55+ New DIY Ornaments: Vote for Your Favorite!

November 21, 2016 by FaveCrafts 1 Comment

Happy ornaments! Submissions for our Best Ornament Contest 2016 have closed and voting has begun. We received over 55 awesome DIY ornament tutorials ranging everywhere from paper crafting to recycled craft ideas and more. Check out all of the awesome entries here.

Let’s talk about voting!

We’re doing voting a little differently this year! Historically, we set up voting pages where fans of FaveCrafts could click a vote button to select his or her favorite projects. This year, we’re judging the contest based on . . . page views!

That’s right: the more people that click on your project, the better! As people scroll through the entries and click on their favorite projects, those clicks count as votes toward those ornaments. It truly is a popularity contest in that sense!

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE DIY ORNAMENTS NOW

At the end of the contest, we’ll look at our analytics to determine which ten projects earned the most page views. Prizes are as follows:

One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive the following:

$250 Amazon Gift Card
Featured ornament on the cover of the Best Ornaments 2016 eBook
Newsletter mention

One (1) Second Prize Winner will receive the following:

$100 Amazon Gift Card

One (1) Third Prize Winner will receive the following:

$50 Amazon Gift Card

The top ten ornaments will also appear in an exclusive Best Ornaments 2016 free eBook, which will be available for download on FaveCrafts.com. Crafts featured in the eBook will include a direct link to the blogger’s website.

Once again, to vote:

Check out all of our entries (there are four pages so be sure to scroll through all of them!)
Click on your favorite projects.

That’s it! We’re so excited for this contest and we hope you are too.

-Editors of FaveCrafts

Make an Ornament + Enter to Win $250

October 27, 2016 by FaveCrafts 1 Comment

DIY ornaments are some of the best Christmas crafts. They’re small, fun for the whole family, and there are about a million different ways you can make them.

Here at FaveCrafts, we’re always looking for awesome new projects to add to the site. This time of year, ornaments are on the mind. As a fun opportunity, we’re asking readers and bloggers alike to submit your very own DIY ornament tutorial to FaveCrafts! The best part?

Your ornament tutorial can be worth $250!

Head on over to FaveCrafts to submit your ornament, and you’ll be eligible to win a $250 Amazon gift card!

About Our Ornament Contest:

All entries in this contest must be original creations, but you can republish a project from your blog.
Your project will be posted in full on FaveCrafts.com.
Winners will be selected based on popularity of the project.
The top ten ornaments will also appear in an exclusive Best Ornaments 2016 free eBook, which will be available for download on FaveCrafts.com, Amazon, and the Apple Store. Crafts featured in the eBook will include a direct link to the blogger’s website.

The deadline to enter is November 10, 2016 at Midnight Central Time.

Once your project is added to the site, be sure to help promote it any way you can on social media, on your blog, in email newsletters, etc. The more page views each project receives, the better your chances are at winning!

Head on over and enter your ornament today! And, check out some of the entries we’ve received so far:

See the complete list of ornament contest entries here.

What is your favorite ornament on your tree?

I Just Can’t Help Myself

February 28, 2014 by AllFreeChristmasCrafts Leave a Comment

Fellow crafters, I have a confession to make. I’m in love with Pinterest. I’m talking the head-over-heels, out-of-this-world, makes-you-want-to-scream-it-from-a-mountain-top type of love. I’m not the only one, right? If you’ve somehow managed to miss out on Pinterest, stop reading and click here. Consider it an early Christmas present from AllFreeChristmasCrafts to you.

If I had to describe Pinterest in a sentence, here’s what I’d say: It’s a virtual bulletin board full of never-ending crafts, recipes, hilarious memes, and DIY inspiration. In short, it’s like a new and improved letter to Santa.

For this reason (beyond millions of more that I won’t bore you with), it’s become the ultimate Christmas planner. You can make a board to store ideas for gifts to make for your friends and family, ways to decorate your home, and what food to serve for your next holiday party.

Now, I know that Christmas is 9 months away, but it never hurts to get a head start. What’s that saying? The early bird gets the worm? And let’s be honest, aren’t you just itching for another reason to peruse through Pinterest boards? Happy pinning!

