Store bought Christmas gifts come and go like the blowing winter snow. The gifts that stand the test of time from Christmas to Christmas are the special things we make and accumulate as families along the way. In that Christmas spirit, All Pro Dad offers these great and simple ideas for projects to make for Mom this year. These ideas were inspired from the site www.eHow.com. May these gifts last in your family for many years.
1. The Ornament Picture Frame. (View Example)
- Gather a small paper plate, craft glue, loose glitter, a single hole punch, one foot of yarn, and a wallet sized picture of your child.
- Help your child coat one side of the paper plate in glue, and then sprinkle a layer of glitter over the plate.
- Glue the picture onto the center of the glitter side of the paper plate. Allow to dry. (This is a good time to eat some Christmas cookies, just because you can.)
- Punch a hole in the plate above the picture and string the yarn through.
- Tie a knot at your desired length, and you now have a long-lasting Christmas treasure.
2. The Refrigerator Magnet. (View Example)
- First find a picture of your child/children with Mom.
- Cut a rectangular shape from the center of a 9 x 12 inch piece of craft foam. Leave a frame border of at least 1 inch beyond the size of the picture to hold it in place.
- Decorate the frame with various Christmas-themed sequins and craft foam pieces.
- Attach two peel-and-stick magnets to the back of your picture frame once the glue dries and display it proudly on the fridge!
3. The Felt Christmas Stocking. (View Example)
This is a great idea for the kids to not only make, but then let them fill with items such as coupons for Mom to redeem later. Coupons like “clean my room without fussing,” or “take the trash out for a week.” Whatever the things are that fit your family best.
- Cut a pair of large stocking shapes from red, green or white felt.
- Glue the shapes together leaving the top open and let dry.
- Glue a strip of felt to the back of the stocking for hanging.
- Decorate the stockings with puffy paint drawings such as gold stars, red reindeer, white snowmen, or silver snowflakes.
4. The Christmas Plaque. (View Example)
- Purchase an oval ceramic plaque with a small hole for hanging at a local craft shop.
- You will also need red or green acrylic paint, a small paintbrush, and one foot of red ribbon.
- Dip your child’s hand in paint and place it firmly on the plaque, creating their handprint.
- Then have your child paint his name, age, and the year next to the handprint.
- Allow it to dry.
- Thread the ribbon through the plaque and knot at the desired length for hanging. Mom will love it!
Put a game plan in action to make mom the best homemade crafts she could ever hope for.