Arts and Crafts

The Untrained Housewife authors have some great Holiday game ideas, recipes, and last-minute gift ideas. See some of our favorites!

Fast, Fun & Easy Christmas Decorations: Festive Fabric Keepsakes to Create & Embellish by Linda Johansen is filled with great simple ideas that I call investable crafts. I say this because the crafts will last for years. Some of my favorites in the book are the fabric wreath, fabric boxes, and the array of ornaments. Most of the projects involve several steps including cutting, sewing, ironing and arranging.

Are you out of ideas of what to give your loved ones for the holidays this year? Looking to be more frugal in your gift-giving? Why not add a personal touch by making homemade gifts for those on your Christmas list? Here are five fun, frugal and creative gift ideas that are sure to appeal to everyone!

If you are looking for some easy projects to make for decorating your home for the holidays or to give as gifts A Patrick Lose Christmas: Whimsical Projects to Deck the Halls is a wonderful book. This book will get you started and finished with twelve projects designed to be completed in a weekend.

Learn how to make a cut-paper snowflake from different materials. Find templates that show how to make fancy cut-paper snowflakes.

Looking for frugal holiday gift ideas? Being economical doesn’t mean you have to be cheap, but rather creative! Assembling a theme pack is a great way to create a gift that’s semi-homemade. If you’re looking for something unique to give the special people in your life, here are some ideas to get you started!

The Miss Poppet Cloth Doll Kit from Historical Folk Toys is a great kit for a parent to make a traditional-style cloth doll for their child. It is also simple enough for older children to make for themselves.

It struck me as funny at first to think of buying a skein of wool in a souvenir shop. Then I started thinking about my favorite mementoes…

The Historical Folk Toys’ quilt kit, with materials for three projects, is a good choice for a beginning quilter or for a homeschooling teacher doing a unit on Colonial America.

I collect books, journals and scraps of pretty paper, but I haven’t ever had the patience to use them to put a scrapbook or a handmade book together. So you can imagine my trepidation when I received the Eye Can “Book in a Box” kit. My nine year old son, on the other hand, is a budding artist and reassured me that “stick figures count as art, too.”