christmas Archives - Love to stay home

Simple DIY Felt Christmas Trees

November 29, 2022 No Comments

Simple DIY Felt Christmas Trees are a simple yet stylish way to decorate your home this Christmas. It is the most exciting time of the year in my opinion! Have you already decorated your home for Christmas? I think decorating your home makes it all the more special just to create that holiday spirit and cozy feeling.

Home Decor can get expensive, so handmade is the way to go!

A simple way to decorate is by grouping these cute felt Christmas trees on a table, shelf, etc. First of all, they are easy to make, and most importantly they do not cost a lot of money. If you already have felt and construction paper, you can make them right away!

You can make them in different colors depending on your decor and use them every year in your home. Grab your supplies and let’s get started!

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE THESE FELT CHRISTMAS TREES?

Felt

Construction Paper

Scissors

Glue gun

Sequins, buttons, ribbon, etc. (optional)

These are my Amazon Picks for this project:

(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I know to be of great quality and have great reviews. Thank you so much for your support!)

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HOW DO YOU MAKE THESE SIMPLE FELT TREES?

Make a cone out of the paper, making sure the bottom is flat and it stands on its own. Check out this video by Handimania to make a perfect paper cone!

Cut simple leaf shapes from the felt. This can be done freehand, that’s how I did it. If you would like you can cut a template out of cardboard and use it to cut all the leaves.

The Paper cone and felt leaves are ready

Once the leaves are cut, all you have to do is start gluing them all around the paper cone. Make sure they overlap, so you do not see the paper cone.

For the bottom, the leaves are half on the cone and the rest is out, this makes it easier for the cone to stand and also for the cone to be completely covered with leaves.

Paper cone with felt leaves — The paper cone with the first layer of felt leaves

Keep gluing the leaves until the entire cone is covered. Start from the bottom to the top.

Felt Christmas tree — All the leaves glued onto the paper cone

Decorate with sequins, ribbon, buttons, tinsel, etc (optional)

That’s it! Display your felt trees

NOTES:

You can use thick felt which will last longer, however, I used the regular felt that I got in Micheals.

If you do not want to bother with making your own cone, you can use styrofoam cones found in craft stores, this makes your project more expensive though.

You can glue a star or bow on top of the tree.

There are many ways to decorate your tree by using sequins, ribbon, tinsel, felt, beads, etc.

If you need other ideas this Christmas, check these out:

Felt Christmas Tree Garland

DIY Felt Christmas Ornaments

Easy Wooden Bead Christmas Ornaments

Snowman Wooden Bead Ornaments

Thank you for reading. If you try them out, please share a picture with me on Pinterest, Facebook, or Instagram. You can find my blog on all 3 platforms @lovetostayhomeblog. Do follow me if you like, so that you will know when I have a new post out.

I appreciate you being here. Have a wonderful and creative day!

Photo by Hester Qiang on Unsplash

Crochet

Crochet Christmas Star Coasters

December 19, 2021 No Comments

Crochet Christmas star coasters are very simple to make. Use them on your tabletops, desks, side tables, etc. they are very versatile and can be used for cups, small pots, candles, or little trinkets.

I love changing out my coasters for different seasons! It’s fun to keep changing out your decor every few months, it does make a difference. Coasters are the one thing that are so easy to make and can be customized to any color, shape, and style.

They are made with 100% cotton yarn and can be washed. They make great gifts too!

A set of 4 coasters can be made in under an hour. You can get about 10 coasters from one skein of yarn. Spray them with starch to stiffen them but it’s not necessary.

What do you need to make these Crochet Christmas Star Coasters?

100%cotton yarn

Crochet hook size 5mm

Scissors

Yarn needle

Here are my Amazon picks for this project:

(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I know to be of great quality. Thank you so much for your support!)

How do you make these Crochet Christmas Star Coasters?

I followed a diagram pattern to make these coasters. You can find it here on Pinterest.

