40 Days of Christmas \ Winter Crafts

 I won't be able to do them all, at least not one a day, because we will be starting a few days after Thanksgiving, but I got the idea of pre-planning a craft a day running from the day after Thanksgiving to New Year's Day.  Most of these are ideas from Pinterest.  I hope to write a short entry for each idea, including links back to the pins that inspired me.

I've tried to include ideas with varying degrees of difficulty so that not only Natalie (3 years) but also William (15 months) have crafts they will enjoy.  Other than planning and prepping materials, my big roadblock with crafts is finding a way William won't destroy what Natalie is making, so crafts they can do together at the kitchen table, which also allow me to divide my attention, are important.

Many of these ideas can be made using different medium, such as paper, card stock, felt, or craft foam.  Many items can be used as tree ornaments, greeting card covers, gift tags, or magnets. 

These are currently not in any particular order.  

1. Free play with Christmas stickers; stampers; and red, green, and white paint (afterwards cut into Christmas shapes and make gift tags, greeting cards, or ornaments)
2. Paper snow flakes
3. Hand print Christmas trees
4. Wrapping paper strip Christmas trees
5. Salt dough ornaments
6. Christmas card garland with clothespins (paint clothespins and / or decorate with pom poms and other materials to make reindeer, snowmen, Santa, elves, nutcrackers, Christmas trees, angels)
7. Pony beads on pipe cleaners - trees, wreathes, candy canes
8. Painting with pine needles
9. Decorating big pine cones
10. Footprint reindeer
11. Upside down gingerbread man reindeer
12. Felt cookie cutter cut outs
13. Felt hand print reindeer
14. Candy cane reindeer
15. Footprint snowmen
16. Cotton ball snowmen
17. Cut paper snowmen with pipe cleaners, pom poms, and / or buttons
18. Popsicle stick triangle ornament
19. No-sew felt stockings
20. Store bought kits
21. Pom pom snowmen clothespin magnet
22. Paper Santa face including hat
23. Paper Christmas tree with sticker ornaments and wrapping paper presents
24. Paper Christmas tree with green scraps, pom poms, jewels, buttons. 
25. Sponge stamping tissue paper for wrapping
26. Cookie cutters as paint stampers
27. Thumbprint Christmas lights
28. Thumbprint snowmen (on ball ornament)
29. TP roll Santa
30. Pom poms glued on big Styrofoam ball ornament
31. Green pom pom Christmas tree
32. Paper plate wreathes with sequin (variations with hand prints, glue pieces of green paper)
33. Paper bag reindeer with hand print antlers
34. TP roll reindeer with egg carton feet
35. Reindeer hat with hand print antlers
36. Puzzle piece snowflakes
37. Sprigs of holly
38. Paint with white paint on dark paper 
39. Santa's sleigh and reindeer scene with paper
40. Shaped photo frame ornaments from felt or foam
41. Jingle bell bracelets
42. Christmas / winter scene on long strip of paper (can make into hat)
43. Angel
44. Nativity scene
45. Polar bear
46. Penguin 
47. Paper Poinsettias  
48. Cheerio bird feeders in Christmas shapes