DIY Christmas toys: original ideas for children and adults
Before the New Year comes a fun time when, in anticipation of the celebration, everyone is trying to decorate their home. It is not difficult to make Christmas decorations with your own hands, and with them the holiday will become homely cozy. This article contains all the most interesting ideas for creativity. You will learn how to make original felt toys, different types of snowflakes, learn about new ideas for decorating balls. You will also learn how to give a second life to burned out light bulbs and cardboard paper towel sleeves.
Christmas balls decorated with buttons
A polystyrene ball with multi-colored buttons is a great decor for a Christmas tree. Such decoration is easy to make, and the result will delight both you and your children. There are two options for making a ball: first, the buttons are glued, in the second case, they are fixed on the ball with pins.
Materials needed for work:
- a ball of foam or polystyrene;
- narrow satin ribbon;
- pins with colored tips;
- glue for plastic;
- flat buttons with holes;
- optional - shiny sequins.
A Christmas ball with pins is an unsafe option if there are kids in the house who, out of curiosity, will disassemble a beautiful toy. This decoration is suitable for children 6-7 years old and older. They will be happy to participate in the creation of the ball.
First, glue a ribbon on the surface of the ball that will serve as a loop. And then randomly attach buttons to the ball with pins. You can use one or more colored-headed pins for one button, depending on the number of holes on the button. The more shiny pins, the more beautiful the finished ball will be. Use buttons of different colors and sizes, and stick pins in the free space between them.
Sequins attached to the top of the buttons will make the Christmas tree ball even brighter and more original. You can also attach small buttons over large ones by combining different colors.
A ball with buttons glued on top is a safe option. It can be created with children, the main thing is to choose a non-toxic glue for this. To create a monochromatic Christmas tree toy, it is better to paint the ball in the color of the buttons. Attach the ribbon in the same color, or make it contrasting so that it stands out beautifully against the background of the toy and serves as an additional decoration. There are many color options, for example, the popular design is a combination of red and green, white and blue.
DIY Christmas toys: a garland of buttons
The simplest Christmas decoration can be made from ordinary buttons. A Christmas tree garland made of sewing accessories looks very interesting. This is a great alternative to the purchased Chinese glitter bead string.
For work you need materials:
- hand sewing needle;
- strong sewing thread;
- satin ribbon;
- colored flat buttons of various sizes.
You can make this herringbone decoration with your children. The main thing is that they are 6 years old, at this age children already know how to properly handle needles. In order for the button to stay on the garland in a certain place, it must be fixed. Just pass the needle and thread through the holes a few times. This garland can be of any length.At the ends, sew loops about 14 cm long from satin ribbons. This is necessary so that the garland is conveniently fixed on the Christmas tree branches.
Japanese flowers kusudama - paper decorations
The ancient Japanese craft of making paper flowers is a very popular craft. In this master class, you will learn how to make a Christmas tree toy with your own hands - a beautiful kusudama flower. It will become an independent decoration for the Christmas tree. And if you make several colors of different colors and glue them together, then you get an original ball. All that remains is to attach a satin ribbon or cord to it to hang on a spruce branch.
To create a kusudama flower, materials are needed:
- colored paper or magazine pages;
- Double-sided tape;
- glue stick.
The advantage of this Christmas tree decoration is that it can be made from old and unnecessary magazines and then decorated with sparkles. You don't have to go to the store and spend money on craft supplies. Just take any magazine, take the pages out of it and start creating.
The main feature of the kusudama flower is that it is made from a square sheet of paper, and can be of any size.
If you are going to make a Christmas tree toy with your own hands in the form of a ball, then the sizes of the blanks should be the same for all colors. Take a sheet with a side of a square 14 cm.Fold the sheet diagonally, as in the photo. The second step is to fold the right and left corners towards the top to create a diamond shape.
The third stage of work is folding the previously folded halves of the sheet in half. Look at the photo to get the job done exactly as shown here.
In the fourth step, straighten the right fold of the paper.
Now connect the left fold line of the paper (see photo) to the far right line. That is, push the halves of the triangle apart and unfold it inward. Repeat this step on the left side.
Bend the resulting folds of the corners down, as in the photo.
Bend the edges of the flower blank in half. When aligning the sides of the triangles and smoothing the outer folds, do not touch the inner folds. Places indicated by arrows in the photo, grease with glue and glue the flower blank.
Make five of these blanks, and then connect them together using double-sided tape or PVA glue. By combining flowers of different shades, you will get unique Christmas tree decorations.
DIY felt Christmas toys
Korean felt is well suited for sewing toys on the Christmas tree. It is the most durable material, it does not stretch or roll, keeping its shape and beautiful appearance. If there are kids in the house, then soft Christmas tree toys are the best option.