Just make the coaster as shown. Next, using the yarn needle, weave the ends of the yarn at the back of the coaster and cut off the excess.

That’s it your coaster is ready!

Notes:

You could use a 4.5mm crochet hook as well.

To weave in the ends, with a yarn needle weave the thread in opposite directions to secure.

I used stiffen quick to stiffen the coasters, but as I mentioned before it is not necessary.

If you need to wash the coasters, I recommend hand washing them and laying them flat to dry. Reshape them and spray some starch if needed.

I used neutral colors so they can be used all year long, but you could use red, green, white to give them the Christmas look!

Hope you will try these out and if you do, please share on Instagram with me @lovetostayhomeblog, I would be happy to see your creations!

If you would like to buy these coasters, they are available in my shop, you can find them here.

Crochet Christmas Star Coasters — Crochet Holiday Coasters in Camel

If you do not know crochet and would like to learn, do check out my posts for beginners:

Learn How to Crochet

Learn the Basic Crochet Stitches

Here are some other easy crochet projects to try:

Easy Crochet Chain Earrings

5 Useful Crochet Projects

10 Easy Crochet Earrings (All Free Patterns!)

Easy Crochet Hair Accessories

Organizing with Crochet Baskets!

Beginner Velvet Crochet Scarf

Crochet Bath Scrubbers

Crochet Keychains & Wristlets

3 Easy Crochet Potholders

Crochet Christmas Earrings (All free patterns!)

Many of these make great gifts, not to mention they are easy and quick to make!

Lovetostayhomeblog is on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, please follow me @lovetostayhomeblog to know when I post something new!

Thanks for visiting and do come back soon! I would appreciate it, if you could share my blog with your family and friends, your support means a lot to me!

Have a wonderful day!

Photo by alex bracken on Unsplash

Art/Crafts & DIY

Paper Christmas Trees

December 12, 2021 No Comments

These Paper Christmas Trees are so easy to make and all you need is paper and scissors!!

They look so cute, and they make easy and cheap Christmas decor. I suggest making a whole lot and grouping them together like a Christmas Tree farm kind of display. But I cannot guarantee they will stay in place if you have young kids! My son loves to play with them and keeps them all over the house, he is totally fascinated by them!!

I came across this on Instagram and knew I had to try them out! But the tutorial was too fast and I just couldn’t figure it out. So I searched for a video on YouTube and found this tutorial from Handimania which was very helpful. So after about 3 tries, I managed to get the hang of making these trees! After that, I couldn’t stop and made about 10!!

I just knew I had to share this on my blog! So here goes! Hope you like it and will try them out! It definitely is a fun project to do with your kids.

What do you need to make these Paper Christmas Trees?

Paper – Preferably origami paper, construction paper should work too.

Scissors

That’s it!

Here are my Amazon picks for this project:

(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I know to be of great quality. Thank you so much for your support!)

How do you make these Paper Christmas Trees?

Your paper has to be a square. The size I used is 8 inches by 8 inches.

There is a series of folds to make before we make the cuts.

First, fold the paper in half diagonally both ways. Open up the paper so you have 2 diagonal lines.
Next, fold the paper in half from top to bottom and side to side. When you open up the paper, you have 2 lines one across and one top to bottom.
Turn the paper so it looks like a diamond shape. Take the 2 sides and fold them together to make the ends come together and make a smaller diamond shape.
Fold both the edges to the center, to make a triangle in the center. Turn around and do the same on the back.
Cut off the excess paper at the bottom.
Open up the flaps of the triangle and flatten them out, next fold it in half.
Do this with all the flaps until you get 4 flaps on both sides.
Now you have to cut 3 lines on either side.
Fold the paper along the lines diagonally. Do this for all the flaps.
Once that’s done, you will see your tree take shape! It’s that easy once you get the hang of it!

PHOTO TUTORIAL:

Open it up and fold it in half from top to bottom and side to side.

Open up your paper and it should look like the above picture

Turn the paper so it looks like a diamond.

