Hello all! Gemma here from GemMacrame wishing you a lovely Happy December!
 
At this time of year, it is very easy to get swept up in festivities and feel bombarded by the commercials and feel you must spend a lot of money on gifts, decorations, and experiences. I’m here to remind you to give yourself a break, you don’t have to keep up with your neighbours. Christmas is not just about stuff; children don’t remember the amount of money being spent on them. They remember the time you spend together and the memories you make.
 
Here's some cost-friendly craft ideas you can do during the school holidays that your children will love!

1. Dried Orange Slices
Buy a couple of large oranges and cut into thin slices (roughly 2-5mm thick) and lay on a baking sheet. Use a tea towel or kitchen roll to press out any liquid on the surface of the slices. Bake on a low temperature (120c) in an oven for an hour or two, checking them regularly and turning them over on every check. Take out the oven when they are dried and leave to cool down.
When cool, you can them use some string and a needle to thread your slices to make a garland. Or you can thread individual pieces of string to hang the orange slices up in different places.
This will make your home smell amazing and festive.
 
2. Fingerprint Trees
Looking for a budget friendly gift idea for family members? A fingerprint tree will make a really lovey gift.

First you will need an A4 sheet of card and a pad of ink. Then you need to draw the outline of a tree and some branches then let your kids go crazy! Get them to ink up their fingers and print onto the branches like leaves and why not join in and add a few of your own as well. Make sure you put the kids names and ages on the back of the sheet!

Then you can get frame to pop it in and it will make a lovely gift for a grandparent.
 
3. Stained Glass Effect Pictures
This is something I remember doing at school back in the day! First you will need some black card. Draw some festive designs on it, for example a candle, a star, or an angel. Then cut out the shape with some scissors.
Next use some colour tissue paper to stick over the shapes. You can either use glue or you could put sticky tape over the shapes and stick the tissue paper directly to the tape.

These will then look beautiful in your window!
 
4. Fork Painted Wreath
Find a piece of card at least A4 in size. Draw a circle in the middle using a small plate or paper plate.

Then you will need an old fork you don’t mind getting paint on. Using some green paint, dip the fork in the paint then use the back of the fork to print around the outside of the circle to look like a wreath.

If you can some pompom you can stick these on the wreath, plus add some stickers and bows, let your children’s imagination run wild!
 
I hope you found this article useful, I would love to know if you used any of the ideas!
Tag me at @gemmacrame_ to show me what you create!