Cool Christmas Crafts for Terrific Tweens

As the Christmas season approaches, many parents are trying to think of ways to entertain their children during the holiday break. One of those avenues of entertainment is crafts that pertain to the Christmas time of year. In this article, I will provide information and instructions on four Christmas crafts that are suitable for tweens. Three of these crafts could be given as gifts to the tween's friends or family members.

Make Your Own Gift Bag

Materials needed:

1 package of brown paper lunch bags

Various colors of tempera paint (red, green, and gold are always popular colors at Christmas time)

Various stamps (Christmas or holiday-themed stamps are great for this time of year; if you don't have a set of stamps or cannot afford to purchase them, you can utilize cookie cutters or make potato stamps in which you peel the potato, cut it in half, and chisel the desired pattern into the flesh of the potato)

Variety of shiny or eye-catching stickers

3-4 paper or plastic plates on which to place the paint

Instructions:

Place the desired colors of paint on the plates. Select a stamp that you have purchased or made, and place it into the desired color of paint located on the plates. Take a brown paper bag, and begin stamping it with the paint-laden stamps that you have chosen. Do this until you have achieved the design that you wish to have on the paper bag.

Allow the bag to dry for at least 1 hour. After that hour, test the paint's dryness by sticking a toothpick into it. If the toothpick is clean, then, you know the paint on the bag had dried.

Place whatever gift that you would like into the decorated paper bag, and seal with a sticker or stickers of your choice. You can also attach an adhesive name tag onto the bag so as to designate the recipient of the gift.

Decorate Your Own Wooden Frame

Materials needed:

1 plain wooden frame (a great place to get inexpensive frames is Goodwill)

Rhinestones, sequins, sea glass, shells, or whatever type of adornment that you would like

Hot glue sticks

Hot glue gun

Instructions:

Take the wooden frame of choice and make sure that it is free from dirt, sticky stuff, etc. Plug in the glue gun, and carefully place a glue stick into the gun. (I would advise parents to supervise their tweens when they are operating the glue gun since the gun does get hot, and the tween could get accidentally burned).

While the glue gun is warming up, select what adornments that you would like to use on the frame, and place them in the pattern in which you are planning on placing them onto the frame. Select the first adornment and carefully apply the glue to the back of the adornment, and press it into place on the frame. Continue this process with each adornment piece until you have completed the desired decoration.

Allow the glue to dry for approximately 1 hour. Test to make sure all of the adornments are well-attached to the frame by gently giving the frame a shake. If any of the adornments fall off or are loose, reattach them with more glue.

This craft produces a lovely gift that can be given to a loved one. If you want to make it extra special, place a picture of yourself or of you and your loved one in the frame before giving it to him or her.

Bead Your Own Bracelet

Materials needed:

1 package of 1" strength plastic beading cord

3-4 packages of different stone or glass beads (for the Christmas season, red coral or glass, green aventurine or jade, and gold spacer beads make a festive bracelet)

1 pair of scissors

Instructions:

Take the beading cord and wrap it around your own wrist. Cut a piece of the cord that measures approximately 1-1 1/2" larger than your wrist with scissors (this will allow you to have room to tie off your bracelet, and you can clip away any excess). Tie a knot into one end of the bracelet cord (this will help to keep your beads in place).

Before you begin placing beads onto your cord, plan out what pattern that you would like to use. It is completely up to you as to how you would like to position the beads, so have fun in deciding what design you will use.

Once you have completed the design that you have chosen, take both ends of the bracelet cord, and tie them together in a double knot. Clip off the excess cord with scissors.

Beaded bracelets make a wonderful, personal gift for friends and family. A few years back, my tween daughter gave each one of her friends a beaded bracelet that had been especially designed by her.

Revive Reusable Glasses

Materials needed:

Various glasses or glassware (Goodwill or other thrift stores are wonderful places for finding unique and inexpensive pieces)

Various colors of paint that are appropriate to use on glass

Stencils of desired designs, patterns, or objects

1 package of paintbrushes

1 small container of water

1 roll of invisible tape

Various shiny stickers

Instructions:

Take the glasses or glassware and wash them in warm, soapy water. Dry them thoroughly. While the glasses are drying decide what designs that you wish to place on which glass piece.

Take your stencil of choice, and tape it to the side of the glass. By taping the stencil in place, it will enable you to paint the stencil design onto the glass without having to worry about the stencil moving. Too, by using the invisible tape, you can easily remove it from the glass when the paint is dry.

Take a paintbrush and dab it into the paint color of choice. Begin painting, and have fun. When you change to a different color, I recommend changing brushes, so you do not have to worry about the colors mixing. Place the brush with which you have finished into the container of water until you are ready to use it again.

Once you have completed the desired design on the glassware, allow the paint to dry completely (approximately 2-3 hours). Once the paint is dry, remove the taped stencils. Feel free to add any eye-catching stickers if you would like to do so.

If your chosen glassware is a shallow container or even a wine glass, you might want to place a votive candle in it for décor's sake. Too, you can use one of those gorgeous gift bags that you made to wrap your glassware masterpiece to give to your loved one.

Parents, if you can, join your tweens in making these crafts. You all will be making great Christmas gifts together as well as having some quality family time. Enjoy yourselves, and have a wonderful Christmas season!