These marbled ornaments caught my eye.

https://www.thecreativityexchange.com/2019/11/cool-marble-paint-pour-christmas-ornament-diy.html

The beaded stars and the polish stars look like fun. I'll have to give them a try.

Looking at videos of polish stars, I came across this one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfJ9XAOXMVc

It seems to me you'd need top notch glue gun skills and asbestos fingers to do it, but they sure are pretty.

Those Polish stars are really pretty!

I always wanted to make a retro ornament wreath as shown on RetroRenovation. It is so hard for me to do anything at the end of the fall semester. I can barely get Christmas cards out. The photo is from the webpage, not anything I've done. I'm also not super crafty. That is more more sister. We have so many ornaments that go unused it would be a good way to use them.

Retro Renovation Wreath

I bought ornaments to make a wreath, then used them for something else. lol!

I brought the supplies and taught Polish Star making at a 'family' xmas party last year. Everyone LOVED it!!! Re making Polish Stars, my tips are:

- use inexpensive thin [wrapping] paper. Avoid using stiffer/thicker paper, foiled paper, paper that doesn't want to fold, etc., -- it doesn't roll as well into points, and it's more difficult to glue.

- use a sharpened pencil to mold each point

- use a little dab or line of Elmer's glue when gluing each point. Hold it for a few seconds to make sure it bonds well.

- don't make your circles too large or too small... I find that a small yogurt cup, inverted, makes a perfect template. :) Start with something around a 3" diameter.

- iirc, it takes 8-10 layers (individual 'stars') to make a decent ornament.

I use a button on one end when connecting the layers, so I'm certain the tie will never pull through the hole. Ribbons, string, etc., can be used for the tie, but I like to use 4-ply waxed linen.

gsciencechick, the wreaths at that site are fantastic!!! I'm surprised that the hot glue would hold onto the tinsel garland. :p

Those ornament wreaths are so pretty! But I already have so many wreaths to put up, it's ridiculous.

No one has mentioned sewing projects, but on another thread, there was something about pinafores. Maybe making a simple pinafore/apron out of holiday fabric might be fun...can add pockets/trim/seam binding in a contrast color...

Japanese apron/pinafore

Or you can always decorate pillows just for the holidays...

Or a table scarf/runner.

Last year I made one of those ornament wreaths and posted pictures here. It was super easy. Here's the old post.

easy ornament wreath

I got really tired of pulling tatty ratty Christmas decorations out of the box each year. Something I have traditionally done is make Christmas wreaths. Find a cheap small fraser or balsam fir, buy it and cut it up for the wreaths. That's the base, fir needles are sappy so they last. Then decorate however you like.

I personally love to make holiday indoor fairy gardens. I save the non plant parts and buy some indoor blooming potted plants for the gardens. Whatever looks doable in the cheapie store. I bought some winter dressed resin fairies but a lot of the stuff I used to decorate the gardens I got as ornaments at close out time. I did one "Elven Christmas Vacation" one with a tiny camper imagining Santa and his helpers finally kicking back for vacation at the beach after all the gifts were delivered. Here's a blurry photo of the garden with my granddaughter. They had a fire at their house four months later and all was lost . . . the important thing is everyone survived and now they are in their rebuilt home.

My DD and I like to choose a craft to do as well. This year she picked Christmas Gnomes. It will be fun, I think they’re pretty darn cute!

What about some wool felt bird and animal ornaments? I make a few every year. They are fast to make. I get the free patterns from this web site. They also sell kits. (My pic is weirdly distorted. They are cuter than this!)

https//www.downeastthunderfarm.com/#

This isn't Christmasy but I've ordered these bracelet kits and made them with friends and family. They look decent and are a good combination of easy to put together but not quick. You can choose your colors.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/547283452/diy-bracelet-kit-crafts-for-adults?ref=cart

There are lots of ideas here that we hadn’t considered yet -thank you all!

^^^^^ That is adorable! The bunny and the carrot! Too cute!

I love all kinds of feltwork . . . on my bucket list but not this year. Mom's office/craft room sits waiting to be gone through, fixed up and organized . . .

I did it...I went to Michaels and bought a bunch of beads and some wire to make beaded stars...I'll let you know how they come out.

Thanks for the inspiration!!

Inspired by jojo’s example last year, I made this and two similar wreaths for my friends. They were much appreciated.

https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/eb02ed6c0dfb7b87_2255-w240-h320-b0-p0--.jpg

I can’t seem to post any pics today.

Teeda, thanks for the idea — I just ordered several putz houses from Etsy!

Nutsaboutplants or jojoco,

how many balls does it take to make a wreath like that?

First one was a learning curve. I'll be taking it apart.

This was my second. I'll be making more for sure as I keep thinking of people I'd like to make one for. Thanks so much for the inspiration!!!

I forgot to buy the ribbon and rings to hang them with...next shopping trip.

hhireno, sorry the punster in me can't resist...

It takes a lot of balls to make a wreath like that!!

Four down, at least 4 to go. So nice when a craft project comes together...easy to do with rewarding results. And I found I did have some ribbon to use already. You never know what you're going to find when you go through the stash...

Nice, Annie! I’ve got all the ingredients for those EXCEPT for the pliers. DD and I are going to make some as soon as I am able to run to the store.

Annie, a tree using those ornaments in the same color range would be gorgeous!

