I wanted to share some pretty simple Kids Christmas Crafts with you during the run up to the big day and chose this one first as the results would make beautiful gifts and you have plenty of time to buy any things that you may need.

Here’s a bit of a shopping list. Ebay is a great place to buy cheap crafty bits and indeed, I think most of the bits and bobs we used, were from there, I just luckily had them hanging around. Just check the delivery date before you buy as if they are coming from China, you’ll be making for next Christmas!

• glass or plain coloured baubles
• polystyrene balls
• Bostik White Glu
• glitter
• plastic pearl effect beads
• sparkle beads
• plastic gems
• buttons
• spray varnish
• wooden shapes – snowflakes etc
• string or ribbon to hang baubles with 
• white paint
• glue spreaders / paint brushes
• a heavy glass with playdoh or similar inside to dry some baubles and small round pots for others
• tray to catch glitter

 

 

 

The first craft is super simple if you have all the bits. I bought these wooden snowflakes years ago for a Christmas party that I organised when I was a Nanny. 

First, decide if you want to leave them rustic or paint them. We decided to paint them as Bear had chosen to stick these cheap plastic pearls onto them. These were left over from my wedding favour boxes that I made.

So paint them, let them dry (I balanced them on small round weaning pots), cover them with Bostik White Glu and then place your beads on top. You could cover them with glitter, just paint them, or stick sparkles on them, you name it. Just make sure that you use small beads as if they are bigger, you could lose the shape and detail of the snowflakes as the beads will overlap the edges. Do one side and place it to dry and then do the other.

 

 

My second bauble is personalised and would make a lovely keepsake for yourself and grandparents.

If I were to do it again, I would position the glue handprint a little different and with the fingers towards the top of the bauble and the palm of the hand on the side instead of at the bottom. It’s really effective and easy to create. 

I chose a white bauble and gold glitter but you could obviously choose any colour combination.

First, gently tease the top off your bauble. If you can’t, don’t worry but you’ll be holding the baubles by the top and don’t want them to come off mid way through. It also makes it easier for you to dry the finished decoration.

Take the Bostick White Glu and paint your child’s hand as if you would with paint for a normal handprint. Ask them to hold their hand flat and think about how to place the bauble in the hand for best effect. 

Remind your child to hold the bauble, keep their fingers still and that you’ll ask them to take their hand off slowly but wait!

Place the bauble in your child’s hand and let them close their fingers around it. After a couple of seconds, ask your child to slowly peel their fingers off and as their hand opens, lift the bauble out of their hand, as smoothly as possible. I was nervous at this point but really impressed with how well the handprint turned out. If you miss a finger, try and line just that one up and press again as I found we had to do.

I then took a plastic chopstick and put it inside the bauble and then put the chopstick into a blob of playdoh in a glass so that I could let go of it. 

Clean your child’s sticky hands and then get a tray to catch the glitter. Hold the bauble and let them sprinkle it all over. Make sure it’s all covered and then leave to dry.

When it’s dry, take a small, dry paintbrush and brush the bits of glitter away that aren’t stuck so that you are left with a clear handprint. Outside, spray the bauble with clear drying varnish to seal the glitter and you’re done. These look stunning. I would have photo’s of the finished product except that when I went outside to photograph them, I smashed them. I nearly cried. We’ll redo them and add photos soon.

 

 

The bauble that looks the least homemade and very impressive is next. 

We took a beautiful glass bauble and covered the top half or so with Bostik White Glu. You don’t want it to be perfect – drips and an uneven border is perfect.

Next, Bear and I stuck silver round gems in lots of different sizes, sparkly beads and some brilliant clear snowflake beads that we were sent, all over the glued area. It was a lovely activity to do together and Bear really focused and was proud of what we made. The glue dries clear and so you are left with a beautiful, sparkly, ‘snow’ covered bauble to treasure.

Do treasure it. I did, briefly, until I smashed it. I reminded Bear to be careful so many times and it was me that smashed them when I tried to arrange them to photograph. The broken one is currently soaking in the hope that I can clean up all the beads and remake it as we loved it. More photo’s (carefully taken) to come.

 

 

Our final bauble uses a polystyrene ball and lots of colourful buttons. Sadly, we ran out of buttons but we just went with it and threw glitter at it. If all else fails, add glitter. 

Again, another super easy craft.

First, take glue, cover the ball in it and add buttons and glitter. To dry it, I stuck a cocktail stick in the bottom and pushed it into a potato. When it’s dry, stick on a ribbon or thread to hang it. Bish, bash, bosh. 

 

I hope you like our first Kids Christmas Crafts idea. We’ve got plenty more to come, especially as lots of UK children are breaking up, what seems like super early this year. Thanks for reading.

Love

 

Disclosure: Bostik sent the box of crafty bits and glue’s so that we could come up with this tutorial.