With Christmas around the corner, it’s time to start thinking gift shopping and decorating! Here are a couple of fun crafts you can make yourself: popsicle truck ornament and buffalo plaid mason jars! Give them as gifts, or use them around your home!
Popsicle Truck Ornament
This darling little ornament is so much fun to make! Get your kiddos involved, and make super cute gifts for grandparents! You can use any picture, change up the size, change up the color . . . there are so many options!
Supplies: (I bought all my supplies at Hobby Lobby, but you can find them at any craft store)
- Popsicle sticks
- Hot glue gun
- Scissors
- Paint
- Little Christmas trees (I found mine in the Christmas craft section at Hobby Lobby)
- Paint brush
- Ribbon
- Black buttons
- Picture
Alrighty . . . first things first. Paint those popsicle sticks! I painted seven sticks in Santa Red, but any red will do! Then, glue your black buttons to the bottom of two of the sticks. Before you start gluing, I recommend laying out the sticks to make sure you build your truck to fit your picture. Once you do that, lay out two sticks vertically, slightly angling what will be the front of the truck.
Next, take three sticks and glue them horizontally to make the body of the truck.
Now we need to trim the two vertical pieces. I placed my picture in the window of the truck to get an idea of where I needed to trim the sticks.
I trimmed my two vertical sticks, and added the little roof of the truck.
Time to add the tree!!! My little trees had a little wooden base, so I removed that, then glued the tree in the bed of the truck. How. Cute. Is. This?!
Now, glue your picture into the window of the truck.
Cut a loop of ribbon and glue that to the roof top, and voila! An adorable ornament for your tree! You can totally change up the color of the truck, too! I painted one in teal blue and bubble gum pink! Have fun with it and use your imagination!
Buffalo Plaid Mason Jar
I love mason jars! I love painted mason jars even more, and they make adorable little accents to decorate around your home OR give as a gift!
Here’s what you need:
- Mason jar(s)
- Paint – red, dark red, black (or you can mix your red and black to make your dark red)
- Paint brush
- Embellishments (optional)
To get started, paint the whole jar red. You may need to do a couple coats. Let your paint dry between coats.
Next, using your dark red, you’re going to paint horizontal lines. Let them dry. Then paint your vertical lines. Let them dry. (You can use painter’s tape to keep the lines straight, but I liked the whimsical, imperfect look, and I didn’t feel like messing with the tape.)
Now, using the black paint, paint the squares where the dark red lines intersect. How cute is this?!?!
Once your jars are painted, the options are endless! You can tie ribbon around the top, hang a little decorative sign from the top, apply a cute vinyl saying or design . . . so many options! For now, I’m just using mine as a vase, but I’m sure I’ll end up doing more with it! Have fun with it, and enjoy making it your own!
Tell us if you give these crafts a try!
Photos courtesy of Ashley Lauren Studios