Obviously, one of the most important Christmas decorations is your Christmas tree. From more traditional ideas to the completely unique, there are so many ways to dress up you tree. One of the first ways is going for a theme, like this simple white and gold tree:

If you like this, try making these:

Chic Paper Ball Ornament
Gold and Lace Ball Ornament
Beautiful Crochet Christmas Ornament

Or you could do something like this, a little splash of blue with a few natural elements like pine cones:

If you like this, then make these:
Shimmering DIY Ornaments
Simple Glitter Ornaments
Simple DIY Pine Cone Ornaments
Gold Dipped Pine Cone Ornament

Or you could do solid color, but different ornament shapes, like this tree:

If you like this, make these:

Festive Star Ornament
Twine Wrapped Ball Ornament
Stars & Hearts Felt Ornaments
Hand Knit Ball Ornaments

You could also go without a theme, and simply mix and match ornaments of different color, shape, and style like this tree:

If you like this, try making these:

Oh So Cute Owl Ornament
Darling Penguin Ornament
48 Homemade Ornaments
Funky Fabric DIY Ornaments

You could also get creative this year, turning your tree into a work of art like this one.

Anyway you choose to decorate it, I’m sure it will be beautiful. And I know what you are probably thinking, it’s too early, but I just can’t help myself. Besides if we start pinning now, by the time Christmas comes around, we’ll have all the inspiration and projects we’ll need to make our Christmas dreams come true….or at least an excuse to look at beautiful pictures on Pinterest.

What would your dream Christmas tree look like?

Warm and Toasty Winter Craft Ideas (Plus Coookies!)

December 18, 2013 by FaveCrafts 1 Comment

This post is brought to you by Mary Egan of CraftFoxes.com.

Now that brisk winter weather is here, you may be feeling a bit of cabin fever from being all cooped up in your house. Why not put a positive spin on all that time you have to spend indoors? With these winter crafting ideas from CraftFoxes, you can spend some snowy days making delicious winter-themed snacks, holiday decorations or winter clothing like sweater knitting patterns and boot cuffs. When it’s blustery outside, snuggle up in a sweater and do some crafting! Here are four ideas from the CraftFoxes website for awesome winter crafts.

Winter Maxi Skirt

When I think of long, flowing maxi skirts, I tend to think of summer outfits. But this winter maxi skirt can be worn with thick tights or leggings underneath for some extra warmth and a fashionable flair. To make this maxi skirt, you’ll need a section of stretch knit fabric about 60 inches wide, as well as other assorted sewing materials. Using your measurements, cut and sew the fabric as directed in this tutorial. This is a great statement piece to have in your wardrobe, and should keep you warm when paired with some tights or leggings. You can make your maxi skirt whichever color you’d like — a frosty, winter blue or some holiday red and green!

Snowflake Ornament

Even if it doesn’t snow where you live, the snowflake is often recognized as the quintessential symbol of winter. This embroidered snowflake ornament makes use of the snowflake in a really cute and commemorative way. To make this ornament, which you can hang on a Christmas tree or anywhere in your home during the winter holidays, you’ll need the template from CraftFoxes, an embroidery hoop, fabric, needle and thread, and other sundry materials. In addition to the snowflake, you can also embroider the date on your ornament. It might be a cute idea to embroider one of these ornaments every year, to commemorate your family’s celebration of the holiday season.

Knitted Nordic Mittens

When the weather outside is frightful, it’s easiest and most comfortable to just stay indoors. But sometimes you have to leave the house when it’s downright freezing! If you have to go out and brave the cold weather, you might want to take along a pair of these Nordic mittens. To make these knitted Nordic mittens, you’ll need some yarn in red and white (or any colors of your choice), as well as a stitch marker and one set each of sizes 3 and 5 (3.25 and 3.75mm) double-pointed needles. You can follow the knitting pattern on CraftFoxes. This pattern makes mittens for a hand circumference of 7-1/2 inches /19cm, but can be adjusted.

Bacon Banana Cookies and Melted Snowman Cookies

These absolutely delicious cookies are the perfect treat for your kids when they get home from school, or when they’ve just started their winter break! How can you go wrong with bacon banana and cinnamon cookies?

For another creative wintertime snack, try out this recipe for melted snowman cookies. The cookies are made from regular, old sugar cookie dough, so you can use any recipe that you have on hand. Then you’ll need lots of icing to add in your melting snowman. You can use a piping bag full of icing or edible icing pens for this step. When you’re finished, you’ll have an adorable, wintery snack!

What’s your favorite wintertime craft?

Link Love: Easy Christmas Ornament Crafts

December 5, 2013 by FaveCrafts 4 Comments

I love the holiday season for a lot of reasons. The sights, the smells, the goodwill – this is simply the most magical time of the year. However, there is one thing that I love the most during this time of year – the decorations. Specifically, I love seeing how different families and individuals choose to dress up their trees. Since I don’t decorate my own tree, I love to admire other people’s hard work.

