Wreath
Ring in the season with a graphic riff on the traditional wreath.
Directions: Hot-glue wooden beads onto the front of a wreath form in clusters, mixing sizes as you go—save the smallest ones to fill in empty spaces. Then glue beads onto the inside edge, finishing up with the outer edge. Adhere red felt balls to the front of the wreath as shown.
Quick Tip: For these projects use the lightest, thinnest wood veneer in the craft store's woodworking section. We chose Arc Crafts' BARC paper.
Tabletop Trees
Classic shapes and bold colors dress up tabletop trees.
Directions
Tree with dots: Trace template (download below) onto medium-weight BARC paper and cut out shape. Follow template and punch circles as marked. Glue onto felt, trim edges and punch hole for hanging.
Scalloped tree: Trace tree template onto medium-weight BARC paper and cut out. Trace scallop templates onto medium-weight BARC paper and felt as labeled—two wood and three felt per ornament. Glue scallops onto tree as shown. Punch hole for hanging.
Disk ornaments: With decorative punches, create a design (like a snowflake) and a contrasting color circle from card stock. Glue design on top of circle, then adhere to a wooden disk. Using an awl or a thin nail, make a hole in top of wooden disk to fit a screw eye. Attach string for hanging.
Mantel Decor: Reindeer
A woodsy Rudolph lends a jolly vibe to the mantel.
Directions
Reindeer: Trace templates (download below) onto the heaviest BARC white paper backing and cut out. Glue pieces together, paper sides facing in. Assemble as marked. To make the mount, apply Mod Podge to the back of a piece of decorative paper cut to size and cover the front of a wooden plaque. Smooth out any air bubbles with your fingers. Brush on one to two thin coats of Mod Podge over the surface; let dry thoroughly. Attach the reindeer head to the surface with glue.
Garland: Fold in half a 12-foot length of perle cotton thread and tie a knot at the end. Thread ends into a tapestry needle and insert through a red felt ball. Add two 3/4-inch wooden beads, followed by an orange ball, three wooden beads, another red ball and so on until the string is almost covered, ending with a felt ball. Pull the threaded needle back through the felt ball and tie a knot.
Greeting Cards and Snowmen
Bring some handmade flair to the season with jaunty snowmen and cheerful cards.
Directions
Stitched cards: Cut pieces of medium-weight BARC paper to desired sizes. On a surface such as heavy-duty cardboard or a cutting mat, place template (download below) over paper and use a needle tool or long needle to make holes as indicated. Thread a needle with floss and stitch designs, taping the ends on the reverse side of the wood. When design is complete, adhere wood to a piece of colored card stock, trim edges and attach to a blank card.
Snowmen: Hot-glue two wooden balls together to create a body. To make a nose, twist a tiny strip of orange felt, secure with glue, then trim into a triangular shape. Adhere to face with glue. Use a small hole punch to make felt eyes and buttons. Tie on felt scraps as scarves. Create hats with an assortment of objects—from spools of thread glued to wooden disks to mini flower pots.
