At Cameo's Crafts I found a great project, Felt Stocking Ornaments. These ornaments have a candy cane on the front of the stocking. These would look great on your Christmas packages and then can be used next year as a Christmas Tree Ornament. Happy Crafting!!!

Labels: craft

At angelfire.com I found 14 different crocheted candy cane covers to make. These were made using Bernat Sparke, Bernat Magic, Red Heart Comfort wood and an H or G crochet hook. These will make great decorations for your Christmas Tree. Happy Crafting!!

Labels: craft, crafts, Crocheting

Over at hugg'ems collectables I found a crocheted pattern for a Candy Cane Cover. Materials required are: Size 10 thread (cranberry for Sample 1 and white/silver for Sample 2), 1.75 mm hook and candy canes (6-7"). Crocheted stitches used are: Ch: chain; Sc: single crochet; tr: triple (treble) crochet; and dtr: double triple (treble) crochet. What a beautiful way to dress up a candy cane to hang on your Christmas Tree. Happy Crafting!!

Labels: craft, crafts, Crocheting

Here is a great little gift to give to the Teacher, co-workers or friends. All the instructions for the Candy Cane Sleigh are found at ThriftyFun.com. For this craft project you will need: Candy Canes (2 for each sleigh), Any flat candy bar, Hershey's chocolate bar works best (1 for each sleigh), Various miniature candy, individually wrapped is preferable, Hot glue gun, with glue, Assorted scraps of wrapping paper, tissue papers/cellophane and ribbons and tape. Happy Crafting!!

Labels: craft

I found instructions to make Candy Cane Earrings at crafts-for-all-seasons.com. These earrings look really festive for the holidays and would make a great stocking stuffer. For this project you will need: 24 gauge wire, red and white wooden beads (I used 4 mM diameter); you can also use crystals, 4 clear seed beads, 4 - 4mM jump rings, 2 fish hook earrings and jewelry pliers and wire cutters. Happy Crafting!!

Labels: beading, craft, crafts

Over at AmazingMoms.com I found this cute Candy Cane Mouse. It would make a great craft project for the kids. Supplies required for this craft: 2 colors of Felt, Wrapped 6 inch Candy Cane, Plastic wiggle eyes and Small Pompom for the nose. Happy Crafting!!

Labels: craft

I found this really cute Tree ornament over at Cameo's Crafts. For this project, you will need colorful Christmas material (scraps), glue, pinking shears, a bit of brown felt, fiberfill for filling and thin string or pearl cotton. The only bit of sewing on this project is for attaching the the string to the top of the tree. Cameo's Crafts has very detailed instructions on how to make this great looking Christmas ornament. Happy Crafting!!.

Labels: craft

I found a great project for parents with young children from The Little Craft Box - Candy Cane Butterfly. For this project you will need: Paper, Stickers or colouring medium to decorate and Candy Cane. There are complete instructions, including butterfly template at The Little Craft Box. Happy Crafting!!

Labels: craft

Have any left over red pompoms and white beads in your craft stash, then check out this Pompom Candy Cane from cameoroze.com. You will need Acrobat Reader to print out the instructions. Happy Crafting!!

Labels: craft

At Rumpets.com I found instructions on how to make a Candy Cane Candle. You will need 1 small round candle, candy canes, masking tape or elmeres glue and red or green ribbon. A quick easy project for Christmas. Happy Crafting!!

Labels: craft

At craftsforkids.com I found instructions on how to make a candy cane using white and red modeling clay. For this project you will need: white and red modeling clay, decorative glitter glue, wax paper, small paint brush, masking tape and metallic thread. Happy Crafting!!

Labels: craft, modeling clay

At familyfun.com we found instructions on how to make a Cloth Candy Cane. Material used for this project are 3 strips of cotton material, waxed papers, white glue, small paintbrush, 3 pipe cleans and wire cutters (optional). Happy Crafting!!

Labels: craft

Found a great candy cane craft project on DLTK's Growing Together - a cute reindeer craft that you can hang on the tree as an ornament or attach to a gift as a special decoration. Also found at Make It Easy Sewing and Crafts instructions for the Rudolph Candy Cane. Two great projects for the children, with parent's supervision, of course. Happy Crafting!!

