Page 26 - Blue Valley Issue 6 2022

FESTIVE CRAFTS

DIY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS WITH THE KIDS

With the kids at home for the long school break, why not keep them busy by crafting
some DIY Christmas decorations?

Christmas trees

These Christmas trees are not only gorgeous,
they are also lots of fun to make. The kids will
be busy for hours decorating their own little
Christmas tree – and so will the adults!
YOU WILL NEED:
• Green paint
• White paint (optional)
• Pine cones
• Decorations
• Jar lids
• Cottonwool
• Glue
Christmas crackers TO MAKE:

1. Paint the pine cones green. Alternatively, for 4. Glue decorations onto the ‘tree’. Use
Christmas crackers can be quite costly, especially a snowy Christmas tree, blotch white paint on anything you like, such as buttons, sequins
if you buy the ones with small gifts inside. Why the outer edges of the cone tips. and beads.
not make your own? They are easy to do, and 2. Glue the pine cones onto the lids, wide side 5. Add some glitter for extra sparkle, or you
you can get the kids involved by having them down. can even add battery-operated LED fairy
decorate the Christmas crackers. 3. Glue cottonwool balls around the pine cone, lights to your ‘tree’.
covering the lid.
YOU WILL NEED:
• Empty toilet paper rolls
• Cracker snaps (not necessary unless you
want a loud bang when you pull the cracker)
• Christmas wrapping paper
• Sticky tape
• Florist ribbon or thin silk ribbon
• Decorative bits and bobs
• Little gifts, sweets or chocolates

TO MAKE:
Take an empty toilet paper roll and measure the
correct length of festive wrapping paper (for
how many crackers you wish to make). Make
sure you leave about 6cm of extra paper at each
end. The paper will be about 22cm in length and
12cm wide for each cracker.

When buying gifts make sure they are tiny.
Sweets and chocolates are great for children’s
crackers. For adults you can go to a thrift shop
and find tiny plastic whistles, lip gloss or lipstick
for women or a small tube of hand cream,
chocolate balls or Lindor chocolates. For men,
you can buy a miniature bottle of liquor or
biltong (put into a small sandwich packet and
tie) before putting in the cracker.
You can even include a small handwritten note or joke.
Cracker snaps can usually be found at a China mall store or a party
store. Insert in the filled cracker.
Place the filled toilet roll on the paper and wrap, sealing with sticky
tape. Take both ends and scrunch up the paper, tying with the ribbon.
You can use name tags to personalise the crackers, so you know which
one is for who – and these then also serve as place names for the table.
Once made, place them all under the Christmas tree as décor until
Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, when you’ll place them on the dining
table. Enjoy!
Source: Pretoria Rekord newspaper

24 • Issue 6 2022 • BLUE VALLEY NEWS