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Handy Hostess Gifts You Can’t Wait to Dish Out

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Well, it’s that time of year again, and we all have so much to look forward to! The new year and Valentine’s Day are right around the corner. If you’re not busy preparing for your own fabulous festivities, why not help your hostesses out? It’s always a great idea to bring a little something along to a party; but wouldn’t it be nice to bring a handmade craft to share with your hostess this season? Here at AllFreeHolidayCrafts.Com, we say, “Of course it would!” But what could you bring? They’ll have plenty of leftover food – maybe even too much! A bottle of wine is always a sweet gift, but it lacks originality. So what does that leave us with? Fun handmade gifts, of course!Tis the Season Apron

Get your craft on and whip up a few festive gifts to show your gratitude, it is the season of giving after all. Don’t worry, I have some great ideas up my sleeve: handmade aprons,  centerpieces and scented soaps, would all make wonderful gifts. Maybe even a cute wine tote to spice up that classic bottled gift. Don’t you think, when you’re in charge of decorations, drinks, appetizers, dinner and dessert, you deserve some love? Well I sure do, so help a hostess out with some of these great hostess gift ideas. I say, “When you don’t see a reason to bring a dish, think outside the box and bring a hostess gift!”

 

Twig CenterpieceHelpful Hostess Gifts For Winter

When you’re stuck in the kitchen and responsible for an entire party, it helps to receive some thanks. These gifts aim to do just that, while helping to make the party even better. An example of great gifts to bring are these gorgeous handmade luminaries, these can light up the yard when dusk hits to add some romantic ambiance to the evening. When you you’re looking to brighten up the interior, instead try throwing together a centerpiece. You can never have to many decorations and this twig centerpiece is subtle, yet still makes a statement.

1 Hour Hostess Gift Votives

Even when you have the most prepared hostess, and the only way you can help out would be inserting yourself between her and one of the casseroles, a little something homemade can be a huge thank you. Try making a handmade votive, as a small gift of gratitude. Whip up some soothing bath salts, so she can relax once the evening comes to a close. Or bring both, a soothing bath by candle light is hard to resist!

 

 

 What kind of hostess gift would be the most helpful to you?

4 Super Last-Minute DIY Christmas Gifts

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This craft tutorial roundup is brought to you by craft designer Rachel Faucett aka Handmade Charlotte.

I found 5 perfect projects for the “fly by the seat of your pants” crafter. These are the gifts that everyone will love unwrapping. Each project can be completed in 20 minutes or less and is so super basic with great instructions. Get the supplies out fast and get to work because Christmas is here!

The 20 Minute Tote
You could probably save time by cutting two or three out at the same time.
via Purlbee

DIY Simple Felt Tree Ornaments With Free Pattern
via Handmade Charlotte

DIY Star Photo Holders
via Handmade Charlotte

DIY Super Easy Photo Ornaments
via Babble

Celebrate the End of the Year with 2012’s Top 100 Christmas Crafts

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The end of the year is such an exciting time! Not only is Christmas less than a month away, but New Year’s is right behind it. For Christmas crafters, this means putting up the last of your decorations and finally handing out the handmade Christmas gifts you worked so hard on. For all of us at AllFreeChristmasCrafts, this is also a great time to review what all of you crafters out there liked the most this year.

We’re excited to share our big, year-ending collection of 2012’s top 100 Christmas Crafts with you! You’ll find links to all of the projects that on many wish lists this year. See if your favorite on there, and find a new craft to start off the near year.

Christmas Ornament Ideas – Nothing has been more exciting than to see what new kinds of handmade Christmas ornaments bloggers have been working on. We’ve seen everything from sewn Christmas ornaments like the Birdie Ornaments to projects made out of toilet rolls!

Homemade Christmas Decorations – Many of you came to our site in search for more budget-friendly Christmas craft options for your own Christmas home decor. You can plan ahead for next year with some eco-friendly options that are just as stylish as they are thrifty, like the ever-popular Dollar Store Glass Hurricanes.

