Melanie Smith asked:


Paper is frequently purchased for school and office use, as something to write on. But paper has several of uses too. It is actually an ideal stuff for craft arts. Paper can be used to adorn a home, or make miniature items. It can be as stationery, storage boxes, greeting cards, picture frames, and many other things. The method of making these projects is classified as paper crafts.

Paper crafts are done by both amateur and professional crafters. Even in planning an interior design or doing architectural stuff, paper plays a very important role. The paper products in architectural work consist of lampshades, wall papers and many more.

In most events that we celebrate, paper crafts are made as decorations. Others make use of paper crafts as gifts. Throughout the year, there are a great number of activities that uses paper crafting for decoration purposes. For instance, the busiest month of the year is December, as this is the month of preparation for Christmas. More people are purchasing new sets of Christmas decorations each year. The ornaments that they purchase from department stores are generally made up of plastic material which can be quite expensive.

It is a smart idea to use paper to make Christmas ornaments. Papers are less expensive and considered a very flexible material. Also, it is more enjoyable and creative to design your own paper ornaments than buy the usual plastic decors in stores. Making your own paper decors makes you feel the Christmas spirit.

The ideas of paper crafting are endless. You can make a Christmas tree or a snowman, a Christmas wreath, Christmas stars, out of it. All you need is a wide imagination to create wonderful decors.

You can also create Christmas gifts out of paper. You need not go to the mall just to pick out a Christmas gift. You can create your own present for your friends and loved ones. It would surely be appreciated because the recipient knows that you invested time and effort in crafting it, thus, making it very special.

You can also try to fashion your own Christmas greeting cards using your loved ones favorite theme and colors. Or maybe try fashioning a nice greeting card out from a Christmas wrapper drawing your own favorite designs and painting it with watercolors. In making Christmas greeting cards, you need some bulky papers and fold it in half. Draw the front with designs that are suitable to the recipient’s preference. You can use red and green as the dominant colors to emphasize the yuletide season. For a snowy white effect, you can make use of fine styro balls or cottons and paste it on the card with the use of paper glue. There are endless list of materials you can use to customize your card. The use of stickers, shiny ribbons, craft beads, and paper stamps are the most common items used to complete a homemade Christmas greeting cards. Browsing online will give you unique and plenty of ideas that will help you create an exceptional greeting card.



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Madeleine M Langlois asked:


Diy Christmas Table Decorations, Make-it-yourself holiday tabletop.

Miy Project creation and Photo by: Madeleine M Langlois

My “Christmas in Paris” theme is based on a composition of blending the old with the new. My grandmother’s table was always set with the finest bone china and antique silverware. Oil paintings, painted by my grandfather, graced the walls. Her holiday décor was fashioned with stylish satin ribbons, shimmering crystals, and an exquisite white Christmas tree, decorated with but a few striking ornaments. Place cards, Christmas crackers and a personalized centerpiece coordinated the whole ensemble. She always used fresh greenery and flowers to garnish her home.

Copyright Miy Decorations © 2006

For more Miy decor projects visit www.maddylane-decor.com

Even thecolour palette that I selected was nostalgic; a combination of bright turquoise, greens and blues with soft pastels in similar hues amidst accents of silver, angelic whites and chocolate brown. As a young girl, these unusual combinations of Christmas colours made quite an impression on me. My table this year is an homage to my grandmother who is now 98 years old. You could say that style influences along with traditions are also passed on through generations. With this specific concept in mind, the table I chose is a cream-coloured dining room set by Tommy Bahamas. This set was very close in resemblance, shape and style to the look I wanted to recreate. Even though this particular set is more intended for a Bahamian plantation, which is much en vogue, it worked beautifully to accomplish my goal.

The square-patterned taffeta table runners are in bright iridescent colour blocks of emerald greens, deep-sea turquoises and opulent blues. The organza centre panel runner is a soft pastel aqua shade. The runners are all trimmed with luxurious satin borders. The main table cloth is a sheer underskirt in a delicious café-au-lait colour. It is edged with a multi-coloured trim made with fun-fibre wool.

For the place setting for four, I chose the Rochelle Platinum collection by Noritake – fine white china, trimmed with an exquisite silver-dotted textured border. I transfered images of the Eiffel Tower, in tones of deep turquoise, to the center of clear plates. Using clear plates allows the bright image to stand out on the white background of the china.

