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  4. Long-Lasting Christmas Decor

Long-Lasting Christmas Decor

February 19, 2016
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Keep your Christmas decorations for years to come with our brilliant ideas for long-lasting holiday decor. Forget fragile crafts that don't last -- our Christmas decorating ideas are sure to be treasured for many seasons.
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Joyful Pillow

Easy Christmas Crafts

Let pom-pom trim herald the happiness of the season. This pillow will make a big, cheery impact in your family room, but it isn't hard to make at all. Using white chalk, trace the word "JOY" onto a purchased pillow. Slip-stitch mini pom-pom trim along chalk tracing.

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Sweater Cozies

Turn ugly Christmas sweaters into darling seasonal decor, while at the same time upgrading simple glassware. Trace the bottom of a jar onto a sweater scrap. Cut out, including a 1/2-inch seam allowance around the circle. Cut off the cuff end of a sweater sleeve to the desired length and whipstitch to the circle. Add embellishments to sleeve end if desired.

  • See more fun sweater crafts!

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Reindeer Pair

Get the free pattern

Bring out this adorable team year after year to set a wintry tabletop scene. Trace patterns for reindeer onto white cardstock and patterns for trees onto teal cardstock. Fold according to patterns and secure with glue. Use a red medium-tip marker to draw dashed lines around reindeer; use a silver medium-tip marker for trees. Cut a 9/16-inch diameter circle from red felt for reindeer nose. Embellish reindeer and trees with ribbon and trim as desired.

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Snowman Family

Craft a cute snowman family that will spread smiles through the holiday season. Wooden shapes, felt, and glue are all you need to personalize your own snowy gang.

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Pom-Pom Wreath

This wreath is a cozy welcome during chilly winter months. Using cream bulky yarn, make enough pom-poms to cover the front of a wreath form. Hot-glue pom-poms to wreath. Hot-glue one end of 3/8-inch pom-pom trim to the back of the wreath and wind trim around the wreath, filling in spaces between pom-poms. Glue trim end to back of wreath. Finish with a decorative ribbon hanger.

  • How to make pom-poms.

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Ornament Pillows

Get the free pattern

Embellish pillow covers for festive decor that doesn't sacrifice on function. Remove velvet covers from purchased pillows. Using a hot, dry iron, fuse medium-weight interfacing to the back of selected patterned fabrics. Download ornament patterns and trace onto interfacing side of fabric; cut out. Arrange and pin ornament shapes as desired; hand-stitch to pillow covers. Cut assorted ribbons in lengths to reach top seam of pillow cover; adhere with fabric glue. For ornament caps, cut silver ribbon to size, leaving 1/4-inch extra length on each end. Fold 1/4-inch sides in and glue. Attach folded and glued ribbon piece to top of each ornament.

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Snowy Mantel Village

Get the free patterns

This beautiful Christmas village decoration can be used for many years -- it folds accordion-style for easy storage. Download our village patterns, print, and cut out with scissors. Trace building outlines onto stiff Bristol board (available at crafts stores), use a crafts knife to cut out the shapes. Trace vellum outlines onto translucent vellum, cut out, and attach to back of buildings with double-stick tape. Trace snow accents onto white cardstock, and cut out to make snowdrift shapes. Spray snowdrift cutouts with adhesive and sprinkle with glitter; let dry. Spray backs of snowdrifts with adhesive and attach to buildings. Hot-glue miniature wreaths to buildings. Join buildings on backs with clear tape to accordion village.

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Sweater Trees

Don't throw out old sweaters -- cut them up to create a tabletop centerpiece that can be brought out each Christmas. Making them is a breeze; you probably already own most of the supplies!

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Snowflake Coasters

Get the free pattern

Let it snow, no matter the weather, with charming embroidered snowflake coasters. Download and print our pattern, then trace circles onto green felt and cut out. Trace snowflake pattern onto tissue paper and pin onto felt circle. Use white embroidery floss to straight-stitch the snowflake pattern over tissue paper. Remove tissue paper by gently cutting away. Use fabric glue to attach each green circle to white felt. When glue is dry, cut around each circle using pinking shears.

  • Learn embroidery stitch basics.

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Merry Message Candles

Warm your holiday home with a hopeful message that doubles as a centerpiece. Start with cylinder jar candles; cut rectangular doilies to cover. Wrap doily around jar, overlap edges, and secure with double-stick tape. Stamp the word peace, joy, or hope onto a metal-rimmed tag with silver ink. Apply glue over metal edge of tag and sprinkle with glitter. Shake off excess; let dry. Thread tag onto twine, wrap twine around candle multiple times and tie ends in a bow.

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Let It Snow Hoop

Get the free pattern

This adorable embroidery hoop can be easily hung in any room for added holiday cheer. Download and print our pattern, then using a sunny window, trace in the center of pink fabric. Place fabric in embroidery hoop and pull taught, centering traced design. Using six strands of dark pink embroidery floss, split-stitch words. Using six strands of white embroidery floss, straight-stitch snowflakes. Remove fabric from hoop. Warm iron the wrong side of the fabric to press. Insert fabric back into hoop, pulling taught and centering design. Trim fabric 2 inches beyond hoop and glue fabric to back; let dry.

  • Learn embroidery stitch basics.

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J-O-Y Letters

Easy Holiday Decorating

Hang up these letters for an instant cheery touch to any room. Cut away the front surface of purchased papier-mache letters to create an open side. Spray surfaces of each letter metallic gold; let dry. Remove flower heads from red faux carnations and fill letters, hot-gluing as you go.