Labels: craft

It took a bit of searching but I finally found instructions on how to make a Knitted Candy Cane at knittingonthenet.com. So, if you do not crochet, here is a knitting pattern for the Candy Cane. Happy Knitting!!

Labels: craft, Knitting

Like to Crochet. Here is a crocheted pattern for a candy cane and a wreath. I made these in the 1980's and I still put them on my Christmas Tree. They last a very long time, and because they are crocheted, they can not be broken by our cats. Happy Crocheting!!

Labels: craft, Crocheting

Just for the children, free Candy Cane coloring pages. These are all free. Just print them out and color. These sites also have other children's Christmas coloring pages, activities, puzzles, and crafts. Here are the sites we found: DLTK's, Coloringbookfun, PapaJan.com, First-School Preschool Activities and Crafts, TLSBooks.com, Parenting.Leehanson.com, Momsnetwork.com, thecoloringspot.com, and CDK Enterprises. Happy Coloring!!

Labels: craft

Want to make more beaded Christmas ornaments, check out these free patterns and designs we found. Curly Wire Ornaments - Use memory wire bracelet forms to make stunning, sparkly Christmas ornaments. Pony Bead Ornaments - Weave metallic pony beads and translucent beads on gold cord to make stunning ornaments. Frosty Beaded Decorations - icicles and stars - made using crystal acrylic beads. Beaded Snowflake pattern from About.com. Beaded Snowflake - Imagine your Christmas tree sparkling and glistening with this lovely beaded snowflake ornament. Want to learn how to make Beaded Snowflakes - you will find detailed instructions, with pictures at kayray.org. and a Beaded Angle Ornament pattern from make-stuff.com. Happy Crafting!!

Labels: craft

The Beaded Candy Cane is a wonderful handmade ornament for your Christmas Tree. They are also great for attaching to the outside of your Christmas gifts. Below are some free patterns and designs for the beaded candy cane and other beaded ornaments: 1. Beadie Candy Cane from Bev's Country Cottage. Bev's shows you how to make a beaded candy cane and wreath using a 6 " pipe cleaner and Tri beads, round beads in various colours. 2. The Kaboose Family Network has an easy Candy Cane Ornament to make, using a 12" white chenille stem, and translucent tri-beads. Parental supervision is recommended if children are making these. 3. Christmas Time Together has instructions for a Red and White Beaded Candy Cane, made using a pipe cleaner or florist's wire. There is also instructions to make a beaded wreath. 4. Craftsideas Info has instructions for Beaded Christmas Ornaments - Star, Candy Cane and Wreath (for children 9 years and older). 5. At Craft Elf we found instructions to make beaded Candy Cane and Wreath ornaments using transparent color beads. There are instructions for a Simple Version of the ornaments as well as the Lacy Version. 6. At About.com. we found instructions to make Beaded Candy Canes using paperclips. Make earrings, link them up for a festive necklace, or decorate a miniature tree. Have fun making your beaded ornaments!!

Labels: craft

"The Candy Cane Ornament is a fun activity for kids to make during your family Christmas party and it can be a tasty treat after the holidays are over. You'll need the following to make your ornaments:

• Candy canes
• craft foam squares in different colors, red, green, yellow, etc.
• Ribbons for decoration
• Mini-garland
• Star pattern
• Glue

You can easily cut out some star shapes from these cute Christmas party supplies and fairly stable foam squares. Try cutting out three foam stars each one smaller than the last and gluing them on top of each other. Then glue small pieces of the mini-garland around the candy cane. You can also cut out a small section of the ribbons and make it into a bow. Glue the stack of foam stars onto the bottom of the candy cane and glue the bow to the center of them. Once this has dried you can hang the candy cane by its hooked end from the tree. Kids may end up eating the candy canes before they've hung on the tree for very long though.

Another fun game to play around Christmas is the 'What's in Santa's Stocking?' game. Get several Christmas stockings and place objects inside of them that you would find interesting or unusual, such as a stuffed animal or a compact mirror. One object per stocking, and don't let the guests see you put the objects into the stockings. Tie off the tops of the stockings and have everyone sit down together. You might want to number the stockings so you can keep track of them and what's inside them. Then hand them around to the guests and each guest must feel the object through the stocking to try and figure out what's inside. Everyone who guesses an object right gets a small prize."