Homemade Christmas Gifts – Crafters this year were especially generous with the heartfelt and creative gifts they created this year. You, our readers, were big fans of practical projects like the Christmas Treat Jar that loved ones can use all year.

Free Christmas Patterns – Crafters with many different talents such as crochet and knitting provided plenty of Christmas patterns that many of you used as DIY Christmas decorations and homemade Christmas gifts for others, such as the Candy Cane and Gingerbread Pot Holder.

Christmas Crafts for Kids – There are many little crafters out there, and we wanted to make sure they had a winter full of Christmas crafting fun. The Melted Snowman Ornament alone received a huge response, showing that crafters of all ages were working hard this year.


Christmas Characters – From Santa to Frosty, this was an excellent year for new ways to create Christmas characters out of all kinds of materials. The most popular craft of the year, the Pasta Angel Ornaments, shows that it doesn’t require money to create something long lasting and beautiful during the holidays.

Recycled Crafts – We were happy to see so many Christmas crafters embracing eco-friendly and green Christmas craft ideas. One of the most beautiful crafts we saw all year was the Embossed Soda Can Snowsicles. It’s hard to believe these crafts are made of reusable materials, because they always look brand new.

To find out what other Christmas crafts people couldn’t stop making this year, take a look at the rest of 2012’s top 100 Christmas crafts. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year!

 What was your favorite Christmas craft this year?

Cinema Saturdays: How to Make a Simple Wire-Wrapped Ring

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Looking for some simple accessories to spruce up your holiday ensemble? Or maybe you just need a cute idea for a last-minute homemade Christmas gift. Well this simple Silent Night Wire-Wrapped Ring tutorial is the answer to all of your accessorizing aspirations! Featuring a golden “Star of Bethlehem” bead and three sapphire-colored “night sky” beads, this beautiful wire-wrapped ring is the cutest way to show your holiday spirit this season.

This handy video tutorial will teach you the basic wire-wrapping techniques to create your own Silent Night ring. Once you’ve become familiar with these basic fundamentals, you can experiment with creating different wire-wrapped ring designs of all kinds, for all the holidays! You can even carry over these basic skills to creating other wire-wrapped jewelry, such as bracelets, earrings, and necklaces.

Follow along with Catherine to create this Silent Night Wire-Wrapped Ring and celebrate in style this holiday season!

How to Make a Simple Wire-Wrapped Ring

How do you show your holiday spirit through your style? Do you have any (or have you made any) special “holiday” jewelry?

How to Make A Giant Pom Pom In 60 Seconds Flat

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This Christmas craft tutorial is brought to you by craft designer Rachel Faucett aka Handmade Charlotte.

 

The pom pom is definitely the mascot for knitting and we invented a way to make a giant pom in one minute. I’m so thrilled about this easy technique that I  had to share. Follow the step by step instructions and you’ll be shocked at how easy it  is.

Red Heart  sent us piles and piles of yarn to play with and come up with creative projects for the Holidays. Stay tuned for a couple more fun Christmas projects later this month!

Jump over to Handmade Charlotte for the full tutorial.

You only need three simple supplies to make the fun giant poms. We used all different kinds of yarn and color to make each pom pom unique.

Take a peek at the  finished pom pom after 1 minute of tying and cutting. This is so fast and easy!

Thanks Red Heart!

Link Love: Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let it Snow

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Earlier this week, a strange thing happened – my air conditioning kicked on. The temperature outside was positively balmy and I was able to leave my house wearing tennis shoes rather than my standard fur-lined boots. While this was a nice vacation from the normal frigid winds and sub-zero temperatures, I couldn’t help feeling like something was missing – snow!

