Kids Craft Project - Beaded Wreath Holiday Ornaments

When our daughter was a little girl, we spent a weekend afternoon crafting up some really cute holiday wreath ornaments using beads and lace. You can find the craft supplies listed for this project at your neighborhood craft supply store in the general supplies area of the store.

This is a great project to do with older children who are age 5 and over with some adult supervision. Over the years, I have even done this project with local school groups, scouting troops, after-school programs and youth groups.

Materials Needed For Each Completed Ornament:

6" piece of pipe cleaner (I used clear ones and they are also called chenille stems)

16" to 18" piece of red flat edge lace that is 1" in width

1 package of green plastic tri-beads

1 package of clear plastic tri-beads

1 flocked teddy bear measuring approximately 1 1/4" tall

4" piece of gold metallic cord or gold metallic string

all-purpose quick-drying liquid craft glue

sharp scissors

24" or longer ruler

Note: When you purchase the flat edge lace (non-gathered lace) look for a pattern that has a hole that runs along the edge so that you can thread your pipe cleaner through it. The best type of lace to use also has a scalloped edge that runs along the outer edge.

Step 1: Cut off a 6" piece of pipe cleaner and a 16" to 18" piece of lace and set aside. If doing this as a group project, this step can be done ahead of time by a responsible adult.

Step 2: Slightly pinch one end of clear pipe cleaner and then thread on a green plastic tri-bead. Start threading on your lace followed up by a clear plastic tri-bead. You will want to continue this pattern for the length of your pipe cleaner. (green bead, lace, clear bead).

Step 3: Once you have the pipe cleaner filled up with beads and lace, shape it into a circle and twist the two pipe cleaner ends together. It should look like a round wreath.

Step 4: Glue the flocked teddy bear onto the wreath as shown in the picture. (he should look like he is sitting inside it). Finally, take a 4" piece of gold metallic cord and thread through the lace at the top and form a knotted loop so that it can be hung on your holiday tree.

Tip: If you can not find flocked miniature teddy bears, you can glue artificial flowers into the center or around the sides of the wreath to fancy it up.

Shelly Hill is a mother and grandmother living in Pennsylvania who enjoys crafting, beading, crocheting and scrapbooking. You can visit Shelly's online craft blog called Passionate About Crafting at http://passionateaboutcrafting.blogspot.com for free craft project ideas and tips. You can find a photo of the completed project on her blog at http://passionateaboutcrafting.blogspot.com/2009/11/kids-craft-project-beaded-wreath.html

Kids Crafts - Thanksgiving Handprint Wreath

Are you and your family thinking of Thanksgiving yet? It is right around the corner. (Only three weeks away.) Here is a great craft idea for Thanksgiving that will get the whole family involved. And, as usual, there are a variety of things you can do with this, by just using your imagination . . . and a few simple tips. This idea, while aimed at Thanksgiving, could be done for a variety of holidays with only slight variations.

Here is what you'll need:

- Colored paper (scrapbook or construction), craft foam, or felt (all in autumn colors)

- Poster board, cardboard, or foam core board.

- Scissors and/or exacto knife

- Glue

- Embellishments - These can be buttons, berries, pom poms, pipe cleaners, ribbons . . . You name it, you can use it.

Here's what you'll want to do:

1. Cut out the shape for your wreath. You can make your wreath a circle, oval, or even a square. The choice is yours. You'll do this with the Poster board, card board, or foam core.

The three materials suggested were chosen for your so that you would have a material choice that would work with the type of project you were wanting to do. If you are wanting a quick fun project, that you will not be keeping from year to year, then use card board or poster board. Both of these are disposable and either inexpensive or free. If you would like something a little nicer, use the foam core board. This can be found with poster board and matte board material at your local craft store. If you can not find it, a sales associate should be able to help you. This is basically two pieces of poster board sandwiched around a 1/8 inch layer of foam. It is very durable and can be cut with an exacto knife.

2. Next, trace the hands of each member of your family. And cut out the shapes. If you are doing a large wreath with a small family, then you will need more than one pair of each person's hands. Cut multiples if needed. For this, you will use either colored paper, craft foam, or felt in autumn colors.

If you are wanting to do this fast, easy, and with out much expense, you will use construction paper. If you want a nicer quality, with out huge cost, and may not keep this from year to year, then you may want scrap book paper. If you will keep this for several years, then you will likely want to use craft foam or felt.

If you do not want to pay for craft foam or felt, but want a nicer finished product, then you can use a technique called Paper Toile. To do this, take your hand prints cut from scrapbook paper and lay them front side down, onto your computer's mouse pad. Then take a rounded surface similar to the tip of a sharpie lid and trace around the handprint. You will do this about an 1/8 to a 1/16 of an inch form the edge of the paper. Begin softly, and practice on a scrap page, till you get the right pressure. If you are patient, you will be able to create a rounded effect on the edges of your handprints. This will give them a little extra depth and add a nice finished detail to your wreath.

3. Once all of your handprints are cut out, lay them out on your wreath so that your wreath shape is covered. Now you can glue this down.

4. It's time to embellish! It's also time to use your imagination. You can change the whole mood of your wreath based on how you embellish it. Buttons placed in small clusters of 1 to 3 around your wreath would have cute, hand-crafted feel. If you used pipe cleaners (maybe swirled into a circle) and pom poms you are creating a much more lighthearted and whimsical feel. Or you could use berries and bows. This would create a sophisticated affect. The choice is yours.

And, as always, you are only limited by what you can imagine. Lay out your options, if you don't like the look, don't glue them down, change them to something else. Most important of all, have fun.

If you have enjoyed this kids craft idea, please visit http://www.kidsactivityalley.blogspot.com to find and share more ideas for kids crafts and kids activities. You'll also find kids book reviews and parent discussion on the site. Look forward to seeing you there.

Make a Simple DIY Wreath Hanger

Is it just me…or do you end up having more than one wreath for each holiday? I love to craft…so I usually end up making a new wreath each year. The problem is… I only have one front door. This year I decided it would be fun to hang a wreath in my vignette and I think it added the perfect touch!

I searched my house for supplies and this is what I cam up with. These are super easy and very inexpensive to make…. let’s get started shall we?

Supplies:

Wooden Base (circle or square)Finial Topper (found from HD)Large wooden Dowel (I cut mine down to 20 in)Wire hangerMetal CutterSpray Paint

The first thing you’ll want to do is drill a hole into the wooden base. Make sure your drill bit is the same size as your wooden dowel. Also make sure to not go all the way through (about 3/4 of the way) the wood.

Next you’ll grab some “strong glue” and put a little glue in your hole. Then push your wooden dowel in and hold for about a minute or so.

Then snip off the top of a wire hanger with wire cutters and glue to the vertical side to the dowel.

Finally you’ll glue the finial to the top of the dowel. Then once it’s dry give it a few coats of your favorite color of spray paint and you’re good to go! Pretty simple huh!?

This wreath hanger ended up only costing me THREE BUCKS! I saw one in Pottery barn last year for $80! Crazy huh?!  These are super easy and they look great on your vignette with your holiday decor! You can find the yarn wreath tutorial here if you’d like to make that as well.

Who’s ready for Halloween now?!

Tagged as: diy, wreaths

Jamielyn created I {Heart} Nap Time where she shares her creativity, DIY Projects, crafts, sewing tutorials and recipes. Jamielyn enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 little ones in Phoenix Arizona. Join her on Facebook or Twitter.  Read other posts by Jamielyn

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