We have a countdown to Christmas calendar and we are at 5 days until Christmas. The excitement at the George house is at an epic level! We took some time out from our busy holiday schedule to create this adorable burlap reindeer couple using foam cones. Winter break is just about here, so take some time with your kids and create this cute Christmas decor item!

I have to tell you a little back story about this project. So my boys and I made the buck while my daughter was gone to her Grandma’s house to help put up her Christmas village. You should have seen how mad she was when she came home and saw what I made with her brothers. We had to get right to making another burlap reindeer and this one had to be a girl. So the girl ended up being taller than the boy because I hadn’t planned on creating her and I ran out of the smaller size cones.

You can also find more project ideas using FloraCraft’s® foam and burlap products at MakeItFunCrafts and at the CraftsandCoffee blog!

Supplies:

• Burlap Garland Design It:® Simple Style® By FloraCraft®
• 2 – FloraCraft® Make It: Fun® Foam Cones
• Hot Glue Gun
• Straight Pins
• Buttons for Eyes
• Brown Pipe Cleaners for Antlers and Arms
• Red Pom Pom Ball for Nose

How To:

1. 

   Using straight pins, pin the burlap to the bottom of the cone.

2. 

   Wrap burlap from bottom over top of cone.

3. 

   Continue wrapping burlap around cone until it is covered. Use straight pins to hold burlap in place as you go.

4. 

   Use hot glue to tack down any areas of burlap that don’t lay flat and to make sure burlap stays attached to cone.

5. 

   Make sure the burlap on both ends of the cone is glued down flat, especially the nose area.

6. 

   Cut off square piece of burlap from garland.

7. 

   Fold top half of burlap square over toward the center.

8. 

   Pinch ends together to form ear shape.

9. 

   Use hot glue to attach ears to back of head/bottom of cone.

10. 

    Cut a rectangle piece of burlap garland. Use it to cover the back of the head. Start by tucking under the bottom edge of the burlap and glue it down with hot glue.

11. 

    Continue gluing down the burlap rectangle, fold under edges as you glue.

12. Twist two pipe cleaners to form antlers. Attach the antlers by poking holes in the head using a pencil or stick and then glue antlers in hole. Glue on button eyes and a pom pom ball nose.

13. 

    Wrap a foam cone for the body of the reindeer the same way you did for the head.

14. 

    Use pipe cleaners to create arms and attach arms to body using hot glue.

15. Use hot glue to attach head to body.

The post Handmade Holidays | Foam for the Holidays Burlap Reindeer appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

This peas in a pod ornament is a fun afternoon craft. This project is just right for the younger set and perfect to gift to an Aunt or Uncle. It’s simple and doesn’t take many supplies, plus it is cute enough to hang on the tree. I often see necklaces that feature peas in a pod that use the number of peas for how many children you have. I thought it would be fun to make ornaments like that too. So let’s get started!

Supplies:

• Green Pom Pom Balls
• Milkweed Pod
• Ribbon
• Craft Glue

How To:

1. Glue appropriate number of Pom Pom Balls inside milkweed pod. If you just picked the pods you may need to let them dry out for a day or so.
2. Loop and knot ribbon. Glue knot of ribbon to top of milkweed pod.
3. Wrap in cute packaging and give to your favorite person!

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Happy Holidays to you and your family!

The post Handmade Holiday | Peas in a Pod Ornament appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Handmade Holiday Gift Idea

Do you ever have a craft idea and when it all comes together you are just giddy? Well, this plastic cloche ornament was one of those moments for me. I was searching and searching to find some tiny glass bell jars or cloches to make ornaments. Of course I am a little on the cheap side and didn’t want to pay very much, plus I wanted my kids to be able to use them to make ornaments and not feel like they cost to much to let them glue Legos or pipe cleaners inside. Then I was wandering the aisles of Dollar Tree and duh, it hit me.

I spied some plastic wine glasses with removable bottoms and presto this fantastic ornament idea was born. I am certain I am not the first crafter to have this idea and I am not sure why I never thought of it before. But if you are as excited as I am, then run, don’t walk to Dollar Tree and pick up a 6 pack of these plastic wine glasses and some of the plastic snowflakes I glued to the bottom.

(The Santa ornament above has the removable wine glass base glued onto the bottom of the ornament. Genius! You can use all the pieces! That makes it stand up on it own. Don’t add the ornament hanger and you can just display it on a mantle.)

I do want to warn that E•6000 glue is smelly and you will need to help your child with the gluing part. I let my kids pick out all the pieces and show me how they wanted them assembled, then I glued for them. Only my eight year old was able to do it herself.

