Most of us have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. The popular site is full of allegedly “easy” do-it-yourself ideas, covering everything from home decor and toddler activities to seasonal crafts and fashion trends. Often, and just a few minutes into working on an idea gleaned from Pinterest, it quickly becomes apparent that nothing good will come of any attempts at creativity.
Not so with the following seasonal ideas. We’ve chosen Christmas crafts and Christmas-themed dishes that are foolproof, easy and stress free, using materials around the house.
Crafts
None of the below will require glitter, none will demand a run to a crafts store and none need complicated tools. The materials and ingredients are all easy to source, the methods are straightforward and the results? Festive and bright.
Type “Santa handprint Christmas ornaments”
Materials: Salt, flour, water, a bowl, a knife, a chopstick, an oven, a black marker, paintbrushes and red and white paint.
Method: Mix half a cup each of flour and salt with around a quarter cup of water and knead until a dough forms. Press your hand (or your kid’s, if you have one) into the dough to make an impression then use the knife to cut around the hand, leaving a small border. Bore a hole at the bottom of the palm part, so you can run a ribbon through it to hang on the tree. Bake it at 100ºC for 45 minutes to an hour (Pinterest says three hours, but we tried this and ours was done in an hour, so just keep an eye on it). Paint it as shown, let it dry and use string, twine or ribbon to hang it on a tree.
Bonus tip: Before baking, use the tip of a toothpick to engrave the date on the back of the hand ornament.
Type “oranges and cloves centrepieces”
Materials: Oranges and cloves.
Method: Also known as pomanders, these are too easy to require a list of instructions and can be made while lounging on the couch, watching a Christmas movie. Simply press the cloves into the oranges in any shape or design that appeals to you: haphazard, symmetrical or in letter form; spelling out a word such as “joy” or “merry” using oranges would make a fun centrepiece.
Bonus tip: Use aniseeds in addition to cloves and try to get oranges with leaves still attached, so you can use the leaves as bedding for your centrepiece.
Type “mosaic ornaments from CDs”
Materials: A plain, glass ornament, an old CD you don’t care about and that’s silver underneath rather than blue or purple, scissors, glue.
Method: Cut up the old CD into various small shapes using strong scissors. Glue all the pieces – shiny side facing up – onto the ornament.
Bonus tip: This particular idea is from www.cremedelacraft.com but for a compiled list of 20 genius, creative and most importantly, easy do-it-yourself ornament ideas, visit www.boredpanda.com/diy-christmas-ornaments.
Type “free build a snowman printable”
Materials: Paper, a printer, scissors, colours, glue, a surface to glue on
Method: This one is great to keep children occupied. Pinterest is awash with free printables for building a snowman (or a reindeer, or Santa, or an elf). Just choose one, print it out and hand it to children old enough to wield a pair of scissors. Let them cut to their hearts’ content, glue the pieces onto cardboard as if they’re assembling a puzzle, then colour at will.
Bonus tip: Let them get creative by using some cotton to glue onto the snowman, or a piece of red ribbon for the scarf.
Type “DIY Christmas paper wreath”
Materials: A newspaper or magazine, some cardboard (you can just use a cereal box, it works), scissors, a stapler and some ribbon or string
Method: Cut your cardboard into a circle, then cut another small circle in the middle of it until you’re left with a ring. Using your scissors, make two holes close to each other at one end of your ring to run the string or ribbon through for hanging. Cut up your newspaper or magazine into squares, then roll them so they resemble cones or scrolls and staple them to your ring starting from the outer edge. It’s easier to flatten the thin end of each cone and staple there. When you work on your second row, and each row after that, staple each cone between the two cones on the row before it. Keep going until you cover the entire cardboard.
Bonus tip: Instead of magazines and newspaper, you can use festive Christmas wrapping paper (red and green, or silver and gold, or any combination you like), pages from an old book you don’t mind recycling, or even music score. Add a bow in the middle of the wreath when you’re done.
Food
Christmas is just not complete without food and if it looks good too, then bonus. The below require patience but, thankfully, zero cooking or slaving over a cooker.
Type “Grinch Christmas snack” and “caprese skewers”
Ingredients: Grapes, bananas that aren’t ripe, strawberries, mini-marshmallows, toothpicks and a knife.
Method: Trim the ends off the strawberries and cut the banana into slices. Using a toothpick, start with a grape, then a slice of banana, then a strawberry with the flat side touching the banana and finally a tiny marshmallow. Done. The caprese skewers are the same idea, using cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls and basil leaves (or green tortellinis). Just drizzle some olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the end result and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Type “Christmas fruit tree”
Ingredients: An apple, a carrot, a bunch of toothpicks and any fruit you so desire. This can be done with just strawberries, or you can add kiwis to the mix, or go all out and use grapes, melons and a variety of berries.
Method: Slice the bottom of the apple off so it has a flat surface to rest on and core it. Plop the carrot stick into the cored apple so it’s standing upright. Use the toothpick to attach the fruit to the carrot. Use mint as a tree skirt once you’re done.
Type “stove top Christmas scent”
Ingredients: oranges, cinnamon sticks, cranberries, cloves, and if you like, some rosemary.
Method: OK, so this one is cheating a little bit, because it’s not technically edible, but it does use food items and makes your home smell good enough to eat. Throw all the ingredients into a pot of water and let them all simmer on the cooker. This is good for quite a few days and can be heated repeatedly, releasing an aroma that is pure Christmas into your home.
Type “Christmas cheese tree”
Ingredients: A variety of cheese cubes, cherry tomatoes, green olives and some form of greenery such as parsley, mint or rosemary.
Method: Just copy the picture and, if you like, substitute the olives for grapes. You can even add a layer of walnuts if you like. The possibilities are endless.
artslife@thenational.ae
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