About the Author
Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority for the best party supplies with clever themes and fun facts for character birthdays, holidays and theme parties. Plus, ideas for personalized and birthday party favors to make your event unforgettable.

Labels: craft

by Enid Edginton

When is a christmas tree more than a christmas tree and more akin to a piece of art? After reading the following christmas tree ideas you will realize that there is a very fine line between just a tree and a piece of original sculpture. If you have a passion for unusual christmas trees maybe you will find some of the following ideas inspirational. Keep in mind that most of the christmas tree ideas below work best as miniature tabletop trees or holiday table centerpieces.

The Bead Tree

Bead trees are simply a cone of paper that is circled by a long strand of beads that are glued to it. These beads coil repeated around the cone until they resemble a christmas tree. These unusual christmas trees can be made out of any material that you like - pearls, glass beads and novelty beads. You can also twine fine foil braid or ribbon around the beads to give your tree special holiday flair.

The Candy Cane Christmas Tree

This little tree looks nice using candy canes that are either red or green striped. Once again you will need some kind of conical armature. If you make a really small one you don't need an armature at all. The idea is to make a teepee frame using long candy canes. Then take smaller ones (or chop of the length of the longer ones) and place them symmetrically around the tree frame with the hooks of the candy canes u upside down and sticking up like branches. If you are really ambitious you can also glue candies to the tipped up edges with butter cream frosting to resemble Christmas decorations.

The Lollipop Christmas Tree

This is one of the simplest of do it yourself unusual christmas trees. All that is required is a Styrofoam armature and red and green lollipops. You can also roll up a piece of stiff paper that is green in color into a cone and poke the stems of the lollipops through the tree so that only the candy part is showing. This is done so that the lollipops are facing downwards to look like tree boughs. You can use a brightly colored yellow lollipop stuck with the stem straight down through the top of the cone to be the tree-topper. This is one of the more unusual christmas tree ideas.

The Marshmallow and Gum Drop Tree

This is inspired by one of Martha Stewart's unusual christmas tree ideas. All you need to create this is a conical Styrofoam shape in the size you desire (to use as an armature) and some mint green and white marshmallows. You spear the marshmallows on a toothpick or pin and then affix them to the sides of the Styrofoam cone so that it simulates an evergreen with snow-laden boughs. You can also decorate this tree with edible gold or silver cake decorations. A Christmas star made out of shortbread covered with glitter makes a great tree topper for these types of unusual christmas trees.

The Pine Cone Tree

To make this tree all you need is several very healthy looking pinecones. Glue them together in a conical shape until you have a shape that resembles a christmas tree. Glue acorns and holly berries on the sides to mimic christmas decorations and glue a large one on top of the tree to create a christmas tree topper.

If this look is too naturalistic for you can always spray paint the tree silver and paint the acorns a gold color.

The Pipe Cleaner Christmas Tree

This is one of the classic christmas tree ideas that is fun to do with the kids. All you need is lengths of green pipe cleaner cut into equal shapes and beads with holes large enough to slip over the pipe cleaners.

Your next step is to create a trunk out of a single pipe cleaner or two. Simply find a wine cork and jab the end of the pipe cleaner into the cork to create a base for the tree. The limbs of the tree can then be constructed from pipe cleaners that are twisted outward from the trunk to resemble branches. The beads can then be slipped over the pipe cleaner branches as decorations. A star shaped bead can be used as the tree topper.

The Puff Pastry Christmas Tree

You have probably seen those wedding cakes that are made of puff pastry filled with cream and then stacked in a pyramid shape. Usually these are drizzled with chocolate icing. These actually look like Christmas Trees.

You can make the same recipe and stack the christmas puffs in a conical shape. Then instead of chocolate drizzle try drizzling them with a white icing to mimic snow. Edible gold and red glitter can mimic the effect of christmas decorations and a pastry pipe filled with red or green decorating gel be spiraled around the cake to achieve the effect of christmas garlands. You can also dispense with all of that fuss and just wrap it with spiral of pretty ribbon.

Of course this kind of cake will need some kind of topper. Instead of a bride and groom, why not top it with a battery run blinking snowflake or star?

