by J A Wright

Created on: November 30, 2009   Last Updated: December 02, 2009

December crafts often connect with Christmas more than anything else but it's worth keeping the weather in mind. Many often see their first snow fall in December and this provides much inspiration.

Black and purple craft papers with white chalk make excellent drawings to illustrate a dark and snowy winter night. You can smudge the chalk to create that soft fuzzy edge which so often shows in reality. It's a good opportunity to examine light and shadow in art.

Snowmen are popular so why not use the cardboard middle of the toilet roll and cover with cotton wool to make a soft snowman. You can use cotton wool to make a head. Use fabric scraps and black craft paper to make his scarf, hat and maybe even mittens. Use twigs and sequins or real buttons to make arms and buttons for his front and use any other craft items or coloured paper for his carrot nose, eyes and mouth. You could use the same idea for Santa.

If you have religious inclinations you might use the same techniques to make a stable and manger scene.

Another way to create attractive figures like Santa and his elves perhaps with angels, make cones out of coloured paper and use paper circles with faces drawn on for the faces. Place the cone with the wide part at the bottom and stick the face near the top so the point is hidden. Decorate as you like with glitter, cotton wool, sequins, paint and crayon. These look really cute when complete. You might even consider some bright wrapping paper for a bright paper.

In a slightly green and recycling friendly activity you could collect enough food cans for each participant, each with the top fully removed and completely cleaned and dried. Keep an eye out for sharp edges and use sticky tape to make them safe.

Use metallic wire at 3-4 times the length of the can and cut around 8 strands, more or less according to your needs. Spread them to cross over one another evenly, like a flower, from a centre point and use sticky tape to secure them to the base of the can. Now pull strands together and thread a bead onto the intersection, first using all the strands in pairs. Then begin again but use one strand from one pair and one from the next pair. This will eventually create a beaded net effect. Keep weaving the beads and wire this way until you reach the height of the tin and secure the ends of the strands inside the tin using sticky tape again.

Voila, one decorative holder.

Now you could gather twigs and dried grasses and use glitter spray to decorate them and stand them inside the tin for a festive and wintry display.

Following my October crafts ideas you could use a cardboard box to make a building by inverting the box, cutting out windows, doors and whatever else you find appropriate, you might even want to remove a whole side. Now you can make a stable, a toy store, a church or any other building with figures and a setting inside. Don't forget to create a little land and paint the outside to really set the scene.

You could make a tiny toy store with a Santa and a pile of gifts. Or perhaps a stable with a manger and animals. Perhaps even a church with fabulous stained glass windows made of coloured tissue paper and clear glue. With young children you could flick through some Christmassy books for scene inspiration.

You might buy a set of coloured baubles and use glitter and glitter pens to make unique, personalised baubles. Perhaps to commemorate a new baby, or you might make a set each year.

Glitter, cotton wool and glue will be great for a million and one inspirations you'll see throughout December, if you have those, you'll be fine!

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