Supplies:

• Plastic Wine Glasses (mine are from Dollar Tree in the party supply section)
• Plastic Snowflakes or (use the removable bottom from the wine glasses)
• E•6000 Glue
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Assorted items to put inside (birds, Santa, bottle brush trees)

How To:

1. 

   Using either a plastic snowflake for the ornament base or the removable bottom from the wine glass, glue down the pieces you are using to form a scene inside your ornament.

2. If you are using the base of the glass, you can either put it right side up or upside down. Either way will work.

3. 

   Complete gluing on all items that will sit inside the ornament. Let dry.

4. 

   Place glue around edge of glass and stick down to base of ornament.

5. 

   Add glue to the stem of glass and tie ribbon around glue to create an ornament hanger. Let dry. Then tie ribbon into a loop.

    

6. Glue on additional embellishments to the outside of ornament. I got my rhinestone mesh to create the pretty blue bling around the bottom of my bird ornament from HERE.

The post Handmade Holidays | Plastic Wine Glass Ornament appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

It’s Foam for the Holidays Friday again! This project doesn’t actually use foam… but, do you love giving wine as a house warming gift or to the hostess of a holiday party? You can stitch up this burlap wine gift bag in no time and get that bottle of wine all decorated for gift giving!

You can also find more project ideas using FloraCraft® products at MakeItFunCrafts and at the CraftsandCoffee blog!

Supplies:

• Burlap Garland Design It:® Simple Style® By FloraCraft®
• Embroidery Floss
• Sewing Needle
• Ribbon
• Candy Cane or other decoration
• Scissors

How To:

1. Wrap the burlap garland up around the bag and cut off the needed length to cover  your bottle.

2. 

   Fold burlap piece in half. Tie a knot in the floss and start stitching down one side.

3. 

   Continue stitching down the first long side. Then stitch across the center of the bottom and the up the other long side. Knot thread and trim.

4. Slide wine bottle into bag and tie ribbon around top. Add a candy cane or other holiday decoration to the ribbon.

The post Handmade Holidays | Foam for the Holidays Burlap Wine Gift Bag appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Are you in the holiday spirit yet? We had a great time decorating the tree over the weekend. Everyone is old enough now that they can help hang the ornaments. It’s a special and magical year for us and I love that all of my kids are so into the Christmas spirit. This week I helped my 4 year old make his handmade gift. He stamped these spice bags to give as gifts to his brother and sisters. This is really easy to do, but will keep a 4 year old busy for a chunk of time.

My son was so excited to finish stamping the bags and then fill them with CANDY! I bought some Brach’s classic candy mix, somehow it just tastes like Christmas and Grandma’s house!

Supplies:

• Spice Bags
• Stamping Ink Pads
• Stamps
• Candy

How To:

1. Lay bag flat.
2. Choose stamp and ink it up.
3. Stamp onto bag. Continue to add stamps to build a cute scene!
4. Fill with candy or treats.

The post Handmade Holidays | Stamped Spice Bags with Candy appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

It’s a new week and time for another Foam for the Holidays Friday! This week I made this exquisite glitter tree with a cherub perched inside. You could put a bottle brush tree, a Santa Claus, an Angel; just about anything inside this sparkly little tree. It’s the perfect weekend to start making gifts of holiday decor!

You can also find more project ideas using FloraCraft® products at MakeItFunCrafts and at the CraftsandCoffee blog! Come back next Friday to see what I made using Burlap Garland Design It:® Simple Style® By FloraCraft®!

Supplies:

• FloraCraft® Make It: Fun® Foam Cone
• Glitter
• Mod Podge
• Foam Knife by FloraCraft® Make It Fun
• Pipe Cleaner
• E6000 Glue
• Decoration for Inside

How To:

1. 

   Using your decoration, measure how big your hole will need to be. Use your foam knife and cut an outline of the size hole you want.

2. 

   Continue to work the knife around making the hole deeper.

3. 

   Once you cut open a hole, scrape inside until you get the desired depth and size you need.

4. 

   Paint Mod Podge onto your foam cone. Paint in sections and add glitter as you go. I like to glitter over a pail or dish and then dump the unused glitter back into my container.

5. 

   Paint Mod Podge inside the carved out opening.

6. 

   Glitter the inside of the opening.

7. 

   Use E6000 to glue a pipe cleaner as a trim around the set in part of the tree. Use glue to secure decoration in place too.

The post Handmade Holidays | Foam for the Holidays Glitter Tree appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Welcome to Foam for the Holidays Friday here at The Craft Nest. I am so excited to be working with FloraCraft® during this holiday season. Check back each week to see what I have created using their foam products! Below you can get the full instructions for creating this tinsel tree yourself.

