80 Easy Christmas Crafts 2021 - Simple DIY Holiday Craft Ideas

2022-07-30 10:16:57 By : Mr. Lincoln Wang

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Easy, fun, and festive DIY ideas that the whole family will enjoy!

'Tis the season for Christmas crafts! As the holidays approach, get creative with family time and have kids, teens, and adults try their hands at making some of these fun and festive DIYs. We're talking simple do-it-yourself Christmas projects that don't require tons of supplies, and that you can finish up in an afternoon — then display all season long to bring serious holiday cheer to every room of your house.

If homemade holiday decorations are your thing, you're in luck. From traditional Christmas home decor to fresh and trendy ideas guests will love (citrus napkin rings, anyone?), we've got tutorials for all the DIY decorative wreaths, garlands, Christmas stockings, and table centerpieces you could ever want.

Trying to waste less ahead of the new year? Repurpose mason jar lids, straws, and fabric scraps to make beautiful new holiday displays. Or, skip buying an expensive advent calendar and make your own whimsical version using a ladder or matchboxes. Not only do family members still get to have all the fun of counting down the days, but there's also the added excitement of putting it together first.

And for those inevitable snow days when kids start getting antsy stuck at home, you can keep the whole family safe and occupied inside by making unique homemade ornaments. Use them to decorate your tree at home or opt to give them as gifts to grandparents, teachers, and friends. Plus, creative new ways to display holiday cards and packages, and pretty present topper ideas for sprucing up the gifts underneath your tree. Ready, set, craft!

Here's what you'll need for this a-door-able DIY wreath: A foam wreath form, about 10 wrapped mini gift boxes, various gift bows, and a fun figurine of your choice.

Attach bows with hot glue, then attach some of the larger gift boxes, making sure they are spaced out. Fill in empty spaces with more bows, and create gift "piles" by gluing a few small boxes on top of the larger ones. Complete your wreath by gluing on your figurine and giving it a Santa hat.

Use vintage, new, or last year's Christmas cards for this incredibly easy DIY. Just assemble your cards of choice in a tree shape on a blank wall, and place a galvanized bucket at the base for collecting new holiday letters and packages.

This simple Christmas tree garland is easy for kids to help make! First, cut triangles out of cardstock and hot-glue felt onto each piece. Then, glue to clothespins, clip to string, and hang for instant cheer.

Hot glue styrofoam balls in a mix of sizes onto a wreath form, overlapping to fill in any gaps. Once dry, hot glue a festive bow at the top. Hang using matching ribbon or wire.

Make sure Santa's elves know exactly where to leave the presents with this mini elf door ornament.

Get the Elf Door Ornament tutorial.

Even if you live somewhere that hasn't seen a speck of snow since, well, ever, these gorgeous (and easy!) homemade snowflakes will make you feel like you're in the middle of a winter wonderland.

Get the Homemade Snowflake Ornaments tutorial.

Make the most of your Christmas craft sessions with this stunning centerpiece that doubles as a card holder so you can showcase all of your holiday letters and Christmas cards.

Get the Crafted Metal Epergne tutorial.

Paper snowflakes adorn this pretty blue-and-white winter wonderland wreath.

Get the Winter Wonderland Wreath tutorial.

Gather up some Christmas-themed ornaments to make a few DIY'd ornaments. Trace the cookie cutters onto patterned paper and cut them out. Place a small line of glue around the edge of the cookie cutter and place cut paper on top, lining up all of the edges and let it dry. Attach a small loop of cord to the back of the ornament, let dry, and hang.

This is a great way to display all of the Christmas cards you get. Cut three pieces of garland to desired length (we used a longer one in the center). Wrap the top of each garland around a wooden hanger, securing with hot glue and let it dry. Hang it up on the wall and use clothespins to secure the cards.

This sparkling star ornament is guaranteed to spread Christmas magic.

Carefully push whole and halved toothpicks into a 1.5-inch foam ball. Then apply one or two coats of silver spray paint. While still wet, dust fine silver glitter over the ornament. Once dry, use a dab of hot glue to attach a string for hanging.

These cute little yarn caps can be hung from doorknobs or your Christmas tree to add a crafty element.

Get the Knit Cap Ornament tutorial.

If you've got extra mason jar lids laying around, this craft will be pretty easy to make. (You'll need 15.)

Take two jar lids and attach them together by wrapping wire around the middle where they touch. Cut the wire and tuck it under itself so it doesn’t snag on anything. Attach one lid on top of the two that are already connected with two pieces of wire wrapping around the bottom two edges of the single lid. Repeat steps above with a row of three below the row of two, then a row of four below the row of three, and, lastly, a row of five below the row of four.

