Long-Lasting Christmas Decor

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.