Homemade Christmas Crafts: Enjoy These Holiday Crafts with Your Family!

What do you do with all those puzzle pieces after the puzzle has been put together? Make them into puzzle pins!

What you will need:
one puzzle piece
acrylic paints: flesh, red, white, black
small paintbrush
pencil
wax paper
2-part polymer finish
brush
pin back
toothpick
jewelry glue

Paint over the puzzle piece with the flesh tone paint and let it dry. Use the small paintbrush for this. Apply two coats. Use the pencil to mark the hat line, eyes and mouth. Make a hat with the red paint, and apply two coats. Paint the hat band and hat tassel white. Draw lines with the white paint for beard, the hair, and the mustache. Use the acrylic paint to paint the eyes and lashes. Red paint will be for the mouth, and then outline it in acrylic black. When the black part for the eyes have dried, dot a small bit of white inside for the pupils. Put the puzzle pieces on the waxed paper so they dry. Mix the 2-part polymer finish and use the brush to apply a thin coat to the puzzle piece, and let dry. Put on a second coat. When that dries, glue the pin onto the back, using the toothpick to apply the the jewelry glue.

Homemade Candy Canes

Want to enjoy candy canes for Christmas, but want them to be special? Try these homemade concoctions for a special treat!

What you'll need:
cookie sheet, powdered sugar, sugar, corn syrup, water, saucepan, ribbon, plastic wrap, candy thermometer

Sprinkle a good deal of powdered sugar on the cookie sheet.

Combine one cup of sugar, one cup of light corn syrup, and one cup of water in a heavy saucepan. Cook it over medium-to-high heat until a candy thermometer reads soft-crack.

Take off of the stove and add 1/2 tsp. of peppermint oil and 2 to 3 drops of red food coloring to the mixture, stirring very well.
Pour the mixture onto the cookie sheet in thin strips that measure about 6 to 8 inches long, and let cool slightly until you can touch them. Roll into a rope shape. Carefully twist the tops to make a hook like a candy cane, then place back on the coated cookie sheet to let cool
until hard. You can then use decorative holiday clear saran wrap to wrap them up and tie off with a red or green curling ribbon. Then hang up in the tree or set out in decorative bowls. You can also use different kinds of oils for different flavors.

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