Get Crafty This Holiday Season
This holiday season, you save yourself a few dollars by making some Christmas gifts. I know, I know who has the time? That is the wrong question. The right question is who has the money to buy that many gifts? This nice wreath is made out of Coffee filters. The total cost for this project is about $10.
There are many simple projects that you can do that can either upcycle items already in your home or those items that need to leave your home. However, before we get to upcycling, let’s get back to those talents that you have that you can use to give or make gifts. Get your mind out of the gutter, you may be good at that but you can’t give it to your Nana!
Are you good at making cakes? You can make cake pops delivered in a nice basket from the Dollar Store. Are you good at making brownies, 
jams, cookies? All of these items make fabulous Holiday gifts. My neighbor makes a tin of cookies for us each year. The whole cul-de-sac knows when she is baking and we sit around like children awaiting our deliveries. I have another neighbor that makes fudge. I am not a fudge eater but am always glad for a gift that someone took the time to craft for me.
There are many projects and creative ideas available to you for free if you know where to look. I receive a free magazine from Lowe’s Home Improvement called Creative Ideas. It was choked full of so many great ideas that it inspired me to write. I am hoping to inspire you to try something different this year to save money and truly live better. This month’s issue takes you through easy steps to make wonderful holiday wreaths, headboards and upcycling home items. Upcycling takes recycling to a whole new level by recovering or repurposing items you already have in your home. Take that hideous chair that your Mom sent over to your new place. You don’t want it, but you can’t hurt her feelings. Give it a coat of paint, and add some studs and viola, you have upcylced items that you were going to throw away. You have reduced your carbon footprint, reduce landfill input and given that piece of furniture a reason to feel useful again.
I think the most exciting thing about the holidays is the decorations. Each year, we look for that special ornament to add to our tree. Have you thought about making ornaments out of every day simple items or really putting the décor into decorating? I went to visit my favorite crafter’s website, Martha Stewart. I have always considered her to be the McGyver of crafting. I saw where you can take mini picture frames and turn them into cute ornaments for the mantle or the tree.
Many of the websites have free newsletters, Blogs and magazines that you can have sent right to your home. It doesn’t matter what your skillset, there is something you can do that someone else admires. You can make a box of custom greeting cards. You can lay out a few pages in a scrapbook for a family member. You can buy a set of stencils and create a 
personalized box for a night stand. You just have to try.
Here is your starting point. Here are some Thanksgiving place cards along with the template courtesy of Ms. Stewart.
Happy Crafting!
31 thoughts on “Get Crafty This Holiday Season”
Comments are closed.
Olivia Gaines Author 
November 30, 2011 at 5:24 am
Thanks for one’s marvelous posting! I quite enjoyed reading it, you are a great author.I will be sure to bookmark your blog and will often come back at some point. I want to encourage continue your great work, have a nice evening!
November 30, 2011 at 7:07 am
I can live for two months on a good compliment. ~Mark Twain Thank your for reading and for the feedback!
November 29, 2011 at 11:16 am
Have you ever thought about adding a little bit more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is valuable and everything. But think about if you added some great graphics or video clips to give your posts more, “pop”! Your content is excellent but with pics and video clips, this website could definitely be one of the most beneficial in its niche. Superb blog!
November 29, 2011 at 1:14 pm
Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctorow
I write to silence the voices in my head and quiet the random thoughts that keep me awake at night. To add anything more would make it work and working for no pay easily looses it appeal.Thanks for reading and even though I do not have the glitz and pop, I hope you come back and sit a spell with me.
November 28, 2011 at 10:00 pm
I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest but your sites really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your website to come back later. All the best
November 28, 2011 at 5:15 pm
Howdy! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the superb work!
November 28, 2011 at 6:17 pm
Howdy back Partner! Thanks for reading!
November 28, 2011 at 2:18 am
Thanks For Sharing Get Crafty This Holiday Season.
November 27, 2011 at 9:15 pm
My partner and I stumbled over here by a different web address and thought I may as well check things out. I like what I see so i am just following you. Look forward to exploring your web page yet again.
