~ If you have old CD's or discs, especially the free ones that come in the mail from AOL, HGTV explains a really cute Christmas craft that only requires some acrylic paint and some creativity.
~ Carol Duvall's Shoebox crafts section is great. Check out this light box made from a shoebox!
~ Use up that old potpourri and make cute Christmas tree ornaments at the same time.
~ Don't forget to leave a little something for Santa's reindeer on Christmas Eve. They love magic reindeer food. Simply put 1/2 cup uncooked oats in a plastic baggie and mix in a TBSP. or so of crytal colored sugar. They love the stuff and kids love to get it as little gift before the big night! (Add a little note to the baggie to sprinkle on the front lawn just before bed!)
~ Budget 101 is the very best place to go on the web if you're looking for do it yourself mix recipes to give as gifts. I mean, they have everything!!! The pop-ups are pretty bad, but keep clicking because it's worth it.
~ The Legend of the Candy Cane is such a sweet story. Copy it onto a piece of paper, cut the edges with your scrapbooking scissors and attach to candy canes to use as gifts or as extra special gift tags.
~ Save all those brown paper sacks from the grocery store to use as Christmas wrapping paper
Cut them open, let your kids draw their favorite holiday scenes on the unmarked side, add some brightly colored bows and you're done! When my daughter was little, she used to do this every year and she was so proud of her packages.
~ When I am feeling particularly motherly at Christmas, I will very carefully crack open Walnuts, clean them out and then place tiny hand written notes of love on the inside along with some glitter and then glue them back together. The kids can crack them open during the Christmas season. I've also heard of people putting dollar bills inside these as well.
~ Easy yarn Christmas wall hanging from Michaels.
~ You can make very easy, very frugal Christmas tree ornaments using nothing but lace and potpourri. Make sachets! I lay a saucer over my lace to help me cut a circle, the put some potpourri in the center of the circle. Pull up the sides and tie it off with some ribbon. This is especially thrifty if you find potpourri and lace on sale.
~ A quick and very frugal way to make your home seem more festive for Christmas is to take some of your pictures off the wall and wrap them like Christmas presents complete with lots of ribbon and a Christmas bow.
~ Get your windows ready for Christmas by adding a teaspoon of liquid dish soap to acrylic craft paint in Christmas colors like red, silver, green and gold and then using sponges in Christmas shapes, sponge on decorations. It will wash off.
~ Make a photo album featuring photos of Christmases past and display it on the coffee table each year.
This is a good activity to enjoy as a family.
~ You'd be surprised how festive something as simple as a bowl of fruit can look at Christmas time. Fill a crystal bowl with apples, oranges and nuts and sit it on a glass trivet for a nice effect.
~ Make candy kiss trees found at Organized Christmas. Super simple.
~ It wouldn't be Christmas without a little Snowman Poop! Visit Kids Central for the how-to.
My Frugal Christmas Notebook
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~ Give your Christmas windows the Jack Frost treatment for some frosty beauty.
~ Dress up your Christmas bathroom with a super easy and way frugal Christmas shower curtain.
~ My son and I make these cinnamon Christmas ornaments with glue and applesauce every year.
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~ You can make snugglies: a no-sew fleece blanket that involves only tying the fabric together.
~ I once saw a garland made from old, empty thread spools and some twine. They strung them on and tied pretty bows every few spools. It was adorable. I'm sure there are tons of things you could string on fishing line or twine that would make really cute, unique garlands.
~ Make styrofoam glitter "snowballs" to use for decoration around the house. Take a styrofoam ball and insert a skewer in the bottom to use as your handle. You'll remove it when you're all done. Cover it with glue. You can roll it around in white glue or use spray on adhesive found in the craft section. Now dip it in white glitter stand it upright in a glass by the skewer to dry.
~ Salt dough is so versatile. You can use it to make Christmas ornaments that will last a lifetime. Remember to paint your art when you're done and varnish it as well to preserve it!
~ Now that you have your salt dough prepared, you'll need some ideas about how you can use it.
Click here to learn to make: salt dough greeting cards, picture frame, a fun pizza clock, and a beautiful wreath!
~ Armed with a can of silver or gold spray paint and some pretty ribbon, you can make some very dramatic decorations for your home. Pick up branches, twigs, pine cones, rocks, etc... outdoors. Spray each of them and allow to dry. Gather the twigs together and tie with ribbon. Group things together around your house in baskets for a pretty look.
~ If you're a wood crafter, you can pick up some nice free patterns at CountryCornerCrafts.com.
~ If you have kids, I found a SUPER site called Danielles Place that has way too many family crafts to list here. You really have to see it!
~ Free Christmas coloring pages for kids of all ages at Christmas-Coloring.com.
~ All frugal Christmas folks know that you can reuse old Christmas cards to make gift tags. But, Carol Duvall of HGTV shows you how to do it well, In addition, she shows you how to make beautiful gift bags from old Christmas cards!
~ Did you know that you can spray your Sunday comics with hairspray to make gift wrapping paper that is a little shiny and a little more durable?
~ This chocolate advent calendar is so cool! The kids love them and you can make one for each member of the family if you want.
~ AllFreeCrafts.com shows you how to make a cute Christmas tree out of coat hangers!