The Sequined Christmas Tree

This novelty miniature tree is one of the prettiest of unusual christmas ideas but it takes a lot of patience to realize it perfectly. To make one all you need is a lot of hatpins with pearl tips (preferably in christmas colors such as white, green and red) and bags of sequins in the colors of your choice. The idea is that these sequins will be threaded onto the hatpins and painstakingly tucked into a conical Styrofoam shape until no white space is left. Tiny plastic crystals can also be suspended by pins to serve as xmas decorations.

The Tropical Fruit Christmas Tree

If you like christmas tree ideas that are made of food then you will like this exotic centerpiece. This centerpiece is made of pomegranates of different sizes (to mimic the look of a red christmas tree.) Larger pomegranates are placed in a circle on the bottom and the smaller ones are stacked on top until a tree shape is achieved. You can then tuck lychee nuts (still in their natural gauzy white wrapping) in between the pomegranates to simulate gold and white xmas decorations. The tree topper can be made from a slice of star fruit that has been dipped in candied sugar.

About the Author

For more information on Christmas trees, visit http://www.o-christmas-tree.com - a year-round resource for all your christmas tree and decoration needs.

Labels: craft

By Kim Monaco

Winter is here! Dress warmly, bundle up, enjoy that snow. Build a snowman, shovel the driveway, have a snowball fight - spend time playing as a family. When it's time to get warm - pull out some supplies to have a snow crafty afternoon with the kids. Everyone will enjoy a snow-filled day of fun with four easy (and frugal) craft ideas for families to enjoy.

Start off the snow craft party with some Snowman Soup. Make a package of Hot Chocolate mix (the Nestle kind is great!) according to the package directions, but make it in a soup bowl. Add two Hershey Kisses, three regular size marshmallows and stir it all together with a candy cane. Yummy treat and great way to warm up from that cold weather!

Finished with the Snowman Soup? How about creating a cute paper bag snowman for the next easy craft? Only a few supplies are required for the snowman - 2 white paper bags, newspaper or scrap paper, 18" string or yarn, construction paper to make Snowman accessories, and glue. Open one of the white paper bags and stuff it with crushed newspaper. Open the second paper bag and carefully pull it down over the newspaper-stuffed bag. Simply tie the yarn or string around the bags to make a separation for the head and the body of the snowman. Then comes the creative part - cut out eyes, nose, hat, buttons from construction paper and glue them onto the snowman. Let the child's creativity shine - there's no snowman rules. When finished, put the snowman on display in a window or on a table for a great wintery centerpiece.

Another fun, easy and quick craft project involves paper doilies. Paper doilies are readily available at party stores and craft stores. To craft a doily snowman, the following items are needed: three white doilies (one small, one medium, one large), glue, 12" x 18" construction paper. Ask the child to build a snowman with the three circles, then glue the doilies onto the large piece of construction paper. Pull out some crayons, markers or construction paper to make snowman features - the eyes, nose, mouth, etc. Have fun and let the child's creativity shine. There are no rules in crafting play.

Looking for something a little messier? Another easy snow craft involves white tempera paint, silver glitter, blue or black construction paper and a snowflake sponge or stamp. Create a glittery snowflake picture by dipping the snowflake sponge or stamp in tempera paint and stamping it on the paper. Stamp as much or as little as desired, there's no limit. While paint is still wet, sprinkle glitter on the picture. When it dries, the snowflake picture will be ready for display.

The most important part of crafting with kids is that everyone enjoys the process, the results and the companionship. Enjoy the snow, enjoy the crafts and love those kids!

About the Author: Kim Monaco is a mommy of three who loves to craft. Her favorite winter activity is spending time crafting with her children. She shares her passion for crafting with all at Learn Crafts Online http://www.learncraftsonline.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Labels: craft

By Henry Gallant

With daily schedules bursting at the seams, decorating your home for the holidays can seem like just another chore on your to-do list. Although it may seem quicker and easier to buy your ornaments at your local discount store, consider clearing some time in your schedule to make your own holiday ornaments.

You’ll find that the time spent creating your unique holiday creations will be well spent.

Here’s a recipe for making your very own Dough Ornaments. It’s simple, fast, and very expensive. More importantly, they are fun to make with family, and you will love the sight of them hanging from your Christmas tree!

