Holiday paper crafts

The girls and I used to make holiday paper projects together. Gift tags, Christmas tree ornaments, wreaths… It was something we’d do once Christmas vacation started. Creative activities to while away the long days. It was fun. It was a great opportunity for bonding. It felt good to create something pretty; it felt even better to be able to create together.

Whatever we created, we used. The gifts tags in the photo above, made with glitters, glue and cutouts fabricated with special punchers, were pasted on the wrapping paper of gifts for their grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and school friends. I remember making those gift tags on the bed. And I remember too that we had to change the sheets afterwards because the we couldn’t get the stray glitters off the fabric.

A year later, we had moved to a new house. I had an office / den with enough space for crafting. I bought a book with plenty of projects to inspire us. And I gathered more materials for variety. Rolls of ribbon in various colors and widths. Ribbon flowers in different shades. The folded paper angels above had styrofoam heads. The girls painted the hair and faces themselves. Some had Asian eyes; others had big round eyes. Some were dark-haired; others were blonde. I don’t remember anymore which one of them decided that an angel should wear blush on. But whoever did it also accidentally left a stain on the corner of one angel’s mouth.

After the girls went away to college, Christmas breaks were short and there wasn’t much time for our holiday paper crafts. It took years before we could pick up where we left off. By that time, washi tapes were all the rage. I had rolls and rolls of washi tape. In solid colors, with geometric prints, with flowers in every imaginable pattern…

We had this idea that all our Christmas tree ornaments would be handmade. We created miniature Christmas trees with popsicle sticks covered with washi tape and topped with origami stars.

We made the folded paper angels again — minus the styrofoam heads because we agreed that we weren’t good at painting hair and faces on styrofoam balls. Someone suggested wooden spheres which have a smoother texture to paint on, but I couldn’t get any in the right size so we just created loops for the heads. The angels’ dresses got an upgrade through. The edges were either decorated with washi tape or trimmed with crinkle-cut craft scissors.

That same year, I got a little ambitious. I wanted the wreath on the front door to be 100% handmade too.

Because the girls and I all baked (we still do), we often had excess cupcake liners in various sizes and designs. The wreath above was made with cupcake liners bought a year or two earlier. The origami poinsettia accent was created with paperboard. I had to watch and re-watch a couple of Youtube tutorials to complete the wreath.

The year I made the wreath was the last time the girls and I did holiday crafts. After that, they pursued their own art passions. Unlike me who will likely treat crafts as a hobby for the rest of my life, they’re actually making money with their creations. Sam crochets and sells her crocheted hats and coasters. Alex draws and sells her drawings in the form of stickers, notepads and notebooks. She does custom portraits too.

I’m so proud of their creative work. And I’m in awe at their ability to make money from their hobbies. I’m a bit envious, really. Maybe I can start a new hobby that can be profitable too.