So, what materials are needed for work:
- small flaps of multi-colored felt;
- scissors and a needle, acrylic thread;
- holofiber for filling;
- tapes for making eyelets;
- decorations: sequins, snowflakes, beads.
To get started, take a template and enlarge it to the desired size. If the house has plastic or metal molds for cookies, with their help it is easy to cut out different figures. Place the pattern on the piece of felt and cut out two identical pieces. Using acrylic threads, connect the two parts using a buttonhole seam.
Leave a small hole through which to fill the toy with holofiber, and then sew it up. Attach a narrow satin ribbon loop on top. Decorate the toy with embroidery, snowflakes, beads, felt leaves, beads and sequins.
Original pasta snowflakes
Horns and other curly flour products are not only food but also excellent craft materials. What masters do not make from simple pasta, their imaginations can only be envied. The simplest decoration for a Christmas tree is a garland. It is made from pasta strung on a cord or strong thread and painted in different colors. They also make beautiful snowflakes from flour products.
It is very convenient to use pasta in the form of a hexagon as elements for a Christmas tree toy. The photo on the right shows such a snowflake. This shape makes it easier for beginners to create original snowflakes.
For work you will need:
- curly products;
- pasta and horns;
- PVA glue, brush and paint;
- ribbon or cord.
So, get started: take one element and put it on a piece of paper. Attach 6 elements around it with glue, and then another 6. Then attach 6 long pasta, and to them - shells and other hexagons, as in the photo. The result is a beautiful and symmetrical snowflake. Paint the finished toy white or any other shade you like. Glue a ribbon or cord to one side.
Glamorous ball with sequins
Shiny sequin jewelry is back at the top of its popularity. Designers use them to create luxurious dresses, decorate fashion accessories with them. There is a great idea - to decorate the Christmas ball with multi-colored sequins. As with buttons, here you can create using two methods - pin shiny elements on a ball or glue them. The result is amazing beauty decorations on the christmas tree.
For work you need materials:
- balls of different sizes made of foam or polystyrene;
- pins or glue like "Moment";
- plastic fastener for eyelet and ribbon;
- multi-colored or plain sequins.
Round sequins are a great material for creating a fish scale surface. And then there are glittery snowflake elements that can be pinned on top of other sequins.
It is very convenient to work with hex sequins. They, like a honeycomb, adhere to each other without gaps. It is painstaking work, but the result is worth the effort. Make several balls: plain, with a mosaic or stripe pattern. An interesting idea is a two-tone ball, when the top is one and the bottom is a different shade. In the center, you can fix a ribbon with the inscription "Happy New Year!" or with snowflakes. At the top of the ball, glue the loop fastener, tie a satin ribbon bow.
Snowman made of thread - video
DIY Christmas decorations made of salt dough
Making New Year's toys from salt dough is a type of creativity that does not limit your imagination in any way. This exciting activity will appeal to both children and adults. Simple DIY Christmas tree toys can be made directly from what is in the kitchen - this is flour, salt and water. And in order to color your product, you need acrylic paints or a permanent marker. Another interesting idea is to cover the finished toy on top with beautiful patterns cut from paper napkins. In general, start creating now.
To prepare the dough, you will need:
- wheat flour - 2 cups;
- fine salt Extra - 1 glass;
- 250 g cold water.
Combine the flour and salt in a bowl, then gradually add the water and knead the dough. Use cookie cutters to create toys. The process involves adults and children. A mother or an older sister kneads the dough, and the kids cut out figures of it: bunnies, bears, gingerbread men, stars, flowers. At the top of the toy, make a hole with a wooden stick, a ribbon or cord will be threaded here. To harden the dough figurines, leave to dry for 24 hours or bake them in the oven for 10 minutes. After drying, paint the toy from the dough with acrylic paints.
Sometimes it is suggested to do painting with watercolors or gouache, but these options will be short-lived, because these paints are water-soluble and therefore afraid of moisture.
Salt dough toys can be coated with colorless varnish, but this procedure should only be performed by adults.
The original idea is a simple figurine with a cutout in the center, through which a bright colored ribbon is stretched, for which the toy is hung on the Christmas tree.To do this, you will need a set of molds of different sizes. Such a toy does not need to be painted, they look great on a vintage-style Christmas tree. Multi-colored dough figurines decorated with cereals look beautiful: buckwheat, millet, rice. You can also paint them on top, or even better, leave them as they are and decorate with a colored ribbon.
Original Christmas toys with their own hands from light bulbs
If you do not throw out the burned out light bulbs, but collect them, then by the New Year you can accumulate material for making beautiful Christmas tree toys. For this, ordinary incandescent lamps are suitable - with a round bulb. And from modern energy-saving bulbs with an oblong base, especially interesting toys are obtained.
