Holiday Party Crafts

Make Jingle Bell Necklaces:In bright bowls, have an assortment of jingle bells for the kids to thread onto thin satin ribbon. Help the kids tie a tight knot to hold the jingles on the necklace. The kids can wear these throughout the party and take ho...

The kinara is a key symbol of the Kwanzaa holiday. Representing the roots of the African people, it is a simple candleholder holding seven candles, one for each principle of the holiday. Kinaras, often made from natural materials, come in different shapes.

A fun decoration for kids to make, this wreath made out of handprints symbolizes the principles of unity and self-determination. Using red, green and black, the traditional colors of Kwanzaa, lets the wreath fit right in with the rest of your holiday décor.

Bowls filled with fruit, vegetables and dried ears of corn are popular items to decorate with (they represent the harvest). Create a special bowl to arrange them in. Then, place it on a straw placemat, also known as the Mkeka.

The great thing about this card is that you don't need to cut a straight line or a "pattern-perfect" shape for best results. In fact, the more randomly cut that the poinsettia layers are when making this card, the better! The key to this card is finding paper with similar red tones and an array of varied patterns that will all come together to make one striking design.

Tiny beads or glass marbles can create a stunning pave' on the front of cards or on gift boxes. For this Hanukkah card, I cut out a Star of David from a sheet of double-sided adhesive and then pressed the star into a bed of little beads. Try this technique with simple shapes such as a star, heart, circles and squares.

Candy cane crafts top the list in my house! They're easy, not too messy, and really cute as antlers on this reindeer card. Make these fun cards with your kids to give to their teacher, grandparents or friends.

Embossing is a fairly easy technique to do at home that produces gorgeous results as with the white snowflake on the front of this card. Check out your local craft store for an embossing heat tool, usually around $20, and the many colors of embossing powder you can use to give your cards a professional look.

This whimsical card is a great way to send a holiday note that can also function as a decoration by stringing them up on a mantle or windowsill. Simply write a message on the back of the paper balls and put them in an envelope to send through the mail.

One of my favorite design pairings is that of stripes and shapes in complementary colors.  Many scrapbook manufacturers create paper in compatible color tones to allow for different patterns to match up into one fabulous creation. The olive, blue, black and taupe colors in this card's paper give it a vintage feel, and the orange accents along with the misshapen balls modernize the design.