FaveCrafts features a variety of fun ornament crafts, but it seems that the quick and easy projects are always the most popular. These are the ornaments you make in an afternoon or even in a few minutes. These ornaments are also kid-friendly, so you can work on the projects as a family and use this time to teach valuable lessons about the holiday season. If you want to include the kids in your Christmas crafting fun, look no further than the Easy Icicles Ornament. Use beads, sequins and pipe cleaners for this simple project – it’s perfect for elementary-aged children. Similarly, the Reindeer Ornament doesn’t require any expensive material or hard-to-use supplies, but the finished product is too cute to miss. If you are looking for a more adult-friendly craft project but simply don’t have a lot of time to get creative, a Cute Santa Hat Ornament or a Glitter Filled Ornament will get you in the holiday spirit.

Ornaments are the perfect craft for the holiday season – you can hang them on your own tree or give them to someone you love. No matter what, the piece you create is sure to become an heirloom that will be displayed each year. Gather up the family and get to work – Christmas will be over before you know it!

DIY Acorn Ornaments from Say Yes To Hoboken
Clay Thumbprint Snowman Ornament from Lines Across
Wood Etched Ornament from Hello Wonderful
Old Fashioned Salt Dough Candy Cane Ornaments from Fun at Home With Kids
Rainbow Dip Dyed Christmas Lights from Two-daloo
CD Snowman Ornaments from Happy Hooligans
Fabric Christmas Tree Ornament from Haberdashery Fun
Ribbon Tree Ornament from Simply Kelly Designs
Hazelnuts Turned Mini Wreath Ornaments from North Story

Which ornament on your tree is the most meaningful and why?

Kid-Friendly Glass Ornament Crafts Just In Time For Christmas

December 4, 2013 by FaveCrafts 2 Comments

This post is brought to you by Shahab Shokouhi.

If you want to foster a spirit of festive family time this holiday season, there’s no easier way than getting the kids involved in the holiday decorating. And even if the weather outside is frightful, there are ways to work the outdoors into your indoor decorating scheme! So before you start decorating the tree, rather than simply letting the kids hang the ornaments, why not let them make the ornaments? Here are four different outdoor-themed ways to dress up your glass ornaments that are kid-friendly and parent-approved.

NOTE: Each of these projects uses basic glass ornaments that you can pick up from your local craft store as well as a few additional ‘ingredients.’

Melted Snowman

Whether you live in a warm climate or in a subzero setting, who doesn’t love a snowman? This little snow globe encompasses a melted snowman after he’s served his purposes out in the yard and can be yours with a few household materials!

You’ll need:

Glass Ornaments, as many as you like
Coarse Kosher Salt
5 Whole Peppercorns per Snowman
Scrap of orange/brown paper for the carrot
Funnel

Remove the cap from the ornament and use the funnel to pour the salt into the glass, about halfway to the top. Drop in 5 peppercorns and a little carrot nose before replacing the top and threading the ornament with a ribbon or twine.

Acorn Snow Globe

Send the kids outside to gather acorns or small nuts or seeds. Make sure you have a glass ornament with a large enough mouth for the acorns to fit through. Remove the cap, drop in the acorns, replace the cap and thread through the opening with the ribbon or twine of your choice.

Snow Glitter

Grab a can of glitter or ‘snow’ spray paint and turn the ornament upside down before coating the entire underside with a layer of the spray paint. Coat it evenly but make sure not to spray so thoroughly that you can’t see any of the glass ornament underneath! Allow it to dry for at least 2 hours before handling.

Metallic Paint

This one is best saved for older kids who can handle glass with gentle fingers. Grab a couple of colors of metallic craft paint (this one uses a base coat of silver and top coat of green to represent the evergreen outdoors!) and turn the ornament upside down. Carefully apply a light coat of one color, allow it to dry for at least 2 hours and then apply a top coat of another color. Notice how the strokes of paint are light-handed and do not cover the entire glass ornament.

What are some of the creative ways you and your kids have decorated the inside and outside of glass ornaments?

Shahab Shokouhi is a glass design expert at www.dullesglassandmirror.com, an innovative manufacturer of glass table tops, glass shelves, and all other glass and mirror products. Follow Dulles Glass and Mirror on Pinterest or on YouTube to see how they’re changing the way glass products are manufactured, customized and delivered.

In Case You Missed It: “7 Easy Homemade Christmas Ornaments for Kids” eBook

November 30, 2013 by AllFreeChristmasCrafts Leave a Comment

Christmas is less than a month away, and it is time to put up (or at least start thinking about putting up) your Christmas tree. One of the best parts of decorating for Christmas is choosing ornaments for your Christmas tree. There are so many options for DIY ornaments, but the best kind are the ones you can make as a whole family. That is why we at AllFreeChristmasCrafts have put together a collection of great DIY ornaments kids can make in our eBook, 7 Easy Homemade Christmas Ornaments for Kids.