Beneath the place settings, sit lovely silver charger plates with beaded edges. The glasses are from the Grossgrain collection by Vera Wang. Tiny white dots and fine stripes line the borders of the shapely glasses. For the water glasses, I transformed plain glasses (picked up at a rummage sale) with turquoise and green stripes using glass paints.

I wanted a chic, yet fun centerpiece with a different twist. I used a crystal, square-shaped cake stand and filled it with assorted pearls, green and silver balls, and placed a pillar candle at the center. To decorate the hutch and the buffet I used fresh greenery, supplied by Westmont Florist, to make graceful arrangements. Eucalyptus sprigs, pine and willow branches, Queen Anne’s lace and Ornitogalums are refined with silver angel hair accents. The vases are accented with marble-pattern squares, blending assorted shades of blues and greens.

The crystal candle holders are bejewelled with a crystal beaded fringe, which is repeated throughout the theme. The tea-light candle holders are edged with a white feather frill. Two frosted glass votive lamps are embellished with clear micro beads in shapes of Eiffel Towers. I revamped an old chandelier to coordinate with the setting. I painted it silver, added fine details such as: crystal bead fringe, fancy white and silver fuzzy wool, draped with pearls, lavish ribbons, and crystal pendant jewels (taken from other items that I recycled).I created a mini art gallery incorporating mainly photographs with assorted art mediums including a painting of the

Eiffel Tower, lit up with tiny rice lights. Photo montages are made with panoramic pictures of Paris placed over canvases covered with patterned rice paper. Two canvases were covered with textured wallpaper and bordered with satin ribbons. My teenage son Spencer made his contribution to the mini gallery with a graffiti sign of Paris using oil pastels on canvas.

For the finishing details, the backs of the chairs were decorated with a blue satin bow, a crystal bead tassel and a pine branch surrounded by a silver wire swirl accent. I applied family photographs onto self-hardening clay to create an advent calendar tree and attached them onto a white feathered tabletop tree. A coordinating feathered square wreath centers a grand round mirror.

The Christmas tree: An Eiffel tower shaped tree made out of willow branches is gracefully trimmed with a fluffy white feathered boa. Tiny glass balls and paper ornaments are decorated with feathers, crystals, micro beads and sequences.I made a simple garland using a spiral silver wire, a few pine branches, silver holly shapes made with foil and a silver wire to spell the word Noël. I made mini Eiffel Towers out of wire for the place card holders. Fake chocolates were made with clay.

The gifts were uniquely wrapped in shapes of bonbons, and frilly purses using assorted papers, pictures, fabrics and ribbons left over from the items created for this theme. Wire monograms, old-fashioned labels, and fun-fur were also incorporated in some of the pretty wrappings. Hand-made greeting cards were customized using similar materials, and also micro beads, silver foil, fuzzy wool, shrink film designs and sequins. There is so much more to describe, a Paris travel souvenir tray, a cake candle, hat boxes, a lavish picture throw, and more.

The decorations that I created for my theme table, even if they seem quite elaborate, can easily be recreated with very few craft supplies, available in arts and crafts and fabric stores and many various remnants from around your home. Make your holidays special, personalized it!



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Santa Claus(e)-The pianist. asked:

I LOVE Christmas shopping and I love seeing the beautiful Christmas trees that are on display when I am shopping,I still don’t know how to tell what theme a tree is by seeing how it is decorated.What kinds of themes do you see while you are shopping for Christmas gifts,do you ever see a Christmas tree that has the same kind of theme as your Christmas tree you have at home?

christmas tree

Trix_R_not_4_kids asked:


There was this Christmas cartoon coming on the other day (on treehouse.) It was about a cat named Noel and a Dog named Nicky who are neighbours, the dogs owner is a woman and the cat’s owner is a little girl and her father. The little girl wishes for “her mother” on Christmas and she writes a letter to Santa, but her father forgets to send it. So, the kitty (Noel) and the dog (Nick) walk to the North Pole to send her letter to santa.

What is the name of thie Christmas cartoon?