(This might be same old...) As a grown adult I still like making salt dough ornaments. We just made a batch today.

mix together

1/2 cup salt

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup water give or take

roll out and use cookie cutters, etc.

place in 200 degree oven for two hours though I always find it to take longer and I flip them over.

Lots of ways to decorate them.

Annie, you’re funny!

Sorry, hhireno, just seeing this. Mine has about 40 balls, but I guess it depends on the size of the wreath. You take a wire hanger and work it as close to a circle as you can make it. Unhook the end of the hanger so you can slide the ball ornaments onto the free end. There were some that broke such that the ball part came loose from the circular ring that you string onto the wire hanger. You use as much as it takes to make the wreath look full.

Thanks for the deets. I considered making one for my Mum, because I found a container of balls, but didn’t think I had enough. And I don’t. ☹️ Maybe another year, if I ever feel safe returning to a store. 🦠🦠🦠🦠

“ There were some that broke such that the ball part came loose from the circular ring that you string onto the wire hanger. ”

An old Carol DuVall (anyone remember her?) trick that I still use with our good ornaments. Slide the cap off the ornament and squirt some hot glue into the cap part before Putting it back together. Problem solved!

There's a yarn project that I do with kids and teenagers-and adults love it too-called God's eyes, lots if you Google, but you can do this with twigs and do it in a snowflake shape too, pretty

I was looking at Christmas decor and found this on Pinterest. It would be so easy to make. I did my large Ball jar in white not long ago. I'd love to find those colors.

If it were me, I'd leave out the writing on the tray. :)

Here's the Pinterest page

Annie—-can you post the instructions or the link for the beaded stars? I know I saw them but can’t find them now. Yours look great!

Love the marbled ornaments.

I made the Jojoco wreath. A large one for DD and a smaller one for me—-I think the same balls from HL. I felt a bit of a klutz doing it and a big yes to adding glue around the silver hanger part as each time balls came off and it was a chore finding the hanger thingy and reattaching the balls with them all crowded together.

My post seems to be missing. I posted a link to my beaded snowflakes from last year and I know it posted because Sueb and Annie saw it. This board is so wonky!

Trying again:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5827527/beaded-snowflake-ornaments#n=17

I ordered metal forms from A***** (aha ... I’ll bet that’s why my post got zapped ... I linked to that site). Then just string your beads on and use pliers to round off the ends.

ETA: @Annie Deighnaugh yours look great!

😊

My 29 yr old son is temporarily staying till he leaves for his new job on the other coast. He spent hours yesterday making a sushi tree ornament gift box for a White Elephant gift exchange party. He bought the glass sushi ornaments, a box, felt, styrofoam, faux blossoms and Asian scarf for the project. He lived in Japan for over a year so I guess that was his inspiration.

Then, he did a vid on Furoshiki style wrapping.

It was fun for me to watch him.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=aD5JlYrFIb0

Thanks so much for the idea, Jinx. I made mine with the smaller wires because I wanted them for Christmas tree ornaments. Since I wanted the sparkle, I used crystal beads. The grandkids and I had a lot of fun making them. I'm just showing a few we made.

Norar, those look so pretty! :)

Hhireno, I think you can still make it. over the weekend, I took out my DIY wreath from last year, but even more ornaments broke off from the cap. I don’t have glue suitable for the job, so here is what I did. I took out the ornaments that were intact and used the last few unused ones I had in the same color way.

I took an old plastic supermarket cake plate and a long shoelace in a similar color. I made holes along the edges of the round cake plate, like a few inches apart. I strung a few ornaments on the shoelace and looped the shoelace through a hole on the plate, add more ornaments, loop through another hole and repeat until you complete the circle. You can use as small a plate as you like, I guess.

Here is my rigged-up wreath. Not as pretty as the one using the wire hanger, but much more workable, as the shoelace is obviously better suited for stringing.

This is the video I followed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S4ZRHVoDy0

I used 26 gauge wire as I had a lot of smaller beads in my stash that I wanted to use.

I also use about 36" of wire...the 24" she recommended came out too short for me.

Thanks Jinx and Annie!

19 yo DD and I made these last night. DH is currently quarantining in basement with sore throat, body aches, headache...getting tested tomorrow...so we had Girls’ Night. She went through a beading phase a few years ago and still has lots of beads so we didn’t have to buy many new ones.

So pretty, SueB! Hope your DH feels better soon.

Beautiful, Sue! Sending well wishes to your DH.

I stumbled onto this thumbnail photo of something neat I did one year... I arranged brooches into the shape of an Xmas tree onto a backing that I had covered with black velvet. Just pinned on. I hung it for the holidays, then disassembled it. Wish I hadn’t.

ETA: I purchased all of the brooches in a large lot on eBay.

Beautiful, @party_music50.

@nhbaskets, Love the felt snowman. Reminds me of a tree skirt my grandmother made years ago, then she gave me the patterns when we first married. She was a pattern maker at the railroad plant, making the stencils for the boxcars. They were felt pieces covered with sequins held on with bead of same color. So Santa's suit, would be covered in red sequins/beads, his bead with white, etc. The cats got the white felt skirt dirty, but I think I still have it somewhere. I need to remove the pieces from it and redo the skirt in a better fabric. Someone else in the family has my grandmother's tree skirt.

Well, I didn't end up doing a new not-the-same-old-same-old craft, despite the many wonderful suggestions here. But I did make a new set of Christmas placemats for our kitchen table.

Those are awesome!!! I think you did a great job!