Each year the kids and I sit down and make a Ginger Bread House, or Ginger Bread Tree, or something of that sort. They love to craft, and I have been a terrible mom and neglected them with that lately. After a long talk with my husband the other night I made a personal pact to set aside more time for them and craft with them. This couple of hours of focused mommy time does so much. Not only do we chat and giggle about silly things, but I am teaching them to work with their hands…something I do well at and take for granted everyday. I owe it to my dedicated and super crafty mom for my skills and want the same for my children.
So, armed with 3 kids, Martha Stewart “know how” we headed to the local craft store and bought up a bunch of supplies to make some great handmade ornaments for the holiday season. We have not got to them all…and I will post pictures of our outcomes once they are all done. For now here are a few of the kid friendly ornaments that we decided to make. Click the image to go to the directions.
Ribbon Ornament by Martha Stewart
I have adapted this to make cute old ribbon candy style ornaments as well. The ribbons were on sale for $1.99, and a simple needle and thread.
Paper Ornaments by Martha Stewart
We adapted this one by buying a book of cardstock patterned paper in our favorite motifs or colors, instead of using her printables. The kids made 24 of these in one sitting…even my 7 year old boy (he secretly loved it).
Recycled Card Ornaments by Martha Stewart
Yay for eco friendly. Do you hate to throw away those cards each year? Here is a way to save a piece of what your loved ones sent you, and keep it for years to come. If you have a hard time with mis-matched (like myself), then go to the local craft store and get a pack of fun card stock scrapbooking paper in your favorite colors and make each of these holiday treats.
Snowy Ball Ornament by Martha Stewart
The kids are dying to make this one…and I hope to photograph them while they do it. I have already done a test run to see if they could handle it and I must say…they are stunning! Fun to make with all the glue and glitter, but they actually turn out fabulous. I bought a skein of white cotton thin yarn, pack of balloons, fine white glitter and a bottle of glue. She says a few hours for dry, but I tied mine to a coat hanger and let it hang over night.Get super creative and use colored glitter!
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh thee are FUN!!! We are working on crafts today too! I may have to teach them how to do the ribbon ones for sure! :-)
Thanks for the ideas!
Wow I’ve not seen some of these! Looks like fun, my 5 year old loves to craft, I need to be sure to do more of this with him. Thanks M.
We did the glittered snowballs with my 4-year-old last week & made a glorious, glittery mess. This week we\’re going to make the paper ornaments as gifts for grandparents. So much fun!
Love these ideas… thanks for sharing!
I want to try the snowballs. Thanks for the great ideas!
These look great! A good reminder to spend some time with Martha too :)
Love the ideas — I am always looking for new projects for the kids.
We are so making the snowy ball ornament this week! We made the recycled card ornaments in children’s church this past Sunday. Lots of fun!
I sat down with my 2 1/2 yr old this evening and we strung beads on shoelaces together. Really, she did all the work . . . she’s very into “I can do it myself” right now. I love those ribbon ornaments. I must give them a try sometime!
This is a GREAT post!! We just started a “kids” tree downstairs and these would be PERFECT! Thanks so much!
Well, that\’s going in my folder – the one full of things to do when my daughter is old enough… she\’s only 2 months now! Love the ideas. Thanks!
This is a great idea, and seems like it would be fun to do with kids. The snowy ball ornament looks like a lot of fun – and such a cool effect!
C.C.
My Card Making Site!
I adore these, we made sourdough ornaments this year, but am loving the snowballs, i think that will be a great project for us