What you need to work:
- a light bulb with a glass bulb;
- cord or ribbon;
- acrylic paints and shiny glitter;
- for the hands of a snowman - twigs;
- glitter glue;
- yarn for a scarf and a hat (or scraps of knitwear).
The process of creating such toys as in the photo is very simple:
- First you need to paint the bulb with white acrylic paint.
- Snowman eyes and other elements can be made from buttons, painted with paint or special felt-tip pens.
- Hands can also be drawn, or real twigs can be glued.
- Leave the base of the light bulb unpainted, and attach a scarf made from a knitted flap to the snowman's neck.
- Another interesting version of the snowman - a real knitted set flaunts on his head and neck: a red cap and a scarf with a fringe. It is not difficult to knit such accessories on knitting needles or crochet.
Another option for creating Christmas tree decorations with your own hands from light bulbs is glittering. The result is jewelry that is no different from store toys. Take a light bulb and brush the surface of the bulb with glue, and then roll it in the shiny glitter. The plinth can be left as is or painted over. Tie a ribbon to the base and make a loop out of it to hang the toy on the Christmas tree.
Beautiful figures from colored soap
One of the most popular types of handicrafts is the manufacture of designer soap. Those who do this on a professional basis and those for whom homemade soap is just a hobby, have a whole range of special accessories for soap making. But it is not necessary to purchase them to make an original Christmas tree toy. Take regular white baby soap; it is desirable that it does not contain flavorings. To create the figurines, you will again need cookie cutters or silicone baking dishes.
Toy making process:
- To make colored soap, add food coloring to it.
- To prepare the base, take baby soap, grate it on a coarse grater and put it in a water bath. Make sure that no air bubbles form during the dissolution process.
- The soap only needs to be dissolved, but not brought to a boil.
- Then pour the mass into the molds, put the lace in the form of a loop on one side, and leave until it hardens.
By using a transparent soap base, you will expand your creativity. You can make a Christmas tree toy with filler - put a slice of lemon or coffee beans inside. These toys are a great New Year's gift for friends. A few drops of aromatic oils are also added to this soap.
Creative pine cone toy ideas
On New Year's Day, an ordinary pine cone can turn into a work of art if you show your imagination. One of the simplest ideas is to decorate this gift of nature with micro pom-poms. Multi-colored pom-poms create a festive mood, and making such a bright and original accessory is not difficult.
Your creative possibilities are unlimited. Buds can be spray painted in a variety of colors, including silver and gold. It's a great idea to decorate the edges of each scale with glitter.To do this, simply grease the bump with glue, and sprinkle it with multi-colored sparkles on top. Glue a small piece of string in a loop on top. In addition, various decorations will look beautiful on the top of the cone, for example, flowers from narrow satin ribbons.
Beautiful cardboard snowflake
You don't need to buy expensive needlework materials to make an original herringbone decoration. There are rolls of toilet paper or paper towels in any home. And from the cardboard sleeves that are inside each roll, it is easy to make a beautiful snowflake for the Christmas tree.
In addition to cardboard sleeves, you will need materials and tools:
- acrylic paints or paint in a spray can;
- glue gun or PVA and a brush;
- pencil and ruler;
- glitter and beads;
- rope or satin ribbon for the eyelet.
For children's creativity, only PVA glue is used. Hot glue can burn your hands, so only adults use the glue gun.
The simplest cardboard sleeve snowflake is made of six elements:
- First, squeeze the roll by lightly pressing it against the table surface.
- Then use a ruler and pencil to mark up. Each piece should be 1 cm wide.
- Cut the cardboard along the lines and start gluing the parts.
- When the glue is dry, paint the snowflake or decorate it with shiny glitter on top.
- Glue the beads on top and tie a loop.
Soft felt snowflakes
DIY toys for the New Year are easy to make from felt. The snowflakes shown in the photo look very elegant.
For work, take materials and tools:
- artificial felt;
- acrylic threads for embroidery;
- beads and beads;
- glue gun, needle, scissors.
Below is a diagram for cutting out the details of a snowflake. The simplest element is a petal, as did the snowflake on the left in the photo. The right snowflake looks original, the edges of the petals are cut in the form of small triangles. To make one Christmas tree toy, cut 6 petals out of white or multi-colored felt. Create curly edges on one side of each piece if desired.
Very delicate snowflakes are obtained if you take a double-sided non-woven fabric and glue a thin Barbie-type fabric (polyester) on it. Such a Christmas tree toy keeps its shape perfectly.
Making such a toy is not difficult. First, embroider beautiful patterns on every detail, as in the photo, or come up with your own motives, decorate with beads. Then fold the inner edges of each petal and secure with glue, then glue all the petals together. Glue a shiny decoration in the center or sew on a beautiful button.