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Angie Stocklin asked:

Poor old Santa Claus. Sometimes he gets a bad rap. People say he doesn’t represent Christmas well. People say he doesn’t set a good example for Christians celebrating December 25. And people say—gasp!—that he doesn’t even exist. Plus, there are some folks out there who are trying to confuse just who Santa is. Is he really Saint Nicolas? Or is he some imposter, some big elf from the North Pole who wants to take credit for everything that Saint Nick has done and stands for.

Scary stuff, right? Well, if you are getting too upset by these anti-Santa ideas, perhaps you should stop reading this article now. It only gets worse the deeper you get into these anti-Santa theories.

Are you still with us? Good, because to preserve our image of Santa Claus—our jolly old man—we need to know why people are out to get him. Then, and only then, can we stop them from trashing the good name of the man in the red suit.

First off, these anti-Santa folks admit that Santa has some really great qualities. He’s always cheerful and happy. He always has fun games and gifts to give, and he is always generous (unless you were naughty, of course). But here is where these anti-Santa people stop with the compliments. You see, they say that Santa, with all his goodness, is only for children and not for grownups.

Worse yet, they say that Santa is only around these days to make money for giant Eastern shopping syndicates. He’s only here to make other people a buck. All that stuff about Santa giving gifts, and spreading good cheer, is all made up, they say. The real purpose of the man with the white beard and the red cap is to get us to consume, to spend money, to give gifts just like Santa does.

This is horrible anti-Santa stuff, right? Well, believe it or not, it gets worse. These anti-Santa folks go on to say that Santa can’t be believed because he flies around the globe in a sleigh. Obviously, the anti-Santa folks have no faith in Rudolph. And speaking of faith, the anti-Santa folks also say that Santa takes away from the real purpose of Christmas, which is to celebrate Baby Jesus.

You see, these anti-Santa folks say the real Saint Nicolas is better than Santa. He was an actual person, they say, who believed and practiced goodwill to all men, women, and children. He was kind and generous, and was a devout believer in Baby Jesus. And Santa isn’t real, they say?

Had enough? Me too. Here’s how you can know that these anti-Santa folks are way off base. What these anti-Santa folks don’t understand is that Santa and Saint Nick are one and the same. So you can’t say that Saint Nick is better than Santa, or that Santa is copying Saint Nick’s style. Saint Nick is Santa! Together, as one, they represent all that is good about Christmas, and all that we should practice every day, not just December 25.

So, please, anti-Santa bashers, please leave the big man alone. He’s never done anything but bring holiday cheer, love for humankind, and tons of fun.

You can find more of these informative articles on Santa Claus and order letters from santa, at http://www.mailfromsantaclaus.com/ .

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Emma Snow asked:


Christmas is about family. Here is a collection of five crafts that you can make as a family to teach the true meaning and symbols of Christmas. Children will learn to identify Christmas using their five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Pick and choose the activities you think your family will best enjoy, and spread them throughout the season. Start new traditions. Most importantly, use the activities to talk as a family.

Sight Activities:

Make holly wreaths out of green felt or construction paper:

Materials: paper plate, scissors, three shades of green felt or construction paper, old newspaper, glue gun and glue (or craft glue), red beads (optional), 1 inch thick red ribbon tied into a bow (optional.)

Fold a paper plate in half and cut out the center. Discard the center piece. Make a pattern of spiny holly leaves using old newspaper, and use a fabric pen to trace the shape on three different shades of green felt. (You can also use green construction paper.) Use a glue gun or craft glue to attach the holly leaves to the paper plate ring, alternating colors. You can glue red beads in triangular bunches of three to the leaves if you want to add berries. Attach the optional bow at the top or bottom of the wreath.

The holly wreath, hanging on a door or over an archway, makes a fine visual symbol Christmas. The circle is a symbol of brotherly love. Demonstrate to your children how the circle never ends, just like our love for each other shouldn’t end. In olden days when all other plants died under the snow, the holly stayed green, giving hope that life would come again. The red holly berries represent Jesus’ blood, which gave man hope of life after death. The bow is symbol of unity, which families feel at Christmastime. Red is the color of sacrifice. Talk about these meanings with your children as you make the wreath. Every time they see it hanging will be a reminder to them of the true meaning of Christmas!