The temperatures are decreasing but it seems we’ll have to wait for snow to fall here in the Windy City. Until that time, I’ll settle for a few snow-inspired crafts. Snowmen, snowflakes and white glitter seem to be everywhere right now, so I’m definitely not the only one who’s ready to walk in a crafty winter wonderland. When looking for winter projects, it’s best to start with a long list and pick out a project or two. Our collection of 17 Snowman Christmas Crafts + 3 New Projects has everything you need for a season of crafting. Some of my personal favorites from this collection include Cute Easy Clay Snowman Ornaments and Snowman Candleholder. If you’re not a huge fan of snowmen, make a seasonal Cookie Cutter Snowflake Card and send it to someone special.

Take advantage of this warm and fuzzy Christmas feeling by creating some of these fantastic snow-themed crafts. When you’re done crafting a snowman, head outside with the family and make the real thing!

  1. Beaded Snowflakes from Torie Jayne
  2. Peanut Snowmen Holiday Ornament from Shade Tree Jewelry
  3. Snowflake Gift Ornaments from Just Crafty Enough
  4. Faux Snowy Pinecones from Dream a Little Bigger
  5. Easy Felt Snowflake Coasters from Billie Monster
  6. Bottle Cap Snowman Ornaments from One Artsy Momma
  7. Snowy Watercolours from The Mayberry Sparrow
  8. Crocheted Winter Wreath from Repeat Crafter Me
  9. Snowman Christmas Decoration from Plushka Craft

5 Festive Friendship Bracelet Patterns for the Holidays!

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Celebrate the gift of friendship this holiday season with some fun and festive friendship bracelet patterns! The holidays are all about giving, being thankful, and spending time with friends and family. What encompasses all of those warm holiday sentiments better than friendship bracelet patterns you can make with and for your friends?

Featuring merry motifs, Christmas-y colors, and wonderful winter designs, these fun friendship bracelet patterns are the perfect way to pass cozy winter nights by the fire with your pals. Make them together or give them as gifts; they make fabulous stocking stuffers!

5 Festive Friendship Bracelet Patterns

Follow along with these friendship bracelet pattern instructions to have some ho-ho-homemade fun this holiday season! Make friendship bracelets for all your best pals this year to show them how much they mean to you.

  1. Christmas Stocking Friendship Bracelet Pattern – Stuff your friends’ stockings with this spirited friendship bracelet design.
  2. Garland Friendship Bracelet Pattern – After you adorn your tree, work on adorning your friends’ wrists with some festive friendship bracelet patterns that look like gorgeous garland.

  3. Penguin Friendship Bracelet Pattern – Make a ring of little penguin pals that your own pals can wear with this adorable, wintry friendship bracelet pattern.

  4. Christmas Tree Friendship Bracelet Pattern – Craft some cute ornaments for your best friends’ wrists with this awesome Christmas tree friendship bracelet pattern.

  5. Snowflake Friendship Bracelet Pattern – Make a wearable winter wonderland for your friends with this friendship bracelet pattern that is sure to keep them looking “cool.”

 

You’ll feel the joy of giving and creating all in one with these festive friendship bracelet patterns! Find even more fantastic friendship bracelets to make in our collection of 9 Macrame Bracelet Patterns: How to Make Friendship Bracelets.

Let us know what you think of these friendship bracelet designs! Will you make some this holiday season?

 

Christmas Mosaic, Believe Book, Wool Felt Wall Art and More on Cool2Craft TV

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Cool2Craft TV Christmas Celebrations

This week, the Cool2Craft design team is celebrating the holidays with Christmas ideas! Join EcoHeidi Borchers, Tiffany Windsor, Candace Jedrowicz, Lisa Fulmer, Heather Valentine and Savannah Starr for this week’s online episode.

EcoHeidi is crafting a Christmas Mosaic Brick, Candace is making a B-E-L-I-E-V-E Book, Tiffany is creating a Wool Felt Christmas Tree Wall Hanging, Lisa is sewing a Reversible Gift Bag, Savannah  is crafting Holiday Cupcake Toppers and Heather is sewing a Mini Felt Tree Ornament.

It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Watch craft demos and join in the live chat at showtime at Cool2Craft.com. Monday December 3, 2012 – 9 am Pacific/11 am Central/noon Eastern. Join the chat on Monday and mention this blog post to be entered to win our weekly prize giveaway!

