Christmas craft ideas - easy DIY makes for the holidays

The festive season is the perfect excuse to pursue all those Christmas craft ideas you've been bursting to try over the year.

It may be a busy time, but there's nothing like putting a Christmas film on and making a start on your DIY Christmas decor, cards and gifts. However long you've got, we've got a Christmas idea to get stuck into.

Christmas craft ideas

We have plenty of Christmas craft ideas to get your creative juices flowing from now until 25th December. From simple table decorations to wow your guests to easy gift wrap inspo to give that present an extra flourish. Whatever your skill level, there's something for you!

1. Air dry clay gift tags

Make your Christmas gifts extra special with handmade tags the recipient can keep and treasure. Roll out air dry clay to around 3-4mm thick. Cut out shapes either freehand or using cookie cutters. Stamp names or initials and a hole at the top.

Leave the clay to dry out as per the manufacturer's instructions. Once dry, loop thread or twine through the holes and attach to your gifts. Why not use recyclable Kraft paper and sprigs of foliage for truly natural and sustainable gift wrap?

2. Craft twinkling candle cones

Add sparkle to your windowsill or Christmas mantel decor with DIY candle cones.

Mark out your chosen design onto the surface of a cardboard craft cone. Take a sharp, rounded object, like an embroidery needle. Push through the cone along your marked dots. Continue until you have completed the whole pattern.

Spray your cone with white primer and leave to dry thoroughly. Once dry, apply a coat of silver spray paint. Once dry, place a battery LED tealight inside to finish. Never use real flame candles inside your cones!

3. Sew-and-keep fabric crown

Everyone knows that paper cracker hats end up in the recycling straight after Christmas dinner. So why not sew everlasting crowns for the whole family? They're super quick and a great way to use up leftover fabrics from other projects. Try stitching crowns using fabrics to suit each guest's personality.

You can find the template and full instructions for this project at Hobbycraft.

4. Make 3-D star wall art

Make a set of shabby chic stars that wouldn't look out of place in the window of  The White Company. All you need is a sheet of card and some paints.

Draw a star shape onto white card. Use a ruler and pencil to draw straight lines from each corner to the opposite side. Score along each line and push into a 3-D shape. Paint your star to create a distressed metal effect.

Once dry, you can stand your stars up on the mantelpiece or display in a cluster as a Christmas wall decor idea using double-sided sticky foam pads.

5. Decorated baubles with temporary tattoo

Take a sheet of temporary tattoos and carefully cut around your chosen motifs. If the design is large, a few little snips around the edges will help you to apply it over a round surface without it wrinkling.

Follow the instructions with the temporary tattoos to apply to the bauble: peel off the plastic film, position on the bauble, then use a damp cloth to gently rub on the paper backing until you can see the design has come away. Then you can carefully remove the paper and reveal your beautiful DIY bauble.

6. Create Felt trees centrepieces

Use offcuts of felt to make these wintery Christmas table decoration ideas. Using a polystyrene cone as the base, wrap a 2cm strip of wool felt around the bottom of each cone. Secure using a hot-glue gun. Cut a series of triangles from wool felt. Glue (point down), overlapping them so that the right-hand corner sits halfway across the centre of the next triangle. Continue in rows around the cone, working all the way up to the top.

To finish, cut a circle of felt around 3cm in diameter. Cut a slit to the centre, then wrap around the top of the cone securing in place with a hot-glue gun. Finish with a final row of triangles so that all the polystyrene is hidden. Add a glittery star at the top. Follow our step-by-step instructions to Make your own scandi-inspired felt Christmas trees.

7. Stitch tree Christmas cards

Use sparkly silver thread and black card to make this simple yet beautiful Christmas card idea.

Make a small pinhole at the top of a card blank, followed by 10-12 pinholes 1cm apart along the bottom. Use a needle and silver thread to stitch from the top to the bottom holes to create a tree shape. Secure the thread at the back of the card with a piece of clear tape. Embellish with a glittery stick-on star to the top of the tree.

8. Curate natural wall hangings

Bring a winter woodland feel into your home with this Christmas wall decor idea. Gather a selection of dried fruit slices, cinnamon sticks and foraged foliage. Knot the items along lengths of twine and tie to a stick at equal intervals. Tie another piece of twine to each end for hanging. Enjoy the Christmassy aromas from the orange slices, cinnamon and pine needles.

9. Fashion simple silhouette tea light holders

Light up your festive table with silhouette tea light holders made from old glass jars. Measure the circumference of your empty jar and cut black card to the same length. Draw your design in pencil (simple scenes like tree outlines work best) and cut out with scissors. Glue to the outside of the jar and pop in a tea light candle.

10. Yarn-wrapped star tree decorations

Use up leftover yarn to make super-cute tree decorations. Draw and cut star shapes from thick card (brown cardboard packaging is perfect). Use a hot-glue gun to attach beads or bells to the points of the stars. This will help to stop the yarn popping off the ends.

Glueing the end to the card, weave wool around each point, followed by the centre until all of the cardboard is hidden. Finish by tying on the reverse and tucking the ends under the wrapped yarn. If hanging on the tree, add a loop of wool to the top.

11. Applique a felt wreath cushion

Give your sofa a seasonal update with this easy appliqué cushion. The perfect alternative Christmas wreath idea!

Cut a square of cotton or linen fabric the same size as your cushion pad. Snip simple leaf shapes from grey felt. Arrange on your cushion front in a wreath design and pin in place.

Sew down the centre of each leaf shape to attach to the cushion. You can use a sewing machine or work by hand. Once all the leaves are attached, sew on mini white pom poms as berries.

To make up into a cushion, cut another piece of fabric the same size. Place it on top of the cushion front, right sides facing. Sew around three sides, leaving one side open. Turn out and add the cushion pad. Sew up the gap by hand.

12. Make paper gift tassels

Prettify your presents with handmade tassel trims. Just the thing if you're stuck for gift wrapping ideas for Christmas.

Cut a strip of paper 21cm wide x 10cm long. On the reverse side, draw a line 1.5cm from the top across the width of the paper. Using a ruler and craft knife, cut vertical lines from this line to the bottom edge, around 5mm apart, across the full width.

Put double-sided tape along the top edge. Take a 20cm piece of string, then form a loop and tie. Thread a bead through the ends and tie again to secure.

Place the string on the left of the paper with the bottom knot just above the top of the cut lines and roll the strip tightly. Bind the top with string to finish.