threads. Result - "Stain glass" window hangers, cards, insert into Luminaria, Christmas ornaments....

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WINDOW CLINGS

You can purchase clear vinyl from most fabric stores.  Outline picture (coloring books are a good source of simple pictures) with black permanent marker.  Carefully color in with markers alternate: use acrylic paints.  Cut out design and press to window. If it won't stick, either the window is too dirty or too dry. Clean the glass and spritz a bit of water on the vinyl.

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JUGGLING BALLS, OR BEAN BAG BABY

Materials:
Colorful old socks with no holes in the toe area
Sewing needle (can be blunt tapestry or darning needles) and thread,
scissors
Small grain like rice or lentils, or for more permanence plastic ball
craft
filler

Procedure:
Cut the toe of the sock off at a distance from the toe a half inch longer than the width of the sock.  Cut out a roughly 2 inch square from the rest of the sock.  With a running stitch, gather the open end of the sock toe.  Fill sock snuggly with rice, lentils, craft filler.... Pull the opening closed and tie off.  Place the extra cut out square on top of the gathered tail and stitch down the edges. This is to make the opening area smooth and secured.  Borrow a learn-to-juggle book from the library and have a go...  OR
Add buttons, fabric, ribbons, fabric paint, etc. to make your own unique bean bag baby!

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SODA BOTTLE SPINNER
Good alternative to a pin wheel to hang in the yard.

Materials:
Soda bottle
wire or string
tools - drill, scissors, knife, permanent markers, acrylic paints
(fabric paints work)

Procedure:
Cut 3-5 evenly spaced curved lines (all in same direction) lengthwise into the long straight side of the soda bottle. Younger girls will need help here.  Bend these outwards slightly. These are the fins that will catch the wind and make the bottle spin on the long axis.  Optional - Cut off the uneven bottle base.  Drill a hole into the center of the bottle cap for hanging with the string/wire.  Decorate bottle with paints, permanent markers, glued on things....

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BEGINNING SEWING SAMPLER OUTLINE
(attachment)

Beginning (quick overview)-
Safety
Tools (scissors, needles, thread, iron...)
Sewing terms (seam allowance, hem...)
Preparation and start

Basic sewing (used to darn & sew squares together)-
Running stitch (basting and "weak" seams)
Back stitch (seaming)
Whip stitch (edging raw seams, appliqué)

Basic mending-
Button-hole stitch* (decorative edging small -button hole, or large -blanket)
Sew on button, snap*
Repair tear*
Repair hole*
Appliqué*
*featured on sampler squares

Sewing machine (used to seam & decorate)-
How to operate safely

Basic decorative stitches (embellish squares with simple designs)-
Line stitch
Chain stitch (lazy daisy)
Satin stitch (filling in an area)
Cross stitch (mention herringbone)
French knot

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PICTURE FRAME

You need: Card board (of any color)
tissue paper (different colors)
modge podge

1) cut out a "picture frame" out of the cardboard (about the size of  the picture that you would like to put in your frame)
2) rip up the tissue paper into pieces the size of a quater
3) Put the modge podge on the frame
4) stick a piece of tissue paper over the modge podge (you can overlap the tissue paper too...i think that it looks better if you do)
5) keep doing this until the whole cardboard frame is covered
6) then went you have the whole frame covered spread the modge podge on top
of all of the pieces of tissue paper
7) Now u r ready to put a picture inside your frame and share it

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CANDLE HOLDER

candle
crayons
jar
water
color dye
matches or lighter
parent supervision

1. peel off the paper of about 10 different colored crayons.
2. get a glass jar
3. get a candle that fits tightly in the jar
4. light the candle and and hold a crayon right over the flame
5. let the wax drip all over the glass.
6. if u want, u can add even more colors.
7. when you are done, take out the candle and fill the jar up with water.  make sure to leave some area between the top of the jar and the water.
8. put color dye in it of any color
9. melt wax on it so that you have a covor for it.
10. stick a candle in the wax
11. you're done!
Fall Placemats

1 Yard of Muslin (Makes 4 placemats)

Cut fabric in half then half again.

Roll over ends 1/4 inch and press with iron on Cotton setting. Fold over again and do the same. Pin corners down so they stay put.  Do this to all 4 sides on each piece.

Sew the hem down on each placemat. Then have kids decorate using paints.  They can use apples cut in half, corn on the cob, leaves or anything you can think of that makes a nice pattern.

Let dry and then iron to set the paint.

Have fun!

p.s. we used a matchbox car's wheels to make a nice cross hatch pattern


Apple Printed Potholders

Apples- sliced in half with seeds removed
9x9-inch muslin squares or any other 100% cotton fabric
9x9-inch piece of batting
Fabric paint- 2 colors are best
Small brushes or paper plate
Newspapers
Iron
Embroidery hoop
Embroidery needle
Quilting thread
Bias binding (tape)


Lay out newspaper to protect your work surface. Make sure your 9x9 inch piece of fabric is free of wrinkles. If not, lightly iron. You can use paper plates for the paints-this will make it easier to coat the apple with paint. Paint the cut edge of a dried apple half. Print 9 apples on your 9x9-inch piece of fabric. Alternate colors for a fun look. Paint one side of a seed brown and print on the printed DRIED apples. When you are finished painting and the paint is dry, lay the fabric facedown on paper towels and on the cotton setting lightly iron the fabric. This will set your design. Sandwich the pot-holder top, batting, and backing together with the
batting on the inside. Baste the edges. Place the fabrics in an embrodiery hoop and sew around each apple print, stitiching through all 3 layers. Sew bias tape around the edges for the finishing.

I use pieces of (old and worn) bath towels instead of polyester batting in my potholders. I have found the towel to be thicker and more protection when picking up something hot in the kitchen. Plus, who doesn't have an old, worn towel that they could cut up. Apple Printing can be used in other ways, too! My daughter and her
children apple-printed on blank note cards. They tied them together with natural raffia bows...in bundles of 10 note cards/10 envelopes, and the end result was gift shop-quality!!! Since the printing process went quickly, the children were able to make enough gifts for all of the grandmothers and aunts...for Christmas!