November 27, 2011 at 9:23 pm
Hopefully you can stumble back, thanks for stopping in and thanks for reading. Say hi to your partner for me and I will endeavor to keep the content fresh.
November 27, 2011 at 8:15 pm
Please let me know if you’re looking for a article writer for your blog. You have some really good posts and I believe I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d love to write some material for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please send me an email if interested. Thank you!
November 27, 2011 at 9:12 pm
I may take you up on that, please send me an email with a sample article. Please feel free to link away, I recently wrote an post on Weathering the Storm. I actually write to keep my mind active in between editing and teaching. I write for the sheer freedom of the words. Thank you for reading and I look forward to your email.
November 26, 2011 at 4:13 am
I get what you intended, thanks for the swing up. Woah I am willing to mature this website through google. Thanks For Share Get Crafty This Holiday Season I was just thinking……..
November 26, 2011 at 10:02 am
Glad you are Googling early in the morning and joining me for some morning tea. Tally Ho Mate! And thanks for reading.
November 25, 2011 at 12:25 am
Sweet blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Thank you
November 25, 2011 at 6:17 am
Hey, thanks for reading and I didn’t know I was listed in Yahoo News! That is News to me!
November 23, 2011 at 10:33 am
Hey there would you mind letting me know which web host you’re using? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different web browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot quicker then most. Can you suggest a good internet hosting provider at a reasonable price? Thank you, I appreciate it!
November 23, 2011 at 10:40 am
I am using wordpress as my host. There are many webhosting providers, I used GoDaddy as the host for my webpage, so that I can have an official email address. Picking a webhost is a very personal journey. It depends on your skill level and your needs. Most authors have moved from static sites to blogs where there is more opportunity to interact with visitors. My suggestion is that you shop around. Find the right host that fits your needs, budget and skill level for site construction. Thanks for stopping by and reading.
November 23, 2011 at 5:53 am
The next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read, but I actually thought youd have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you could fix if you werent too busy looking for attention.
November 23, 2011 at 9:09 am
I am sorry you did not find my personal thoughts to your liking. I am sorry you think my tips on saving money this year is attention seeking and whining.
I attempted to repay the favor of you taking time to read my writings, but found your postings are imported from other Bloggers. I find the word whining to be very strong coming from a visitor to my home, who used my bathroom and refused to flush. I do have manners, so allow me to thank you for visiting. I would invite you to return, but you are well aware that you have worn out your welcome.
November 23, 2011 at 1:42 am
Hi there! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the great work!
November 23, 2011 at 9:38 am
Thanks for reading. I will do my best to post worthy content!
November 22, 2011 at 6:34 am
Hi! Someone in my Myspace group shared this site with us so I came to check it out. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Great blog and brilliant design and style.
November 22, 2011 at 10:46 am
Aww Shucks Nicole, I think I getting a pudding face! Glad you stopped in and found my words to be of use.
November 21, 2011 at 5:20 pm
[…] Get Crafty This Holiday Season (assistaugusta.wordpress.com) […]
November 20, 2011 at 8:22 pm
Hey, I think your site might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your website in Ie, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, great blog!
November 20, 2011 at 11:42 pm
I am almost compatible to anything and anyone except Herman Cain and Sarah Palin, other than that, it is all a gamble. Thanks for reading.
November 9, 2011 at 5:13 pm
After reading your blog post I browsed your website a bit and noticed you aren’t ranking nearly as well in Google as you could be. I possess a handful of blogs myself and I think you should take a look here: http://dominateseowithwordpress.com You’ll find it’s a very nice tool that can bring you a lot more visitors. Keep up the quality posts
November 9, 2011 at 7:35 pm
Hey Dan, thanks for reading and adding your plug. I am not optimized because I write for the pleasure of putting fingers to keys. Later, when I am thinking of pimping myself, I may take you up on it. I have three followers in Germany, I am international! Woot, look at me grow!
November 8, 2011 at 11:31 pm
As soon as I came across this article was like wow. Many thanks for putting your effort in making this post.
November 9, 2011 at 10:59 am
Thanks for reading and you can feel free to add me your list. I know you are making something wonderful. Keep crafting!