15 Easy Christmas Craft Ideas Anyone Can Make This Holiday Season

For a playful nod to the traditional Christmas pin, try these cheerful corsages. They're easy enough for a child to make but sophisticated enough for Mom to wear. Once you gather your supplies, it's a snap to create multiple corsages in a single afternoon.

Print the template and cut out. From a piece of felt, cut one 2 1/2-by-5-inch rectangle for each pair of leaves. Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise. Crease with an iron set to "wool." With the rectangle still folded, trace the template and cut out the shape using scissors; unfold. To make the four-leaf design, cross two felt shapes; using a low-temperature glue gun, attach at the center. For the two-leaf version, dab glue at the center of one felt shape, and fold, angling the leaves. Glue desired trimmings to the front and a bar pin or a barrette to the back.

To it prepare as a gift: Cut a 4-by-5-inch piece of card stock. Punch two small holes, about an inch apart, into the center of the card. Attach the pin or barrette. Using a rubber stamp and a white ink pad, stamp a "tag." Lastly, write the recipient's name and a greeting.

Take a walk around your neighborhood and forage a few pinecones, poppy pods, and acorns. Then turn your haul into stunning tree ornaments by covering them in metallic paint and adding hooks. 

When grouped, these handmade paper trees become a sweet winter scene. To make them, use a craft punch to create paper circles in graduated sizes (the ones shown here have 6-, 7-, 8-, and 9-inch diameters). Cut the circles in half, roll them into cones, and secure them with double-sided tape. Then, cut a skewer to accommodate them. Snip the tip off the largest cone, slide it down the skewer, and secure it with hot glue. Repeat with progressively smaller cones, overlapping them by about a half-inch. For the top cone, do not snip a hole; just glue it onto the skewer. Then insert the skewer into the wood bead's hole and glue it into place.

Add personality to your stockings by making them yourself. For this jolly set, simply download our template and trace the pattern onto two pieces of felt. Attach pre-cut stars, then sew the felt together to make a complete stocking. 

Grace your panes with paper snowflakes, attaching them with poster putty. Or, tape them together to create a paper snowflake wreath or garland. 

We created geometric patterns by weaving hot-pink, silver, and gold cords around embedded cloves for these thoroughly modern pomanders: Insert cloves into citrus at points of an arrow, diamond, or other shape, spacing them evenly around fruits' circumference. Tie one end of cord around head of a clove, leaving a 2-inch tail. Wrap cord around each clove head to form desired shape. Some designs (like diamonds) may require tying off cord after a couple of shapes and retying cord to another clove. Continue wrapping cord around cloves until you reach starting point. Tie together end of cord and tail left at start. Trim off any excess.

Make the countdown to Christmas even more exciting with this DIY advent calendar. Just paint the dates onto a shoe organizer and fill each pocket with candy, a few wrapped gifts, heart-felt notes, and more. 

It's the kids who will be doing the nibbling when these sweet mice are around. A combination of two Christmas motifs—mice and candy canes—these tiny fabric creatures, with their red-and-white-striped tails, make fitting favors at a holiday dinner or delightful gifts for children to give to friends and relatives.

These cookie-cutter ornaments make sentimental gifts; luckily they're faster to make than cookies are to bake. Use inexpensive aluminum cutters and choose patterned papers or pictures photocopied onto card stock to personalize a set for your whole family.

Capture the season under glass—and check lots of folks off your list easily with these mini wintry worlds that combine the cuteness of snow globes with the beauty of bell-jar terrariums. Using the lid as a base, form a snow-covered mountain or frosty iceberg with a mound of clay. (We used glitter to mimic the sparkle of snow). Figurines such as these skiers and penguins can be found at hobby shops, and the jars can be bought in bulk.

To make one, mold clay into mounds of snow. (To create a pond, first mold clay onto a small mirror.) Let dry. Glue clay (or a mirror) to the underside of the jar's lid. Brush clay with glue, and cover with glitter; let dry. Brush figurines with glue, and set in place; let dry. Line the inner rim of the jar with silicone adhesive. Carefully invert the jar over your scene, and screw to the lid; let dry.

Deck the halls—or your front door—with a petite bough, formed from a wire coat hanger and greenery left over from garland making. Using wire cutters, trim off the hanger top, as shown. Push the bottom of the hanger inward to shape it into an upside-down V. Wrap floral wire around entire hanger, forming a web in the space between the hanger wires. Wrap sprigs of greenery together with floral wire to create several small bundles. Wire greenery to the hanger, overlapping bundles to create a full appearance. For a festive finishing touch, add a ribbon bow.

Your handwriting can turn your Christmas stockings into heirlooms. The personalized, embroidered keepsakes will bring joy year after year.

Memo to Santa's assistants from Head Elf: It has come to our attention that these elf figurines are a joy to make. All you need are pinecones, pipe cleaners, and other simple supplies (no toy-making expertise necessary). Best of all, the charming sprites have many applications. They can be used as decorations on a mantel, under a tree, or atop presents. We expect the little guys to be big hits this Christmas.

Your gifts will shine above the rest when you adorn then with these paper-star toppers. Using the template, cut out the design onto cardstock; accordion fold the strip, then connect the ends at the remaining tab. It's that easy.

The secret to dashing off this pretty basket-weave motif is the tool: Just dip the end of a 1-inch foam brush in fabric paint, then tap it in three parallel lines. Change directions and repeat until you have a band across the top, or go with the flow down to the toes.

(Tip: For straight, even rows, keep the felt brush parallel to the top or side of the stocking as you work, says former Living home editor Lorna Aragon.)