(Family Features) Handcrafted decor sets a festive tone throughout the house for all your holiday celebrations this season. Deck the halls with these spirited craft ideas from Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores that transform your home into a holiday haven with cheerful color across the mantel, personalized gift tags, a whimsical use for ornaments and even a way to include your four-legged friends in the fun.

For more seasonal crafting inspiration, project guides and supplies, visit www.joann.com.

Deck the Candles
Skill level: Some experience necessary
Crafting time: 1–2 hours

Supplies and Tools

• Flameless wax candles
  
• Ruler
  
• White tissue paper
  
• Scissors
  
• Markers, paint or colored pencils
  
• Paintbrushes
  
• Heat gun

Instructions

• Measure candle height and cut tissue paper slightly shorter than candle.
• Wrap tissue paper around candle. Cut off excess so ends just meet.
• Place cut tissue paper on work surface.
• With glossy side down, create design on tissue paper using markers, paint or colored pencils. Allow to dry.
• Wrap tissue paper around candle securely; hold in place. Use heat gun to adhere tissue paper to candle. The tissue paper will start to look wet as it adheres. Keep gun moving so it does not melt candle. Take caution when using heat gun; wax will be hot.
• Allow candle to cool.

Picture Perfect Gift Tags

Skill level: Some experience necessary
Crafting time: 1–2 hours

Supplies and Tools

• Circle templates
  
• Scissors
  
• Red, green and white cardstock
  
• Photographs of gift recipients
  
• Pinking shears
  
• Scallop-edge shears
  
• Glue stick
  
• Cricut machine with circle and tag options (optional)
  
• Hole punch
  
• Ribbon
  
• Various self-adhesive gems

Instructions

• Use circle template to cut 3-inch red and green cardstock circles.
• Cut photos into 2 1/2-inch circles. Attach photos slightly off-center to red or green circles.
• Cut 3 1/2-inch white cardstock circles, and use shears to pink or scallop edges. Adhere photos and colored circles onto white cardstock circles, centered.
• Cut 4 1/2-inch tag shapes and punch hole freehand or using Cricut machine. Attach layered photo off-center on tag. Attach ribbon through hole.
• Use glue stick to attach three self-adhesive gems to red or green circles.

Doggie Bowtie

Skill level: Some experience necessary
Crafting time: Less than one hour

Supplies and Tools

• 8-inch-by-12-inch red fabric (fabric A)
  
• Basic sewing supplies
  
• Sewing machine
  
• Iron and pressing surface
  
• 6-inch-by-10-inch ivory fabric (fabric B)
  
• Pinking shears
  
• Remnant holiday fabric (fabric C)
  
• Remnant holiday print fabric (fabric D)
  
• 1/4-inch elastic

Instructions

• Fold fabric A in half with right sides together. Stitch all open sides leaving 2-inch opening at end. (Note: Seam allowances are 1/4 inch throughout.)
• Push fabric through opening, turning it right side out. Press piece. Repeat with fabric B.
• Run base stitch through center of both A and B. Pull on thread to cinch both pieces at center. Place piece B on top of A and run secure stitch to hold both pieces together.
• Cut remnant holiday fabric C to 2 inches by 5 inches. Fold in half with right sides together and sew along long edge. Flip fabric so right side shows. Wrap around center of bow and stitch in place.
• Cut 1-inch-by-1 1/2-inch piece of fabric D using pinking shears. Place over holiday remnant C seam. Stitch down.
• Cut 2-inch length of elastic. Loop and stitch to back of bow. Position loop so collar will slide through and bow will lay horizontal on dog.

Stackable Crate Stockings

Skill level: Some experience necessary
Crafting time: 3–5 hours

Supplies and Tools

• Small ready-to-finish wood crate (CD size)
  
• 6-inch-by-12-inch plywood board
  
• Craft knife and mat
  
• Pencil
  
• Metal straight-edge ruler
  
• Acrylic paint of colors of choice
  
• Paintbrushes: medium, small round/detail
  
• Scissors
  
• 2 sheets 12-inch-by-12-inch glitter paper
  
• Glue
  
• Transfer paper
  
• Stocking pattern templates
  
• Wood knob
  
• 2 small hinges
  
• Screwdriver
  
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
  
• 24-inch ribbon

Instructions

• Place crate on top of plywood and trace all the way around crate with pencil.
• Using metal straight-edge ruler and craft knife, cut traced outline on plywood. This will create lid for crate. Lid size should match top of crate.
• Paint wood crate and lid desired color. Allow to dry.
• Cut 2-inch strips of glitter paper. Glue glitter paper to inside of crate with glitter facing out, covering open spaces between slats.
• Line inside of box with more glitter paper. Cut paper to size, adhere with glue.
• Using transfer paper, draw stocking pattern template design onto lid.
• Paint design using acrylic paint and small round/detail brush. Apply several coats if necessary. Allow to dry between coats.
• Paint wood knob and allow to dry. Glue knob onto lid at loop of stocking.
• Screw hinges onto crate. Glue hinges onto lid. Allow to dry.
• Hot glue center of a 24-inch length of ribbon to inside of box. Tie ribbon around knob on lid to keep box closed.

Hung with Care Christmas Tree

Skill level: Some experience necessary
Crafting time: Weekend project

Supplies and Tools

• 5 embroidery hoops: 6-inch, 9-inch, 14-inch, 18-inch and 23-inch
  
• Yardstick
  
• White acrylic paint
  
• Ruler
  
• Clear beading thread/cording
  
• Scissors
  
• 5–10 clear plastic ornaments (the kind that open in half)
  
• Translucent paint: red, green, white
  
• Paintbrushes
  
• Plastic LED lights
  
• Scrapbook paper
  
• Marker
  
• 150 green shatterproof ornaments in various finishes
  
• 1 gold shatterproof ornament
  
• Craft glue or duct tape (optional)

Instructions

• Separate and paint embroidery hoops and yardstick white. Allow to dry.
• Determine desired height of finished tree to plan where ornaments will hang. The shortest lengths of thread and ornaments are hung from smallest embroidery hoop, longest hung from largest hoop.
• (Tree shown is hung at 13 inches, 18 inches, 23 inches, 28 inches and 33 inches.)
• Cut clear thread, using lengths determined in step above, plus 2 inches extra for tying and knotting.
• Construct clear ornaments. Paint confetti dot design on outside of ornament using translucent paint, allow to dry. Use clear thread to hang an LED light inside ornament or create paper tag noting a gift wish and place inside ornament.
• Starting with smallest embroidery hoop, use shortest lengths of thread to tie green and clear ornaments all the way around hoop. Trim excess thread. Repeat for remaining hoops.
• Starting with smallest hoop, secure hoop to yardstick with clear thread. Secure next larger hoop to yardstick below smaller hoop. Repeat with remaining hoops so each surrounds the previous to construct tree with layers of ornaments. Gently shift each hoop as needed to create a uniform shape. Fill empty spots with additional ornaments.
• Hang gold ornament from middle of yardstick at top of tree.
• For a more permanent hold, secure hoops to yardstick with craft glue or duct tape.

Sponsored by Jo-Ann Fabrics and Craft Stores