From ornaments using craft fabric to nature-inspired ornament crafts to DIY ornaments made with materials from your own home, you are sure to find the right ornament crafts for your kids in this eBook. If you need a fun and festive way to keep your kids entertained over winter break, this free eBook is a must-have for the holiday season!

Homemade Xmas Ornaments Using Craft Fabric

Create adorable DIY ornaments with your kids like these Snowy Owl Ornaments. Using large googly eyes, glue, felt, old book pages and other embellishments, make a cute owl to put on your tree this Christmas. Your kids will have a blast helping with these adorable animal ornaments and other fun projects made from craft fabric.

Christmas Ornament Crafts That Are Nature Inspired

Look to the outdoors for inspiration for you next Christmas craft project with your kids. For a fun and budget-friendly ornament craft, try these Wax Dipped Pine Cone Ornaments. Inexpensive, yet adorable, these homemade ornaments are sure to be a favorite with the kids. Make these pine cone crafts and other nature-inspired projects with your kids this holiday season.

DIY Christmas Ornaments with Materials from Your Home

A recycled Christmas craft is the best way to save during the holiday season. Use old bottle caps to make this precious Bottle Cap Snowman Ornament. These ornaments can be personalized by name, so every kid will feel a sense of ownership over their DIY ornament creation. Make these homemade ornaments and more crafts featuring recycled items with projects featured in this eBook.

Download a copy of 7 Easy Homemade Christmas Ornaments for Kids – It’s free!

If you like this eBook, you’ll love:

Homemade Christmas Ornament: 17 Insanely Cute Crafts
“11 Christmas Crafts for Kids to Create” eBook

What ornaments are you making for Christmas?

Canned Goods: 11 Mason Jar Crafts for Christmas

November 5, 2013 by AllFreeChristmasCrafts 1 Comment

Mason jars are not just for canning anymore! There are so many fun uses for these versatile containers. Really, is there anything you can’t use mason jars for these days? Surely you have seen them around. People use them as luminaries, candles, vases, and even lamps for weddings or home decor. They can also be used as gift containers, particularly for soup and hot chocolate mixes.

Christmas is a great time to try out crafting with mason jars. We here at AllFreeChristmasCrafts love mason jar crafts, and we hope you will too. We have some great DIY holiday crafts for you to try out this Christmas. From candles to gifts to holiday decorations, these jars have so many uses, especially around the holiday season. This list of 11 mason jar crafts for Christmas is sure to meet your crafting needs!

DIY Christmas Gifts

Choosing mason jars as gift containers is one of the best ways to use these versatile containers during the Christmas season. You can focus on decorating the jar itself using examples like a Decorated Mason Jar Teacher Idea or this Gorgeous Poinsettia Christmas Jar, and then fill the jar with candy or chocolates. You can also pay special attention to the contents of the jar and create a thoughtful, easy gift like a “We Love You” Jar that is filled with little slips of paper describing the reasons you care about the person you are giving the gift to. Either way, decorated DIY mason jars make simple, but classy gifts.

Homemade Christmas Ornament Crafts

While many mason jar crafts make great gifts, you can also use these jars to add to your collection of homemade holiday decorations. Make ornaments out of the jars themselves like this Mason Jar Greenery Ornament, and with just a couple leafy additions, you’ll have some beautiful pieces to add to your tree. Remember, you can also use the mason jar lids in your crafting. Check out these cute Mason Jar Lid Ornaments for an adorable way to incorporate all parts of the mason jar into your crafting.

DIY Christmas Decorations

Aside from ornaments, mason jars can be used in many other parts of your collection of holiday decorations. You can go the sensible route and choose a practical craft like Mason Jar Snow Globe Soap Dispensers. A more classic way to use mason jars is to make them into candle holders or luminaries. Use mod podge to make beautiful winter mantel decor, like Snowflake Jar Votive Holders, or fun, festive holiday clear jars, like Junkmail Snowflake Luminaries. Need more sparkle? Then these Light Up The Night Glitter Mason Jars are definitely for you. You even make the jars themselves into decorations like this Glittery Santa’s Belly Jar. Add some sparkle and shine to your home this holiday season with these homemade Christmas decorations.

There are certainly a lot of ways to use mason jars, especially around the holidays. We hope you have found the mason jar craft for you this Christmas season!

Still want more jar craft ideas? AllFreeChristmasCrafts has a list for you!

Here are 16 Jar Craft Projects for Christmas Jars Year Round.