Holding the 2 corners fold the paper to look like the above.

Fold the 2 corners to the center to make a triangle

Now open up the triangle and fold into flaps.

Now using the scissors make 3 cuts on both sides of the triangle

Fold the paper along the cuts diagonally. Do it for all 4 flaps on both sides

When you fold all the flaps, it will look like this! You have a beautiful Paper Christmas tree

Do watch this video from Handimania if you cannot understand any of the instructions.

NOTES:

Origami paper is perfect for this, but if you do not have any, you can use construction paper.

You can make them bigger or smaller by just making your square bigger or smaller.

Group these trees together for a cute display.

Here are my other Christmas DIYs in case you are interested:

Felt Christmas Tree Garland

Easy Wooden Bead Christmas Ornaments

Snowman Wooden Bead Ornaments

DIY Felt Christmas Ornaments

Hand Stitched Paper Gift Tags

DIY Beautiful Envelopes

Let me know if you plan on making some trees! Share your creations with me on Instagram @lovetostayhomeblog

Thank you for reading!

Have a wonderful Day!

Photo by Mathilde Langevin on Unsplash

Art/Crafts & DIY

Snowman Wooden Bead Ornaments

December 1, 2021 No Comments

These Snowmen Wooden Bead ornaments are too cute! So, I just could not resist sharing this super easy DIY with all of you! They are really simple to make and are perfect if you are into the farmhouse-style decor. Of course, the possibilities are endless with these just by switching up the size, number, type of beads, etc.

WHAT SUPPLIES DO YOU NEED TO MAKE THESE SNOWMEN WOODEN BEAD ORNAMENTS?

Wooden beads

Jute string

Sharpies

Scissors

Some ribbon, yarn, or cord

Here are my Amazon Picks for this project:

(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I know to be of great quality. Thank you so much for your support!)

HOW DO YOU MAKE THESE SNOWMEN WOODEN BEAD ORNAMENTS?

Cut a length of about 11 inches of jute string, double it up. Add 3 beads to the string using a piece of scotch tape if needed.
Make a knot at the end big enough so that the beads do not fall out.
Make a knot right on top of the 3rd bead, so that the rest of the jute string forms a loop.
Using a sharpie, draw eyes, mouth, nose on the top bead. On the middle bead draw a few dots like buttons.
Optional: you can tie a ribbon or string in between the first and second bead like a scarf.

That’s it! Your cute snowman wooden bead ornament is ready!!

Cut about 11 inches of jute string and fold in half.

Tie the bottom strings in a knot big enough so the beads do not fall off. Cut the extra thread off.

With sharpies, draw eyes, nose, mouth and buttons.

Tie a little scarf with a ribbon, yarn or piece of cord. And he’s ready!!

You don’t have to spend much money to decorate your home or tree. DIY is the best and you can have so much fun experimenting. These are easy enough for older kids (5 years and above) to do as well.

If you try these out, please tag me with your creations on Instagram @lovetostayhomeblog

I would be so happy to see your ornaments.

Wooden Bead Projects:

If you are interested in other projects using wooden beads, here they are:

Farmhouse wooden bead garland

Wooden bead Christmas ornaments.

Thank you for reading! Wish you a wonderful Holiday season! As you can tell I am excited about the holidays, most of my recent posts have been about Christmas!! I hope you are excited too!

Lovetostayhome is on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook! Please follow me @lovetostayhomeblog to know when I have a new post up. Thank you all for just being here! I appreciate each and every one of you!

Have a wonderful day!

Photo by Ashley Whitlatch on Unsplash

Crochet

Crochet Christmas Earrings (All free patterns!)

November 20, 2021 2 Comments

I am so excited to bring you these Crochet Christmas Earrings!

I love Christmas time. It’s such a lovely time of year. I think it is one of the few times a year that everyone dresses up. And what’s better than having some beautiful handmade crochet earrings to match your outfits?!

These crochet earrings are beautiful, use just a little thread, and can be made in no time!