Homemade Dough Ornaments

For the dough mixture, you will need:
4 cups of flour
1 cup of water
½ cup of salt
Food Coloring bottles (optional)
Cookie Cutters (optional)
2 cups ground cinnamon (optional)

For decorating your ornaments:
Ribbon
Acrylic paints and brushes
Glitter, Stickers, Stamps, Etc.
Clear protective paint sealant

Mix the dry ingredients together, and then add water. If you’d like, you can add food coloring to your dough mixture. You may want to mix up several batches of different-colored dough, or you can plan on decorating your ornaments later with acrylic paints.

For an extra special treat, mix two cups of ground cinnamon into your dough mixture. Your ornaments will be tinged with a wonderful cinnamon scent!

If your dough mixture feels too sticky, add more flour. Knead the dough until it is smooth and stiff. Use a roller pin to flatten out the dough. Once the texture is smooth and consistent, use cookie cutters to cut out different shapes. You can also shape the dough into a design of your own.

If you used food coloring to create batches of different-colored dough, now’s the time to get creative. For example, if you’ve mixed up a small batch of red dough and another batch of regular-colored dough, you can create candy cane decorations. Simply create one batch of red colored dough, and leave aside a portion of regular dough. Then flatten out the dough and cut out two long strips from each batch. Intertwine the two strips to create candy cane decorations!

Once all the dough has been shaped, use the tip of a pen or straw to make a small hole at the top of each of your ornaments. Then place them on a baking sheet, and bake them in the oven at a low setting for about an hour.

After your ornaments have baked, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool. Once they are cool to touch, the fun part really begins. Pull out the paints, felt-tip markers, stickers, glitter, and anything else you can think of, and begin to decorate. Be creative.

When you’re finished decorating, let the paint dry for several hours, and then seal your work with a coat of clear protective sealant. When the ornaments have dried, string a ribbon through the top and tie into a knot. You can also use metal hangers. Hang your new creations from the Christmas tree and enjoy!

About the Author: Ornamentscity is an expert resource for personalized christmas ornaments, hallmark ornaments and lawn ornaments on the internet. Check out our site today!

Source: www.isnare.com

Labels: craft

By Rosie Fletcher

Homemade Christmas decorations are some of the most unique. They are also a lot of fun because you can enjoy them with your family. Below are 4 fun and easy to make homemade Christmas decorations:

Popcorn Stringing

If you like strung popcorn, it’s really simple to make. Start with a big bowl of popcorn (unbuttered, of course) and string it piece by piece using a standard sewing needle and thread. Make sure there’s plenty of popcorn because, if you’re stringing it for garland, you’re going to need a lot.

Cranberry Stringing

Much like the popcorn stringing method, many people used to string cranberries using a standard needle and thread. Again, make sure there’s plenty to go around if you’re going to use it as garland. Most importantly, and I know it’s tempting, don’t eat all the decorations. Save some for the Christmas tree.

Paper Chains

One of the greatest memories of decorating for Christmas, as a child, has to be the traditional paper chains. Using green and red construction paper, cut horizontal strips of each color. Fold them into a circle and seal with tape. Scotch tape is recommended and, if you use this when your child is young, the smell will always remind them of Christmas. It will likely become "Christmas tape" to them. Once you have a complete circle, take another strip in an alternating color and run it through the first circle. Next, fold it around and seal with tape. Complete this step until you have a big strand of paper garland in red and green. You and your child will enjoy doing this together and it will create wonderful memories for you both.

Lighted Wreath

If you love the look of a lighted wreath, but don’t quite have a budget for one of the more expensive ones, consider another option. You can purchase a plain green wreath very inexpensively. A small strand of lights can cost anywhere from $1.00 to $3.00. But, put them together and you have the look of a professionally lighted Christmas wreath. For this project, you could use either clear or multi-colored Christmas lights. Simply take the plain green wreath and wrap the lights around in a design similar to the stripes on a candy cane. Once you’ve gone all the way around, tuck the last light into the green of the wreath. Make sure that you place it near an electric outlet because there won’t be a lot of extra cord. Now that you’re ready, plug it in and see your very own design. A red bow is a nice touch, but not necessary. As people drive by, they will see a beautifully lit wreath in your window and they will have no idea that you saved a few bucks by wrapping the lights yourself.