Sound Activities

Jingle Bells:

Ask your children to close their eyes. Move away from them. Have them try to walk to you with their eyes closed. Then repeat the activity, but this time ring a jingle bell. Bells ring out to lost sheep and guide them back to safety. Jesus is sometimes called the Good Shepherd, guiding every child to safety. You may want to tie the jingle bell to a branch of your Christmas tree, or attach one to your child’s shoelace to remind them of the Christmas season.

Smell Activities

Scented Orange Ornaments:

Materials Needed: several small to medium oranges or tangerines, 1 bottle whole cloves, wire and cutters, 1 inch (or thicker) ribbon, tied into a bow.

Gently make a vertical surface cut at each quarter of the orange. Carefully poke the wire through bottom of the orange and push through the top. Secure by twisting the wire into a circle, thus holding the orange in place. Dry the wire with a paper towel if it got juicy. Push in cloves, thorny end first, along the cut grooves of the orange. Slide the bow down the wire until it tops the orange, and fold back the wire to secure on a tree branch.

This ornament will fill your home with fresh citrusy, gingerbread smells and can also be wrapped to be given as a gift. Gingerbread has been associated with the holidays since medieval times, when the crusaders brought citrus fruits and spices back from the Middle East. At first it was too expensive for anyone but the lords and ladies of the castles to eat. Today it can serve as a reminder that baby Jesus was the prophesied king.

Taste Activities

Decorate Christmas Cookies:

Using your favorite sugar cookie recipe and a variety of cookie cutters, spend an afternoon baking up a batch. Frosting, cake decorating supplies and candy can be used for embellishment. Make a plate to take to a neighbor, or hang the cookies on the tree. Of course, you must eat a few! Cookies and apples were used as the first Christmas tree ornaments in Germany, where they came to symbolize the fruits of redemption.

Touch Activities

Candle Lights:

Candles have long represented Jesus Christ on Christmas, and have been used on Advent wreaths, lightstocks (Christmas Pyramids), Christmas trees, or single candles at the window. Light a candle and have your children hold their hands up close enough to feel the warmth. Although winter is traditionally a cold season, Christmas activities with your family bring warmth into the heart.



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Doodo asked:


i am doing this thing for my daughter its a santa letter it asks me my
postcard ID number i live in alsip IL what do thgey meAN

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Hi T asked:

what are some good tips to help preserve a christmas tree longer? are there some special foods or “miracle gros” that i can put in with the water?

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Madeleine M Langlois asked:


A white Christmas, Pure and simple with feathers

Project creation, article and photo by: Madeleine M Langlois

Hands-on time: Under an hour.

Total time: Under an hour.

Skill: Easy.

Project cost: Under $30.00, depending on the type of feathers you purchase.

Materials & tools:

A square Styrofoam base, 30 cm in length, by 22 cm wide, by 5 cm thick ( if you can’t find one cut out a square center opening inside a square Styrofoam base using a craft knife).

White feathers of your choice such as ostrich, turkey, chicken, eyelash feathers, goose, or chandelle feathered boa’s, strung or individuals.

A ruler

Scissors or clippers

Glue gun, with clear sticks (use a low temperature glue gun)

One meter of satin ribbon, 5cm wide (I used brown)

(Materials for this project are available at craft, fabric, notions and florists’ shops.)

The simplest holiday decorations are often the most charming. For a sleek contemporary holiday look, create your own feathered wreath, table-top tree and decorations.

Feather wreaths are a huge trend in home decor, and they make stunning accessories for any season. They are absolutely spectacular poised on a fireplace mantel, centered over a large mirror, on a door or hooked casually over a chair.

Festive feather wreaths are graceful yet quite easy to make. Trim any excess fuzz or unwanted tips off of the feathers. Sort them by size and length.

Start by gluing similar feathered lengths horizontally along the four exterior sides of the Styrofoam square base. Using a glue gun with low-temperature glue sticks, glue the feathers on flat on their lengths, side by side in two rows. Do the same thing to cover the square opening of the wreath’s base.

To cover the front surface area of the wreath base, apply a row of feathers along the centre, gluing them one at a time side-by-side, but just the tip part. Start at one end and work your way around the whole base. Add a second layer of feathers to overlap the first row in the same manner, but this time along and around the centre opening border of the base.

