Quick and Easy Christmas Crafts

Handmade Christmas Cards

Handmade Christmas cards aren't as difficult to make as you might expect. Using rubber stamps makes it easy to quickly create a variety of designs ranging from Christmas trees to snowflakes. If desired, you can add color to your design with colored pencils or watercolors.

Another easy way to make simple Christmas cards is to cut small squares from patterned paper scraps. When you're finished, add tiny bows to the top of the squares to create dimensional Christmas present embellishments for the front of a plain greeting card. You can make a Christmas card that features just one present embellishment or arrange several presents together to make a more elaborate design.

If you're looking for a project your children can help with, ask your son or daughter to draw a Christmas themed picture. Scan the artwork, then use digital image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements to add a holiday greeting. Print your Christmas cards using your home inkjet printer or have them professionally produced using an online service such as Snapfish or Shutterfly.

Christmas Ornament Crafts

Since decorating for the holidays is a cherished tradition for many families, it's not surprising that Christmas ornament crafts are among the most popular. There are many different ways to make Christmas ornaments, depending upon how much time and money you want to spend on the project.

One of the most versatile ornament crafts involves decorating clear glass ball ornaments. You can remove the top from these ornaments and fill them with strips of rolled patterned paper, bits of ribbon, or tiny beads. The ornaments can also be painted, embellished with glitter glue, or decorated with scrapbooking rub-ons.

If you personalize your handmade ornaments with a name and date, these decorated ornaments make for creative package toppers when wrapping your Christmas presents.

Easy Christmas Gifts

If you're looking for a quick and easy Christmas crafts to give as gifts, you can't go wrong with mixes in a jar. These gifts are also very frugal, since you can buy the ingredients in bulk and end up with enough material to create presents for nearly everyone on your holiday shopping list.

The Organized Christmas website lists several variations of the mix in a jar gift, ranging from chocolate chip cookie mix to soup mix. Measure the ingredients for the mix of your choice, then print the recipe on a small index card. Decorate the card using free computer clip art and the fonts of your choice. You can decorate the jar using ribbon, patterned paper, stickers, or scrapbooking rub-ons.

A journal jar is a good non-edible variation on the gift in a jar theme. Decorate the jar, then fill it with slips of paper that have various writing prompts. The prompts can be related to Christmas or have a theme such as your family history or goals for the future. Give this gift with a decorated notebook and a pretty pen.