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE THESE CROCHET CHRISTMAS EARRINGS?

Aunt Lydia’s Crochet cotton Size 10 in Christmas colors – I used red, white, and green

Crochet hook – size 1.90mm

Scissors

Yarn needle

Jump rings

Earring hooks

Earring pliers

Stiffen Quick (optional but recommended)

Here are my Amazon picks for this project:

(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you so much for your support!)

HOW DO YOU MAKE THESE CROCHET CHRISTMAS EARRINGS?

The patterns for all these 6 earrings are mentioned below. All are free patterns.

To assemble the earring:

Stiffen the crochet piece by spraying with Stiffen Quick, once dry attach a jump ring and earring hook to make the earring.

Attach a jump ring to the top of the finished crochet earring. Add an earring hook to the jump ring using a jewelry plier. That’s it!

CHRISTMAS TREE EARRINGS:

These beauties are from a YouTube video by Creggy’s crochet. You can find the video here.

It is easy to follow the pattern and a pair of earrings can be made in less than an hour.

CHRISTMAS SNOWFLAKE EARRING:

– these simple crochet snowflake earrings look so pretty and dainty. You can find the pattern here.

CHRISTMAS BOW EARRINGS:

I thought these bows were really cute! The pattern for the bow is from Pinterest, it is a picture pattern. I actually like diagrams better than written patterns, I feel they are easier to follow!

If you need help reading diagrams, you can take a look at this helpful article from joyofmotioncrochet.com

I found this free written pattern from daisycottagedesigns.net if you prefer following a written pattern.

I made the bow, next I added 6 jump rings one into the other to make a chain. Next, I added the earring hook. That’s it! The bows work up very fast. I think I made 2 bows in 10 minutes or less!

CHRISTMAS MINI CIRCLE EARRINGS:

These earrings I actually included in one of my previous posts 10 crochet earrings – all free patterns!

I used 2 crochet buttons connecting them with a jump ring. The pattern of these cute buttons is from Marrose – Colorful Crochet and Crafts.

STAR EARRINGS:

Find the pattern for these earrings here.

This pattern was also in a previous post of mine but in a different color. They are called birthday earrings, but I thought they look like a star and made them in white for Christmas.

DUAL COLORED CHRISTMAS FLOWER EARRINGS:

I actually think these look like a poinsettia! These earrings are made with 2 colors of thread.

The pattern can be found here.

This pattern is a hand-drawn pattern that I found on Pinterest. It is the first one in the picture. When making this earring hold 2 colors of thread and follow the pattern.

NOTES:

To make these earrings I used a 1.90mm crochet hook. Usually, when working with this fine crochet cotton, you can use 1.5mm to 2.5mm crochet hooks. When you buy the thread, it does give you which size hook to use on the label.

To finish off the earring, use a yarn needle to weave in the ends for a neat look.

You can use spray starch to stiffen the earrings, my recommendation is Stiffen Quick, it is available on Amazon and Craft Stores.

Hope you enjoyed this post, if you happen to make any Christmas earrings, do share them with me on Instagram @lovetostayhomeblog

Thank you to the lovely people who created these patterns and shared them for free!

If you do not know how to crochet and would like to learn, do check out these posts:

Learn How to Crochet

Learn the Basic Crochet Stitches

If you already know how to crochet, you might be interested in these crochet projects. There are lots of ideas for handmade Christmas gifts!

Crochet Keychains & Wristlets

3 Easy Crochet Potholders

Beginner Velvet Crochet Scarf

Easy Crochet Hair Accessories

5 Useful Crochet Projects

10 Easy Crochet Earrings (All Free Patterns!)

Thank you for reading! I appreciate your presence here. Do follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram to know when I post new content.

Have a wonderful day!

UPDATE:

I am so excited to let you know that I started an Etsy shop – HappyKnotsandLoops. It has always been a dream of mine to have my own handmade business. I will admit the process has not been easy but I am glad I finally did it!

