Chicago Weekend Fun!

Since I will have the week off next week and many kids are off from school I thought some Christmas Craft Ideas might be helpful and useful to the readers of Chicago Weekend Fun. (cat toys, origami snowflakes ornaments, garlands and chocolate covered strawberries) 

I am not an expert crafter like Martha Stewart but I have enjoyed my fair share of craft projects over the years. I think the fascination starts when you are a young girl in Brownies and Indian Princesses and all the projects are crafts. Popsicle sticks, rick rack, origami and felt come together with sequins and glue to make some great christmas ornaments and kid masterpieces.

Right now crafts are also popular because you can make decorations and gifts at home for less money that you would buying in stores. The use what you have philosophy is big right now with the recession and economic troubles. That said, I enjoy a good craft project whether it is a recession or not. Here are some recent craft projects I have done that you may enjoy too.

1. Catnip Felt Cat Toys- This is an easy inexpensive gift for people who have cats and want the kitty to get something for Christmas too. Felt is cheap and available for $.25 or $.50 per 8 x 11 inch at most craft or fabric stores. I got mine at Blick art supply and Hancock Fabrics because I wanted a lot of different colors.

You can be as elaborate or as simple as you would like with the shape of the cat nip pouch you are making. I made fortune cookie shaped catnip toys this Christmas and then sent them in Chinese food container boxes. A fortune cookie cat toy is made from a simple circle of felt folded over and sewn in 1/2. Before you close up the end, stuff it full of catnip and pack it down well. Then close up the end and fold the half circle in half again like a fortune cookie and stitch a few loops to hold it closed. Ta-da Cheap inexpensive cat fun. .

The cats don’t care what the shape is so if I am just using the 1/2 circles I call them catnip perogi. Otherwise a plain square pouch is ok too. Sewing doesn’t have to be super neat either, the simple over under stitch works well and I don’t bother to turn it inside out to hide the stitching either. The cat’s just want the catnip.

2. Wrapping paper scrap snowflakes - I hate always having small scraps of wrapping paper left over. It seems like such a waste. I read a few years ago about a way to make snowflakes from them in Martha Stewart Magazine and the instructions are actually pretty easy. It is like origami, but easier.

First take a scrap and make sure it is a perfect square. Then accordion fold the paper in 1/2 inch accordion folds. Then take a stapler and staple across the center of that thin folded bunch of paper. Next, take scissors and cut a pattern in the edges of the paper where the folds are. A pattern that cuts off some of the folded edges on both sides on the ends is always good, it lets the snowflake open more. Then unfold the snowflake ends and tape them together so the flake makes an accordion folded circle. See picture at left.

You can hang small stars or snowflakes on thechristmas tree as ornaments or hang larger ones in the window as a decoration. If you don’t like the white back to the star snowflake just make 2 and tape them together before hanging.

If you want 2 kinds of paper snowflakes, got to wikihow.com/Make-a-3D-Paper-Snowflake and they have another “how to” article that I liked although I haven’t tried this yet. A home full of hanging paper stars and snowflakes is a very festive place to have a party.

3. Home made garlands - I know this reminds people of the 70’s, but if you have that cheap basic ribbon around the house that is kind of shiny, just cut it into 2-3 inch strips and tape or glue the ends together. This can also be done with paper cut into 1 inch by 3 inch strips. It is also fun to pop popcorn and string it with a needle and thread and then decorate the trees outside with it and the birds come eat it. You have to get the string or thread out of the tree eventually but it is cute and functional for a while.

4. Ok food itn’t technically a craft. But with all the baking going on people sometimes forget how easy it is to make chocolate candy type gifts. I once used baking chocolate and some chocolate molds to make a chess set as a gift. It was a popular gift and it was not that expensive. The only thing is that baker’s chocolate isn’t quite as sweet as the milk chocolate most people are used to, so finding another brand to melt down and use might be better.

Another great easy food to make is Fudge and everyone likes getting that as a tasty gift. The basic ingredients of fudge are chocolate chips, butter and condensed sweetened milk. Some people add marshmallows or nuts to the mix and a pinch of salt but it is basically just melted and then mixed together and then put into a baking dish in the fridge to harden. Here is an easy Fudge recipe for kids to make in the microwave. fudge-recipe.com/microwave-fudge-recipe.html

Also, chocolate covered strawberries are always a big hit. Chocolate is easy to melt in the microwave (or double boiler if you happen to have one) And you just dip the strawberries in and put them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Then drizzle with white chocolate or nuts to finish them off before putting them in the fridge for a few hours. These only keep a few days, so make the same day as the party if possible and don’t layer on the chocolate too thick, or it is difficult to eat. This is also a yummy treat for Valentine’s Day.

5. If you like the look of crafts and like giving hand made gifts without the hours of work you can always check out Etsy.com for hand made in the USA crafts that make great gifts. They have a full range of items available that are so well done that they look just as professional as the things you would buy in stores.