About the Author: For more great Christmas craft related resources check out http://crafts.christmashub.com and http://stockings.christmashub.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Labels: craft

By Rosie Fletcher

When it comes to decorating, we are all perfectionists about our Christmas tree. After all, it happens only once a year and the decorations are a treasure to behold. The finishing touch, for any Christmas tree, is the ornaments. Perhaps you have memories of a personalized ornament given to you as a child or maybe it’s the tradition of hanging them with your family - making sure that each is perfectly spaced from its neighbor for that added touch of beauty. The Christmas ornaments for Christmas trees, which we choose, should be a reflection of ourselves and our family.

There are all types of Christmas ornaments for Christmas trees. From glass to unbreakable, there is something for everyone. Glass ornaments are among the most expensive, in part, because they require such intricate detail and add a touch of elegance to any Christmas tree. Glass ornaments pick up the reflection of lights and beam them across the room with, perhaps, even a twinkle or two. These ornaments are often hand-painted, which adds to their uniqueness.

There are a variety of unbreakable ornaments, also available, in a multitude of colors. If you have a child who loves to be near the Christmas tree, glass ornaments may not be the best option. Or, if you have a pet that enjoys the mystique of the tree a little too much, you may opt for something unbreakable. This is why there are plastic ornaments, which are much safer for your inquiring family members whether they be small or furry.

If you have children, there are plenty of ways to make beautiful Christmas ornaments for Christmas trees at home.

Using gold ribbon, tie a bow and place it on the tree. Repeat these steps until your tree is filled with golden memories of your child’s imagination. You can also purchase plain white ceramic ornaments and, together with your children, paint them into beautiful Christmas ornaments for Christmas trees.

What’s good enough to eat and also looks beautiful on a Christmas tree? Give up? It’s a candy cane, of course. These pretty little symbols of Christmas are everywhere during the holiday season. If you can resist the temptation of eating them, candy canes make terrific Christmas ornaments for Christmas trees. Leave them as they are or tie little red bows around them for an added touch of Christmas.

If your child would like a personalized letter from Santa, contact one of Santa’s helper services and inquire about Santa also sending your child a personalized ornament with his/her name engraved. This will truly be one of the most special ornaments on the tree and your child will treasure it forever.

Christmas ornaments for Christmas trees truly are the icing on the cake. Let them reflect you, your family, your home and your love for the holidays. The most precious ornaments are those we decorate with love. Not so surprisingly, these are also the most beautiful.

About the Author: For more great Christmas ornament related resources check out http://ornaments.christmashub.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Labels: craft

By ShowKidsTheFun

Remember how much you had creating Christmas art projects? Nothing brings out the kid in you better than sharing some together time with your own children and there’s no better time to do it than during the holiday season! Start the season with some cute and fun to make Christmas crafts that your kids will love.

Candy cane Reindeer

What you’ll need:

Candy Canes
Glue
Brown Pipe Cleaners
Small googly eyes
Small Red Pom Poms
Thin festive ribbon
Small jingle Bell

Instructions:

Take your brown pipe cleaner and twist it into a V shape under the curve of the candy cane, or ‘neck’ of your reindeer under construction… Bend the pipe cleaner again to shape into antlers. Take your googly eyes and glue them onto the candy cane. Glue a red pom pom on the candy cane for a ‘reindeer’ nose. Tie the thin ribbon around your reindeer’s neck and string the jingle bell on for the final touch! You might want to glue the ribbon to the candy cane to secure. Make a bunch of these cute candy cane reindeer, and hang them on your holiday tree!

Pasta Holiday Wreath

What you’ll need:

Small Paper Plates
Variety of different pasta shapes
Glue
Holiday color tempra paint
Festive ribbon for bow

Instructions:

Cut the center out of your paper plate. Choose some really interesting pasta noodles, and glue them all around the outer ring of the plate. Try real hard to cover the entire plate! After the glue has dried, take your tempra paint and color the pasta. Have an adult tie the ribbon into a bow and then glue it to your wreath. Display them all around your home during the holiday!

About the Author: For more crafts and activities for your children, visit http://www.ShowKidsTheFun.com . And, don't miss Free Online Preschool Themes (link to http://www.showmomthemoney.com/homeschooling.asp ) for more fun ideas to spend time with your children.

Source: www.isnare.com

Labels: craft