Link Love: Homemade Gift Tags

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The time has come – shopping season has commenced. If you’re like me, you’ve already started planning your shopping list and have browsed for deals on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. It sometimes feels that the pursuit of the perfect gift is so frustrating but ultimately so rewarding. When you finally find that perfect present and the recipient’s face lights up with genuine joy… is there anything better?

You’ve probably heard the old adage “it’s what’s inside that counts.” While this statement is true in most situations, it’s not quite so accurate when it comes to giving Christmas gifts. An amazing gift wrapped in crumpled paper without a tag is so much less festive and fun! This year, make a quick and meaningful tag and attach it to your gift. Let the outside of the present serve as a preview of what’s inside.

Gift tags can be made out of everything from polymer clay to cardboard. You can even use yarn and crochet a Crochet Santa Gift Tag that’s so perfect for the season. Best of all, you can save the tag for years to come – it won’t get thrown away when the gift exchange ends. Also consider unexpected embellishments such as silk flowers or colorful buttons for projects such as Flower Christmas Tags. You might think that gift tags aren’t that important, but they’re actually an integral part of this season of giving.

Let your homemade gift tag serve as the icing on the cake for your gifts this season. While they don’t take long to create, gift tags help you keep track of your gift and add a meaningful element to your Christmas presents.

  1. Fontastic Reindeer Tags from Get Silvered Craft
  2. Thrifty Gift Tags from Sew Delicious
  3. Mod Podge Gift Tags from Create, Craft, Love
  4. Toddler Art Gift Tags from Little Monster Baby
  5. Polymer Clay Gift Tags from Live, Laugh, Rowe
  6. Cardboard Gift Tags from Morning Creativity
  7. Paint Chip Gift Tag from Terra Savvy
  8. Snowflake Glitter Gift Tags from Warm Hot Chocolate
  9. DIY Fringed Gift Tags from WhimseyBox

Jewelry All the Way: 40 Fabulous Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas

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Gift cards are a bore, and fruit baskets are a snooze fest. Make it a hand-crafted holiday this year by giving all your favorite pals some gorgeous DIY jewelry! Since all of our fans have been extra nice this year (and we checked twice), we’ve rounded up some of our best gift-worthy jewelry patterns from AllFreeJewelryMaking.com so you can make this holiday season extra fabulous for all your family and friends. Ditch the department stores this year; these homemade Christmas gifts are way cuter and more meaningful than anything you’ll find at the mall.

They say fashion is a form of expression, and that’s never been more true than with these adorable Wire Word Rings! What better way to tell a loved one how you feel than through cute DIY jewelry? Personalize the design for the recipient of the gift to make it extra special. Whether the message is meaningful or funny, this wire ring project is sure to make a statement.

 

Craft a cute keepsake that will be cherished forever with this Photo Collage Bracelet tutorial. Fill the square bezels with kids’ or grandkids’ photos to make this a perfect gift for mom or grandma. It’s the perfect way for her to always keep her family close by. You can bet she’ll be bragging about this thoughtful homemade gift to all her girlfriends!


For a friend who loves to bake, these cute culinary creations would make the sweetest gift! This Tiny Wire Whisk Earrings and Pendant project is so simple to make. Whip up a set of these adorable accessories as a last-minute gift if you’re pressed for time this holiday season.

 


This Simply Sweet Book Pendant makes a thoughtful gift for your page-turning pal. Personalize the pendant to feature the title or cover design of your friend’s favorite book. What a novel idea! She won’t be able to put down this darling DIY necklace.

 

These thoughtful DIY jewelry projects are just the tip of the sleigh. Find even more ideas for homemade Christmas gifts in our collection of 37 Last-Minute, Inexpensive Christmas Gifts to Make, full of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings anyone would be thrilled to see under their tree!

Do you make homemade Christmas gifts for your friends and family?

Crochet

Jewelry

Knitting

Paper

Sewing

Thrifty