What do you use mason jars for?

What’s Hot: Homemade Beaded Christmas Ornaments

September 7, 2013 by AllFreeChristmasCrafts 3 Comments

We love ornament crafts here at AllFreeChristmasCrafts. Every tree can use another ornament, or two, or seven. Is your tree entirely black and white? No worries, you can easily make a black or white ornament. Is your tree so small that only the smallest of small ornaments will fit? We’ve got plenty of mini ornament crafts for you. Is your tree composed entirely of recycled materials? Oh, do we have toilet roll ornaments for you.

Regardless of the theme, AllFreeChristmasCrafts has you covered. We’ve chosen to highlight today one of the newest trends in ornament crafting: homemade beaded Christmas ornaments! From the simple and sweet Tear Drop Angel to the complex and creative Victorian ornament, these beaded beauties will add a touch of glitz and glam to your Christmas tree.

Our most popular ornament on the site right now is the lovely Tear Drop Beaded Angel, pictured above. Just look at how sweet she looks. She only takes four beads to complete, so you can have these homemade ornaments ready to adorn your tree in almost no time! These angels would make a great Christmas party craft, or you can dole them out as small gifts to your acquaintances.

Feeling a little more ambitious? Give the Victorian Beaded Christmas Tree Ornament a try. This is one of my personal favorites. The beading is so intricate, and the results totally pay off! The bronze colors that are featured look absolutely beautiful, but like I said above, you can go with whatever color theme you’d like. I think a nice snowy white would really sparkle, or maybe a deep red.

Homemade beaded Christmas ornaments also make great crafts for kids! This precious Beaded Snowman Strand is an easy Christmas craft that looks great when finished. You can string dozens of the little snowman faces to make a unique Christmas garland for the tree, or you can string together just three of the faces for a cute Christmas ornament. Kids will love painting the little snowmen!

Find even more homemade beaded Christmas ornaments at AllFreeChristmasCrafts.com!

What craft material do you use most when making ornaments?

You’ll Love Insanely Cute Homemade Christmas Ornaments!

August 25, 2013 by AllFreeChristmasCrafts Leave a Comment

Christmas ornaments are some of the most popular Christmas craft ideas, and why wouldn’t they be? After all, they’re small projects that are easily integrated into anyone’s Christmas decorating, year after year. You can make homemade Christmas ornaments super simply and super quickly, like this Pom Pom Ball Ornament. You’re able to take a little longer to make your ornaments with any of these nifty crochet ornaments. If you’re feeling ambitious and you have a lot of time on your hands, try a Somerset Star Ornament or a Cross Stitched Victorian Cone Ornament. Whatever the age, skill level, or the amount of time you have, you can definitely find an ornament craft suited to your tastes.

I have a personal preference for anything that’s insanely cute. Baby animals? Yes. Precious smiley faces? Absolutely. Anything in miniature? You bet. That’s why I’ve put together a collection of Insanely Cute Homemade Christmas Ornaments! Organized by the different Christmas icons, this collection is a comprehensive grouping of utterly adorable ornaments from across the Christmas spectrum.

Homemade Christmas Ornaments: 17 Insanely Cute Crafts

Santa Crafts

You have never seen Santa look better than this. You can make an adorable Santa’s Belly Bell Ornament, or crochet Santa’s face instead. My colleague laughingly likened this “Santa Baby” Crochet Christmas Ornament to Doc Brown from Back to the Future, and who’s more precious than Doc Brown? Well, maybe a few other people, but I digress.

Snowman Crafts

Snowmen are a classic icon for the Christmas holiday, and with a little bit of maneuvering, you can make a snowman craft that’s totally cute. Grab jars, fabric, pom poms and more in order to make any or all of these cute crafts.

Food Crafts

Any craft that’s shaped like food is automatically adorable. These ornaments look good enough to eat, but they’re only for hanging!

Reindeer Crafts

Santa can’t get anywhere without his reindeer, and these reindeer will melt your heart. Most of these crafts are super inexpensive. Who knew such cuteness could emerge from recycled materials or dollar store purchases like this Vintage Vignette Ornament?

Holy Crafts

Holy crafts are the perfect way to remind us of the reason for the season, and these adorable ornaments are the perfect holy crafts!

Cute Crafts

For all of those adorable crafts that didn’t quite have a home, this group of cute crafts will be sure to bring a smile to your face. I love the little soldier ornaments, and who could resist the small smiles on those happy lights? These Cute Smiling Mittens are also super precious. I don’t know how anyone could see these cute crafts without the desire to make them. I know I have plans for all of my ornament gift-giving already. . . . 🙂