Quick & Easy Holiday Crafts

Cute Christmas towels cheer up casual dining chairs for the holiday season. Simply stitch the short ends of two towels together, and add slits to thread ribbon through for ties. Drape the stitched towel over a chair, thread the ribbons through the slits, and tie the ribbon into bows.

Give basic glass hurricanes a winter wonderland makeover with large snowflakes. Use strips of white tape and round white stickers to create snowflake patterns on the outside of the hurricanes. Add 3-D dot stickers to the snowflake designs. To make the display pop, nestle the hurricanes in a tray of colorful Christmas ornaments and sparkly tinsel.

Coordinated papers make this garland pretty, and a simple message exudes holiday warmth. Our three-part garland spells "JOY," but the paper pieces are so easy to make, you can easily craft and spell any sentiment your heart desires.

Shake up your traditional wreath with this bundle version. Gather a bunch of thin sticks and wrap a wide rubber band around the base. Tuck one branch of greenery (we used eucalyptus) inside the rubber band for a dash of Christmas color. Wrap a ribbon around the top to hide the rubber band and to use as a hanger. Display the wreath above your mantel or on a door.

Embellish stockings with old family photographs for a vintage vibe and a link to Christmases past.

Give basic napkins holiday flair. Punch a hole in a Christmas paper coaster, thread metallic cord through it, and tie it around a folded napkin. Add jingle bells to the ends of the cord and tuck in a sprig of artificial greenery.

Guard against a brisk winter draft with this soft blanket. Start with a ready-made afghan and embellish with pretty felt snowflakes. Make this simple blanket as an extra layer for overnight guests or to give as a Christmas present.

Adapt the Thanksgiving cornucopia for the Yuletide. This pretty paper cone is trimmed with stylish embellishments. Hang it from the tree as an ornament or a cabinet knob for decoration, or fill it with candy and give as a Christmas present to a coworker or friend.

Recreate a favorite elementary school craft in a sophisticated way for your tree. Cut strips of patterned paper to match your decor, match the ends to create a loop, and tape the overlapping ends together. Thread another strip through the loop, bring the ends together and tape. Continue in this manner until the paper chain is your desired length. Use the paper chain as garland for your Christmas tree, mantel, or stairway.

Create a tabletop forest of pretty Christmas trees. Roll patterned papers in shades of green around plastic foam cones; glue into place. Hot-glue sparkling bead atop each tree.

You can paint just one friendly fellow or a whole brigade to march across your container.

Repurpose old brooches and other jewelry pieces as creative napkin rings. Cut a length of ribbon to fit around a napkin; glue the ends together and let dry. Pin a brooch to the ribbon. Slip the ribbon around a folded napkin and wait for dinner guests to be dazzled.

Give your table some bling this Christmas with silver-leaf fruit and plenty of shiny baubles. To make these silver pomegranates, paint artificial fruit with sizing adhesive, apply sheets of silver leaf, and burnish with a clear, dry brush. For a sparkling surround, hot-glue buttons and rhinestones to a slender wreath form and place on the table. Fill juice glasses with small silver beads and top with shiny pomegranates.

Customize snow globes easily and affordably. Start with a snow globe that is designed with a photo insert. Insert a photo, vintage postcard, or picture from a children's Christmas book cut to fit inside the snow globe. Or get a little wordy and type the lyrics to a favorite Christmas song or poem and size to fit inside. If you're hosting a Christmas party, use the snow globes as place cards by writing guests' names on cards and inserting them into the globes.

Replicate the classic Christmas sweet in ornament form. These easy-to-make tree ornaments are reminiscent of colorful and intricate ribbon candy. You can quickly create dozens for your tree, or use them as Christmas gift toppers.

Invite a flock of cheery birds into your home for the holidays. Exercise your sewing skills with these easy-to-make stuffed ornaments. Search online for copyright-free clip art and use iron-on transfer paper to transfer the image to fabric.

Make these simple Christmas crackers to use as stocking stuffers or holiday party favors. For each cracker, cut a 5-inch length from a wrapping paper or paper-towel tube. Cut a 10x10-inch square from wrapping paper. Center the tube on the paper and wrap the paper around the tube. Tape along the edge of the paper to secure. Tie one end closed with a length of cord tied in a bow. Fill the tube with small gifts or wrapped candies, then tie the opposite end closed in the same manner.

Tins can be used as tidy treat containers, gracious gifts, and even delightful decorations.

Create holiday cheer with this little gift wrap and tag project that promises big delight.

Include a favorite picture to make this gift even more memorable.