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Woodland Tabletop

Kids will love setting up this playful, whimsical woodland scene. Cut and unravel small sections of sisal rope, pulling them apart until you have a pile of fine fibers. Cut a piece of 18-gauge galvanized-steel wire twice as long as desired trunk length. Bend the wire in half and sandwich the fiber pile in between. Use scissors to trim the fibers into a triangular shape. Twist wire ends until fibers are secure. Retrim fibers as necessary. Spray-paint desired color and wrap exposed wire with florists tape. Spray plastic animal figures with white paint and embellish with red beads. Use a cribbage board as base for trees.

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Mitten Garland

Add this adorable string of mittens to any window that needs some Christmas spirit. Search "mitten silhouette" online and choose a pattern to print. Cut out pattern and trace onto felt, tracing two mitten outlines for every ornament you want to make. Cut out felt, and using contrasting embroidery floss, blanket-stitch the felt cutouts together, leaving cuff end open. Stuff mitten lightly with fiberfill. Cut a 1-1/4-inch by 4-3/4-inch strip of fabric and press under 1/4-inch along all edges. Fold strip in half crosswise and pin over open mitten cuff. Topstitch 1/8-inch from the edge of the strip. Use embroidery floss to sew a button to the end of the fabric strip opposite mitten thumb, and leave a 2-inch tail to attach to garland.

  • Learn embroidery stitch basics.

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Christmas Tree Art

Our best Christmas ideas - in one spot

Have a merry Christmas with eye-catching wall art sporting rows of pieced fabrics that create an abstract tree. Sew a green fabric strip between two solid tan strips for each row, then join the rows to form the tree. Stretch the fabric over an artist's canvas, and it's ready to hang.

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"NOEL" Letters

Put your button stash to good use as subtle tone-on-tone embellishments on chipboard letters that spell your holiday wishes. Cut a matching textured-cardstock shape for the front of each chipboard letter and adhere in place, then glue an assortment of white and ivory buttons to the bottom third of each letter.

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Merry and Bright Sign

Spread a festive holiday message to the whole neighborhood with our cheery Christmas sign. To make your own version, paint a piece of plywood with a mixture of plaster of Paris, water, and red paint; add a happy sentiment using white chalk. Coat the sign in clear sealer to make it last year after year.

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Christmas Scraps Wreath

Strips cut from leftover felt, dishcloths, or crafting remnants come together to create a colorful striped wreath. Overlap varying widths of fabric strips around a foam wreath form. Pin the ends to the back of the wreath. If desired, adorn with felt leaves and berries; hang from a ribbon.

  • Get more great Christmas wreath ideas for your front door.

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Family Christmas Tree

Connect with your family heritage year after year during the holidays with our adorable Christmas tree. Cut out photocopies of old baby or childhood photos, and back each photo with poster board or cardboard. Use a decoupage medium to preserve the pictures, and arrange the finished products on the wall in a tree shape.

  • Looking to get started with your Christmas decorating? Start here!

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Long-Lasting Decor: 5 Clever Ideas

Get your home ready for the holidays for years with our ingenious (and low-cost) Christmas crafts. Watch to learn how to make the decorations.

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String-Art Christmas Tree Craft

Get the free pattern

This year, try a Christmas tree that won't dry out as the season goes on. Our string art version is a unique design that's perfect for displaying your Christmas cards. Wrap linen fabric around corkboard, then use nails and string to design a tree shape inside.

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Framed Snowman Art

Frosty and his friends are sure to be a permanent fixture on your walls during the holiday season. The friendly snowman faces, made from polymer clay, hang in small picture frames to form fun artwork.

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Merry and Bright Chalkboard

A framed chalkboard adds instant holiday spirit wherever you place it and is easily changeable from year to year. Here, we've placed it below the Christmas tree, but you can use it on your mantel, on the wall, or in the kitchen. Chalkboard paint and a pretty frame create this easy-to-make Christmas craft.

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Circle Felt Stocking

Pay homage to your Christmas tree ornaments with our bright circles stocking. Cut a stocking from white felt, then embellish with circles and stars cut from bright felt.

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Felt Snowman Ornaments

Our adorable appliqued snowmen make a fantastic addition to any Christmas tree thanks to each fellow's sunny disposition and holiday gift. Not only are the ornaments reusable year after year, but they also make great Christmas gifts, too.

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1 of 25 Joyful Pillow
2 of 25 Sweater Cozies
3 of 25 Reindeer Pair
4 of 25 Snowman Family
5 of 25 Pom-Pom Wreath
6 of 25 Ornament Pillows
7 of 25 Snowy Mantel Village
8 of 25 Sweater Trees
9 of 25 Snowflake Coasters
10 of 25 Merry Message Candles
11 of 25 Let It Snow Hoop
12 of 25 J-O-Y Letters
13 of 25 Woodland Tabletop
14 of 25 Mitten Garland
15 of 25 Christmas Tree Art
16 of 25 "NOEL" Letters
17 of 25 Merry and Bright Sign
18 of 25 Christmas Scraps Wreath
19 of 25 Family Christmas Tree
20 of 25 Long-Lasting Decor: 5 Clever Ideas
21 of 25 String-Art Christmas Tree Craft
22 of 25 Framed Snowman Art
23 of 25 Merry and Bright Chalkboard
24 of 25 Circle Felt Stocking
25 of 25 Felt Snowman Ornaments

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