This super cute pom pom reindeer ornament is so simple to make and looks adorable too! it’s never too early to start Christmas crafting, We’ve had a quiet couple of days at home to try and get over a cold and to keep ourselves busy we’ve been bust trying out our new pom pom makers! i just love how this reindeer turned out and were currently in the process of making each of Santa’s reindeer as part of a cute Christmas display that we have planned. If you and your kids have go at making one we’d love to see how it turned out, did you know we’re now on Facebook? you can share pictures with us there.
Here’s what we used
Pom pom maker (optional)
Brown yarn
Brown pipecleaners
Googly eyes
Red pom pom
Tacky glue/glue gun
How to make a pom pom reindeer ornament
Start by making a large brown pom pom. If you haven’t made one before you can find a quick guide here. You don’t need a pom pom maker to make a cute pom pom!
Tie a yarn loop and glue it down into place inside the top of the pom pom
Take a pipecleaner and fold it in half to create the top antler. Twist it secure about 2-4cm from the bend. Pinch a second antler on either side and twist them together at the base to secure. Part the yarn of the pom pom and glue the antlers into place either side of the loop at the top of the head
Glue on two Googly eyes and a pom pom nose and your pom pom reindeer ornament is finished!
When it comes to Christmas movies the fist one we usually watch as a family is home alone, the kids think it’s hilarious and we think it’s hilarious listening to them laughing at it! For me though I think the most cosy and nostalgic film to cuddle up with at Christmas is Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory. I’ve watched it every single year since I can remember. I love a good musical and something about it is just so magical and in my opinion Gene wilder is nothing short of enchanting. So after watching it together I thought it would be nice to follow on by making some sweet little Willy Wonka inspired Christmas decorations and after a while we came up with these adorable polymer clay lollipop ornaments. It took a little bit of practice but after a few tries my little boy was making them in minutes!
Here’s what we used
Polymer clay
Cocktail sticks
Bow
Glue
Eye pins (optional!)
Thread
How to make our polymer clay lollipop ornaments.
Take equal portions of your chosen colours and roll them into individual balls.
Roll your colours into sausages of equal length and thicknesses. Press the colours together, if you have multiple colours stack them in twos.
Squeeze the ends of the colors to secure them together and then twist the stick of colors round and round to give you this fun stripy pattern!
Take one end of your clay and begin twisting it around into a spiral lollipop shape. Insert a cocktail stick in to the bottom of the lollipop. you’ll also need to make a hole to thread the string through so that you can hang it. We used eyelet rings so we made a small hole in the top edge to place one in but if you don’t have these you can simply use a cocktail stick to pierce a hole in the front of the outer ring so that you can attach some string once baked. Place it in to the oven to bake, times will vary depending on the brand you use, for us it was 130 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Once baked place on the side to cool slowly.
Once cool Glue a bow onto the bottom of the spiral and then thread through the string to hang your ornament with. Your super sweet Lollipops are ready to hang on the tree!
After making our polymer clay lollipops I thought that I would upload these simple pipe cleaner lollipop ornaments too. Clay is fab and great for crafting but it’s something that until recently we never really kept in the house, plus it can be quite expensive if you buy the better brands. Pipe cleaners however are so cheap and easy to find (most pound shops sell them) so I thought they would make for a great alternative option. To be honest I’m not even sure which ones I prefer, they both look super sweet and perfect for a Willy Wonka themed Christmas! These little cuties only cost a few pence to make and once you get the hang of them they’re quick to make too, my 4 yo managed to master twisting and rolling them after a few tries!
Here’s what we used
Pipecleaners
Bows
Yarn
Scissors
Glue
How to make our pipe cleaner lollipop ornaments
Take your chosen pipe cleaners and twist them together at one end.
Twist the pipecleaners around each other all the way along to give this awesome stripy effect.
Take one end of your pipecleaner and begin rolling it around into a spiral, ensure that you pull it tight enough to hold position. Once you get to the end wrap the loose end around the previous ring which it is next to.
Add a small length of pipe cleaner to the back of the lollipop to make the stick. Finish off your sweet decoration by adding a bow to the bottom of your lollipop spiral.
If you would like to hang your lollipop on the tree, simply add some yarn to your decoration. We found that the easiest way was to glue a loop to the back but you could always thread it through the top ring of your spiral and then tie it into a knot! Aren’t these just the sweetest little sweets?
I absolutely love these little photo frame ornaments! We’ve ordered some prints to go in them but they haven’t arrived yet, Still they’re all ready to go and we just couldn’t wait to share them with you. My favorite part about these is how each one is so unique, my son decorated these three and they’re each beautiful! We will be keeping these ones for our tree because I can’t bear to part with them but once our photos arrive we will be making more to post out to grandparents and other loved ones! There are so many lovely designs that you can make and we would love to see what you and your little ones come up with. Did you know we now have a Facebook? You can share them with us there!
Make the base of your photo frame by cutting out two equally sized circles. Take one of the circles and cut out a circle from the centre to make the front ring of the frame.
Now it’s time for little one to decorate their photo frames using their favorite embellishments!
Cut your photo down to size and glue it to the front of the backing circle (you can draw around your circle to help you cut your photo to the right size!). Then cut out a small semi circle tab and pierce a hole in the top center. Glue the tab down at the top of of the bauble as you can see above.
Glue the two sides of your photo frame together and tie a loop in your string. Thread the loop through the hole at the top of your bauble and pull the loop through itself to knot it on securely. Your adorable photo frame is ready to display or gift!
When is it considered acceptable to put up the Christmas decorations? With everything that’s been going on this year with covid and for us personally with loved ones being unwell, it just feels as if it’s about time the kids had something nice. Obviously we have no idea what the situation is going to be in December but I personally think that it’s looking likely that we won’t be able to have our big family Christmas. It sucks but at the end of the day if it does come to that we will just have to do what’s best for everyone. Even if this Christmas isn’t the same there is always something really warm and comforting about Christmas decorations and I know this year my house is going to be going full Santa’s grotto, hence why were making these cute little pinecone fairy Christmas decorations at the beginning of November!
This cute little craft definitely requires grown up aid if using a glue gun but it’s just too sweet to not share!
Heres what we used
Pinecone
Coloured paints
Pipe cleaners
Pom pom
String/cord
Mini craft sticks
Sequin
Glue gun
Scissors
How to make these festive fairy decorations
Take the pine cone and paint it in your chosen color before putting it aside to to dry.
Once your pine cone is dry, use your glue gun to attach a pom pom centrally on the bottom of the pine cone.
Take a length of pipecleaner and twist it centrally around the base of the pom pom until secure. This will make the fairy’s two arms, we then used a small dollop of glue to secure the fairy’s arms in position on the pine cone.
Make the wings by twisting the ends of a pipe cleaner together at the middle to make a figure of 8. Then take some cord and tie it into a loop. Glue the wings and loop securely on to the back of your pine cone.
Finish off by making a little wand for your pine cone fairy Christmas decoration. To make ours we used a mini crafting stick and a festive sequin! Once you have your wand twist it into the end of one of arms so that it looks as if she is holding it. Once dry your festive fairies are ready to hang on the tree or gift to a loved one!
