November/December

• Use cut down toothpicks as candles. Just paint, add a few drops of white glue to the sides a small piece of thread for a wick, and gloss over the whole thing! Use in wreaths, on your tree, or on a centerpiece.
• Paper chains are easily made from quilling paper, or thin strips of colored typing paper.
• Popcorn can be made from bits picked from expanded foam cups.
• Angels that sing on high on high can be a piece of gathered lace for the body, bead for the head, metallic embroidery cotton for a halo, regular embroidery cotton for the hair and small feathers for the wings.
• Little Reindeer are quickly assembled using brown pom-poms, seed beads, small wiggly eyes, and a bit of paper for antlers. Make little teddy bears the same way!
• Check out the friendly plastic area of your local craft store. Sometimes they will have little millefiori canes that can be reduced down to ornament size and attached to your tree.
• Don't forget to look at the charms section at the crafts store too! I have found the prettiest crystal stars, and the neatest little trinkets. This time of year they also bring in great christmas related charms.
• Need a wreath base? Try chenille (similar to pipecleaners). Wrap around a dowel for the shape, secure and decorate with your desire, including small fimo birds, candies, candles, ribbon or little snowmen. You can make little snowmen by making three small balls of white fimo stuck together. Add a small black fimo hat and an embroidery floss scarf. Little birds can be made from teardrop for the body, a round ball for the head and a smaller round ball for the beak.
• I saw some great ribbons that had holiday greetings on them. Also, check out the confetti for interesting tree decorations and door decorations.
• If you needlepoint, wonderful little pillows can be made from towel decoration sized patterns. Check out the local library and see if they have any small pattern books that can be worked in the right scale.
• A quilted tree skirt can be made using the pieced pattern method. Draw a circle with a reliable tool on cardstock, then divide that into six pieces. Cut out. Glue (with white glue or with a fusible webbing) fabric onto these pieces, with fabric extending a little over the edges. Whip stitch pieces back together, or glue them onto another circle of cardstock, matching up the sides as nicely as possible. Decorate with bits of lace and embroidery cotton.
• And just to make it an even dozen, here is some tips on Christmas packages. Craft stores sometimes carry wonderful lignin-free/acid-free papers with all manner of decoration on them. Yesterday I found tartans, gingerbread men, snowmen and a few other fun prints. Just use these to paper over a block of balsa cut to the right size. Don't be afraid to use different shapes other than the traditional cube! You know what I mean, those presents that you KNOW exactly what they are because the wrapper couldn't find a big enough box, or didn't have much paper left. Things such as wine bottles for example!

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