Wrap wire between each lid in the rows and, where needed, on the tops and bottoms of the lids. String a decorative ribbon around the ornament top and tie it around the lid so it hangs in the middle. Repeat on all the lids. Tie a bow with the ribbon on the top of the lid 'tree.'

Who says you can't decorate a cactus, too?

Get the Party Cactus tutorial.

Transform a round gift box into a snowy sled scene. You could even try recreating a beloved park that you and your family used to go to, or make a whole series of scenes.

Get the Winter Scene tutorial.

Make your Christmas dinner table a little extra sweet this year. Trace the cone template onto card stock and cut it out. Roll the paper into a cone and attach ends with double stick tape. Print, trace, and cut out the sticker label and attach it to the front of the cone. Then, fill with treats!

Get the Treat Cone template.

Print out the star template and trace onto different colored papers. Using a scoring tool, score and fold all the solid lines up like mountains. Then, score and fold all the dotted lines down like valleys. Tape a strand of ribbon onto the back of the star and once you have multiple, drape the string over the chair and secure.

Get the Star Chair Decoration template.

Choose various shapes and sizes of bottlebrush trees and arrange them in the center of your table for a colorful and festive centerpiece.

Cut paper straws into thirds. Using a needle, thread a pom pom onto a length of thread and double-knot. Alternate threading straws and pom poms until the garland is the desired length.

Draw half a bell or oval onto folded paper balls (we used ones with an 8-inch diameter) in mixed colors and carefully cut out the shape. Then unfold the paper ball and use double-sided tape to attach both ends.

Put the tree in a sturdy stand as usual, then position firmly in a wheelbarrow. Instead of a tree skirt, use ornaments or other decor to disguise the stand.

Turn any festive word into a pretty decoration. Cut out your desired letters from cardboard and then hot glue the start of colorful yarn so it is secure. Wrap the cardboard with yarn until the entire letter is covered. Put a dot of hot glue where you end the yarn to keep everything in place. Make a loop of yarn and hot glue it on the backside of the ornament to hang.

Upcycle an old frame into a pretty display for some ornaments. Remove the glass and backing from the frame and clean thoroughly. Spray paint the frame green with even coats and let dry. Then, cut three pieces of ribbon or cord, double the length you want your ornaments to hang. Thread ornaments onto the ribbon, and then attach the ends to the top back of the frame with hot glue, trimming any excess. To finish it off, attach a bow to the front of the frame with hot glue.

On a red ornament, paint a thick line of black paint around the middle of the ornament and let dry. Cut out a small rectangle of gold glitter paper and cut a smaller rectangle in the middle to make it look like a belt buckle. Then, hot glue the buckle to the center of the black line to look like a Santa belt.

On a gold ornament, paint two circles of white where they overlap for an area for the eyes and let dry. Paint two black dots for eyes in the center of the two white circles and let dry. Paint a black (or red for Rudolph) nose in the center where the two white circles meet, and add a little mouth shape underneath the nose and let dry. Attach twig antlers to the top of the ornament with hot glue. Cut out a triangle ear shape from brown construction paper and bend inwards slightly. Put a thin line of hot glue right in front of the twig antler and glue down.

If you don't want to deal with pine needles on the floor, opt for a paper garland instead. Cut out leaf shapes in various sizes from green and patterned paper, and fold in half longways. Cut 10 inches of floral wire, fold in half, and twist. Use hot glue to attach a piece of wire to the bottom backside of each leaf, let dry. Begin to twist wired leaves together to create a garland, alternating colors and sizes. Use hot glue to attach pom pom "berries" throughout garland.

All you need is a little washi tape to turn your light shades into part of the festive decor. Wrap the bottom of each chandelier shade with a strip of washi tape. Tape the ends together to secure the strips.

This wreath is so simple even the kids could make it. Cut out a large circle (about 18 inches in diameter) of green construction paper. Then cut out a small circle (about 6 inches in diameter) in the middle to create a wreath shape. Using dots of glue, attach a few pom poms around the wreath to look like berries.

Repurpose empty thread spools for a fun and festive wreath. Wrap a different decorative thread around each spool until it is nice and full. Then, thread the spools through armature wire and bend them into a circular shape. Twist the wire at the top so it is secure and the spools stay in place. Tie a bow and attach it to the top of the spool wreath.

This adorable snow globe cookie jar makes for the perfect holiday gift.

Step 1: Use a fine-tipped brush to paint small white dots on the outside of a glass jar.

Step 2: Fill bottom of the jar with snowball cookies. Place small plastic trinkets inside for a snow globe-inspired vignette.

Step 3: Tie gift tag to jar with ribbon.