Once completed, check the wreath, you might need to secure some feathers with a bit more glue. If you wish, you can secure a wire loop in the back of the wreath for hanging.

For the finishing, I added a plain, deep-chocolate-brown satin ribbon with a bow.

A feathered wreath will last for years. Each holiday, you can give it a fresh new look by just decorating it with a variety of different accessories. Leave the wreath plain or include assorted embellishments such as colourful miniature balls, fresh ivy, a feathered bird, berry clusters, bows and creative wire ornaments.

If you use feather wreaths outdoors, be sure to place them under a covered porch area to avoid direct sunlight or snow. You will want a feather wreath for every season, to hang over a door, on a wall or over a mirror. They make wonderful gifts, too.

Tabletop tree: To make a small cone tree covered with feathers, start by applying a row of feathers with a glue gun at the bottom of the cone base, and keep adding overlapping rows of feathers until the cone base is completely covered all the way to the top. To minimize cost, you can buy an inexpensive feather boa, secure one end to the base with florist’s pins or glue, wrap it around the cone shape and tuck in the end to secure it onto the base.

I applied family photographs of past Christmases onto self-hardening clay circle and square shapes to create an advent calendar tree and attached them onto a white feathered tabletop tree using decorative pins.

Variations: Festive feather wreaths can also be quite dramatic in other colours such as plume, burgundy, red, pink, purple, brown, green, you get the picture. Or mix and blend colours to achieve a two tone or multicoloured presentation.

Feathered wreaths can stylishly adorn a decorative ladder, be used as a base for a large pillar candle which is inside a hurricane or a plain glass base vase. Use feathered wreath to décor your home all year round, a super cute touch on young children’s bedroom doors, such as baby pink or purple.

Use feathers as accents to trim napkin rings, or to grace each table setting, garnish the top of Christmas stockings and gifts.

Assorted feathers types can also be found in party supply or customs stores.

Copyright MaddyLane Designs/Miy Decorations © 2006

For more Miy articles visit www.maddylane.com



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Kacy Carr asked:


Who says Father Christmas or if you prefer Santa Claus isn’t real, there are many mom and dads who beg to differ on the matter while whiling away the hours gift wrapping prezzies on Christmas eve. Parents normally in the build up to Christmas day enact a game of pretence for a short period of time to ensure gaiety into the minds of their kids about Mr Snow beard himself, St Nicholas. Throughout the process of pretence adults tend to fall into the fantasy world of make believe evading any myth that Santa Clause does not exist. An imaginary Father Christmas in thought is just as good as the real thing to help conjure up an image of perfection to bring this character to life.

Imaginary proof that Father Christmas is real – permits us to make a wish in the way of a prayer for those less fortunate at this time of year. Make this Christmas the most special ever by

1 Forget slippers for dad for the time being

2 Forget flowers for mum for the time being

3 Forget your teen’s music DVD for the time being

4 Forget toy dolls/action man for the time being

A letter to Father Christmas

Dear Santa Claus, we wish for you to help make the world a better place, if everyone were to come together in synchronized thought and wish for peace and happiness for those less fortunate than them self at this festive time, I ask, would this not be the best ever Christmas gift of all.. Sadly unison of nice thoughts can never prevail because of sinners – who cause sorrow and flatly refuse to dismiss hatred therefore continuing to cause unnecessary suffering. However for those opposed to evil doers can make it happen in your home, meaning, say a prayer for those whose thoughts are hampered by heartache and vision blurred because of bloodshed in locality.

If you are in a position to help an innocent victim in a famine stricken country whose belly rumbles night and day or stem the flow of blood from an injury caused by bombs then you can make a donation to a local charity.

Christmas and Santa Claus a match made in heaven, and talking of heaven we would have no Xmas to celebrate if not for Jesus Christ. This holy invisible mighty power in the days of yesterday gave sight back to the blind and balance to those who limped. When you sit down to tuck in to your roast turkey dinner – raise your glass and wish the lord a happy birthday. If I can not fulfil your wish because of my busy work schedule then ask the main man himself to spread some happiness around the world. Imagination is a powerful asset – so use it to make your Christmas a wonderful one.

If you believe you can have and if you have you can give.

Santa Claus xxx



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