#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--10 MINUTE CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS

If you’d like to make personalized Christmas stockings but don’t have the time, talent, or patience, you can make these in under ten minutes. All you need are a few supplies from your local crafts store. And as an added bonus, each of these stockings cost only a few dollars to make. This is a quick and easy way to make stockings for guests who will be arriving for Christmas.

Materials:

Pre-finished Christmas stocking

Flat photo-insert Christmas ornament

Photo

Fabric glue

Using the stock photo that comes with the photo ornament as a template, cut out photo of person for whom the stocking is meant. If you don’t want to cut up an actual photo or don’t have one the correct size, scan a photo and print it out in the desired size.

Insert photo into ornament.

Glue ornament to stocking, and you’re done. Just allow the glue to dry before hanging up the stocking.

#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--PINECONE TABLETOP TREE

We’re featuring another quick Christmas craft today—a tabletop pinecone tree. Consider making several in varying heights to display on a mantle or as a centerpiece for a festive holiday dinner.

If you collect your own pinecones, you’ll want to let them dry out for several days first. You can also buy bags of pinecones at craft stores. Make sure you collect or buy male pinecones. These are the pinecones that have the scales spread apart, rather than the female cones, which have the scales closed up tightly. Female pinecones won’t work for this craft project.

Directions are provided for one 8” pinecone tree. Adjust your materials accordingly if you want to make a larger one or several.

Materials

Two or three male pinecones, depending on size

8” Styrofoam cone

low-temp glue gun

white spray paint

crystal and gold glitter paints

1. Remove the scales from the pinecones.

2. Using the glue gun and beginning at the bottom of the cone, glue a row of scales around the cone. The point of the scales should be even with the bottom of the cone. Working your way up, glue additional rows of scales, overlapping the previous row slightly. Glue scales to a point at the top of the cone.

3. Spray a light coat of white paint over the pinecones, allowing some of the natural brown of the pinecones to show through.

4. Brush pinecones with crystal glitter paint. Allow to dry.

5. Dry brush gold glitter paint over scales, concentrating the paint at the ends of the scales.

Tip: Let your pinecone trees do double-duty. Leave them unpainted for Thanksgiving, then paint them afterwards for Christmas.