Creation station - holiday craft ideas

Girls' Life, Dec, 2000 by Kelly White

Crafts are cool, no mailer what holiday you celebrate....

Whether your family follows the Kwanzaa rituals to a tee, lights candles like clockwork or hauls a full-grown evergreen tree into the living room (who ever came up with that one?), you can jazz things up with these jolly ol' crafts. We give you one project for each holiday, plus variations for your celebration.

Before you bust out your inner Martha Stewart, do yourself (and your house) a favor and cover your work surface with newspaper. You can find everything here at most good craft stores.

CHRISTMAS

Beautiful Bowls

Need a perfect way to present a batch of homemade goodies? Wrap them up with one of these decorative dishes. Just don't plan on serving taco dip (or anything else) straight out of them unless your recipe calls for paint chips. These dishes should only be used as holders. To clean, wipe with a dry cloth. The dishwasher is off limits!

What you need: clear plates or bowls * glass paints * liquid leading (the fake kind) * decorative wrapping paper * scissors * clear glue

1. Make sure glassware is clean and dry. Use scissors to cut designs from wrapping paper, and glue to underside of the glass so the designs show through. Let dry.

2. Use liquid leading to write messages onto glass and to outline any drawings. Let dry.

3. Fill inside leading outlines with glass paints. Let dry at least two days before using.

Celebration modification: To make a platter for a Hanukkah feast, we simply cut a piece of fabric out to fit the size of our plate. It's glued to the back of the plate with decoupage paste. Or decorate your glassware with mazao designs. Mazao are the fruits and veggies of harvest, which symbolize Kwanzaa. It's meant to remind us of the rewards of working together. Hey, great idea! Grab a bud or two, and throw a multi-culti, make-it party at your place.

HANUKKAH

Handcrafted Menorah

That menorah you made out of clay in second grade is beginning to crumble? Make a super sturdy one with some old building blocks, or raid your dad's work bench for pieces of scrap wood. You might even find a few nuts lying around, too. No, not pistachios. The metal kind that go with bolts.

What you need: spray paint * rectangular wooden block * small chunk of wood * nine nuts (yes, the Festival of Lights is eight days but each candle is lit from the shamash--the center candle) * wood glue menorah candles

1. Paint rectangular wooden block in a base color, and the smaller piece in another color. If you want, spray the metal nuts with glittery paint. Let dry completely.

2. Glue small piece of wood to center of longer piece. Let dry.

3. Glue one nut to top center of wood and the other eight along the length of the menorah. Let dry completely.

4. Insert menorah candles securely in holder, and definitely don't light them unless your folks are around.

Celebration modification: Make a killer kinara for Kwanzaa. Simply glue on seven nuts instead of nine. A black candle goes in the center, and three red and three green on each side. Make a pair of matching Christmas candle holders with square blocks of wood as your base. Be festive, and go gold!

KWANZAA

Treasure Box

You and your family are all about Kwanzaa? By the time the seventh day rolls around, you could accumulate a heck of a lot of loot. You'll definitely need a snazzy container to stash all the stuff you score.

What you need: empty box with lid (a shoebox will do) * colored construction paper decoupage paste (the shiny stuff, not the mane) * mediumsize paint brush * thin ribbon * strong, clear tape * four jingle bells

1. Cut a base color of construction paper to fit all sides of the box, including the lid.

2. Using paint brush to apply glue, cover box completely with cut paper.

3. Cut out different colored designs and shapes, and glue them over your base to decorate box. Let dry.

4. Paint a coat of decoupage over all.

5. Firmly attach ribbon to top of box with tape. String bells onto ribbon, and tie knots to secure.

Celebration modification: This project makes great gift boxes for Christmas. Just go with lots of red, green and white, and decorate with tree or snowman cutouts. For Hanukkah, cut out dreidels and stars. A blue and silver theme is a great choice!

A Little Bit of Bubbly for New Year's Eve

Just about everybody celebrates the New Year. This is a pretty gift for any deserving bud on your list. Dahling, you could even treat yourself. Have a sparkling New Year!

What you need:

* champagne flute

* spray glitter

* bubbling bath beads

* clear plastic wrap

* gold ribbon

1. Spray flute with one coat of glitter. Let dry completely.

2. Fill flute with bath beads.

3. Wrap with plastic wrap, gathering at stem of flute.

4. Secure with ribbon. Cheers!