I would love for you to create some items using FloraCraft’s® foam. If you do please send me a pic and I will post it here on my blog. You can also find more project ideas using FloraCraft® products at MakeItFunCrafts and at the CraftsandCoffee blog!

Supplies:

• FloraCraft® Make It: Fun® Foam Cone
• Tinsel Garland (mine is from Target)
• Sparkly Star Garland (mine is from Target)
• Star Topper (mine is from Target)
• Straight Pins
• Hot Glue Gun
• Wooden Circle Cut-out
• Mini Spindle
• Paint
• Paint Brush

How To:

1. 

   Use a straight pin and attach one end of the tinsel to the top of the tree. Use a dab of hot glue to secure it to the tree.

2. 

   Continue to wrap tinsel around the tree and work your way down. Use dabs of hot glue as you go.

3. Secure the end of the tinsel using hot glue.
4. Start at the top with the sparkly blue star garland. Use a straight pin to hold it in place and add a dab of hot glue to secure the end.
5. Wrap the garland around the tree in the opposite direction that you wrapped the tinsel.
6. Secure the end of the tinsel with a dab of hot glue.
7. Glue a star topper to the top of the tree.
8. Paint the spindle and wooden circle and glue them together. Or use a candle holder or other find from a thrift store as a pedestal.
9. Display!

I can’t wait to show another project next Friday. So come back by next week to see what I reveal.

The post Handmade Holidays | Foam for the Holidays appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

It’s the second week of Handmade Holidays on The Craft Nest. Today I have a free pattern for you! You can create this lovely hand-sewn bird ornament to give as a gift or to keep for your own tree. This is also a very easy craft for a beginning sewer or child sewer to sew by themselves.  A free pattern is included in this tutorial.

There is quite a variety of colors and decorations you can use to create and decorate this lovely bird and make it your own. I am picturing Baltimore Orioles, Cardinals and Finches. All would be so pretty dangling from a Christmas or Spring tree! Let’s get started.

Supplies:

• Craft Felt or Felted Wool
• Thread
• Needle
• Stuffing
• Bit and Baubles
• Glue
• Scissors
• Pattern – Felt Bird Ornament Pattern Download

How To:

1. Use pattern to cut out pieces from felt. You need two bird bodies and one belly. Download FREE pattern here: Felt Bird Ornament Pattern Download

2. 

   Thread needle with matching thread. Using a whip stitch, start sewing right under the birds tail. Sew all the way around the bird until you reach just under the chin.

3. 

   Lay the belly piece on the outside top of the bird body. Use a whip stitch to continue sewing one edge of the belly to the bottom edge of the bird body.

4. 

   After one side of the belly piece is sewn to the body piece, FLIP the belly piece over and sew the remaining belly edge to the remaining body edge. If there are any gaps where all three pieces come together use a whip stitch and close them up. Leave a small opening to add stuffing.

5. 

   Add stuffing into your bird ornament. I often use a chopstick or pencil to help me push stuffing into all the small areas. Sew closed using whip stitch.

6. Decorate your bird by gluing on bits and baubles. On the dove pictured at top I used false eyelashes and trimmed them to glue on for the eyes. I ordered tiny crown charms that already had a loop and stitched them onto the bird’s head.
7. Sew on an ornament hanger on the back of the neck so your bird can beautifully decorate your tree.

The post Handmade Holidays | Felt Bird Ornament Pattern appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

The end of summer sort of got away from me and here we are in Fall already! During one of our camping trips this summer I made this keepsake ornament craft with all the kids. We were up in the Northern part of Michigan where fossil rocks are abundant, so I decided to help them make a keepsake ornament with their favorite rock, a cork and some wire.

Supplies:

• Cork
• 2 Screw Eyes
• 2 Finish Washers
• Floral Wire
• Bakers Twine

How To:

1. Screw a Screw Eye through a Finish Washer on each side of the cork.
2. Use the wire to wrap around your favorite rock or treasure and attach wire to the screw eye on the bottom of the cork.
3. Create a hanger by tying baker’s twine through the top screw eye.
4. Hang on your tree at Christmas to remember your family vacation.

The post How To | Cork Ornament Keepsake appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Are you in the holiday spirit yet? I have some more free printables for you because I am feeling so festive!

Print these pretty signs out and place them in a frame, make them into your Christmas card or Mod Podge them to a canvas or piece of wood to create decor for your mantle. (See some cool Mod Podge ideas here.)

I would love to see your projects, just leave feedback or a link in the comments!

As always this art is for your personal use only.

Free Downloads:

• Santa Subway Art 11×14
• Holly Jolly 8.5×11
• be jolly 5×7

The post Printable | Christmas Posters appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.