Christmas Crafts: Button Christmas Tree, Canning Jar and Gift Tags

4 to 5 inch high terra cotta clay pot
4 inch Styrofoam ball
(3) - 12 inch cinnamon sticks or 36 inches of ½ inch dowel
42 inches of small artificial evergreen garland
15 assorted colored buttons
Moss
Glue gun

Take the terra cotta pot, painted or unpainted. Glue the 4 inch Styrofoam ball in the pot tightly. Cut cinnamon sticks or dowel into lengths of 12, 8, 6, 4 ½, 3, 1 ½ inches. The 12 inch stick will be the trunk of the tree.

At 6 inches, glue the 8 inch stick with glue gun. Glue the 6 inch stick at 7 ½ inches, the 4 ½ inch stick at 9 inches, the 3 inch stick at 10 ½ inches and the 1 ½ inch stick at the top of the 12 inch stick. Try to glue them as evenly in the middle of each stick as possible.

Wrap and glue the garland around the tree trunk and then each branch. Put the tree trunk in the middle of the pot, into the Styrofoam and push down as far as possible. Glue some moss on the top of the Styrofoam ball.

Next, glue the buttons onto the branches. Glue 5 buttons on the 8 inch branch, 4 buttons on the 6 inch branch, 3 buttons on the 4 ½ inch branch, 2 buttons on the 3 inch branch and 1 button on the top on the 1 ½ branch.

You can paint the pot a nice red or green. You could put a large ribbon and bow on it or spray the pot with some glue and sprinkle with glitter.

Decorated Canning Jar

1 quart size canning jar
1 jar ring
String of 35 lights mini lights
Potpourri or own mix
4 inch doily

Take the quart canning jar and put in a set of 35 lights. Have the plug of the lights coming out the top of the jar and leave enough cord so it can be plugged in.

Next put in some potpourri or a mix of small pinecones, cinnamon sticks, orange or lemon peals and some whole cloves. With the end of a wooden spoon arrange lights and potpourri to liking.

Take a doily and work the plug and some cord through. Put on a jar ring to keep the doily in place. This looks and smells wonderful.

Handmade Gift Tags

Cardstock
Dental floss
Tube beads
Ribbon or raffia
Scissors
Hole punch

On cardstock draw some simple pictures of objects such as snowmen, stars, mittens stockings, ornaments or Christmas trees. Draw each about 3 or 4 inches. Cut out with regular or decorative scissors.

With a needle and some dental floss, sew on beads. Go about ½ inches in along the edge of the tag.

You can hand print To and From on each tag, or if you have a To and From stamp, it would come in handy.

With a hole punch, put a hole in the top of the tag. Attach the tag to a present by using some ribbon or raffia.