These Christmas earrings are available in my shop. Please visit my shop if you are interested in buying these earrings. Right now I offer to ship only to the US but hopefully, in the future, I can offer to ship worldwide.

Thank you!

Photo by the blowup on Unsplash

Art/Crafts & DIY

Felt Christmas Tree Garland

November 9, 2021 No Comments

This Felt Christmas Tree Garland is very easy to make and looks beautiful hanging on a mantle, window, or shelf.

Christmas is a little over a month away! Can you believe it?! I certainly cannot, this year seems to have flown by!

I usually do not put up our Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving but this year for some reason my son insisted we put our decorations up early, now who can refuse a 5-year-old?! So we pulled out all our decorations and it definitely feels like Christmas around here. Do you put up your Christmas decorations so early? I would love to know if you do!

This garland is something you can make and use for years to come. Instead of spending money on something readymade, DIY this garland (this probably cost me less than $5!) You will certainly hang this garland up with pride and use it year after year!

WHAT SUPPLIES DO YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS FELT CHRISTMAS TREE GARLAND?

Green Felt sheets

Needle and Thread

Jute twine

Glue gun and glue sticks

Here are my Amazon picks for this project:

(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you so much for your support!)

HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS FELT CHRISTMAS TREE GARLAND?

Make a template of the 2 Christmas tree shapes out of cardboard. I just drew them out by hand, but you can find a template here.

I chose 2 types of trees, Cut 8 trees of each type out of the felt, that is a total of 16. It depends on how long you want your garland. The one that I made is 55 inches long.

On one of the felt shapes, you can embroider little snowflakes. Or any design you wish. I embroidered little snowflakes using white thread.

Next, you stitch your trees together using blanket stitch. Here is a YouTube video by Red Ted Art showing how to do the blanket stitch. I used a similar color thread. If you wish you can use a contrasting color as well.

Do this with all the 16 pieces so you get 8 trees, 4 of each type.

To make them into a garland I cut one long piece of jute string (55 inches). Then cut small pieces of jute string to make a loop at the back of the trees using a hot glue gun just like you see in the picture below.

Put all your trees onto the long string. Then hang up your garland and move the trees around to your liking.

That’s it! A simple and cute Christmas Tree Felt Garland!

NOTES:

The garland can be adjusted to any size by adding or reducing the number of trees and string.

An alternative to stitching the 2 trees together is using hot glue. But stitching them together gives it a nice look.

You can change the color of the trees to match your Christmas colors.

To hang the garland I use packing tape as it is much stronger than regular cello tape or scotch tape.

Another option is that you could use some ribbon instead of string to hang your garland.

With Christmas coming soon, you can make yourself this cute felt garland to decorate your home. It is simple and will brighten up any corner of your home!

Do leave me a comment if you plan on making this felt garland, also share your creations with me on Instagram @lovetostayhomeblog, I would be so happy to see them.

Thank you for visiting my blog, you might also be interested in these other DIY ideas on my blog:

DIY Felt Christmas Ornaments

Hand Stitched Paper Gift Tags

DIY Faux Ceramic Vases

DIY Tassel Earrings

Easiest felt flower tutorial

DIY Beautiful Envelopes

Lovetostayhome is on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM, do follow me to know when I post new content. Or please check back, I post at least twice a week. Thank you!

Have a wonderful day!

Photo by MARK ADRIANE on Unsplash

Art/Crafts & DIY

DIY Felt Christmas Ornaments

August 25, 2021 No Comments

It’s Christmas in August!!! Since I missed Christmas in July I am improvising! I guess it’s not too early to be thinking about Christmas!

These DIY Felt Ornaments are so easy to make and will look cute hanging on your tree or even as a garland. Christmas is definitely my favorite time of year. Decorating the house and putting up the tree is the most fun part! So, even though it is still August, I thought I can post this now, so there is lots of time to DIY these Felt Ornaments in time for Christmas!!

You can make these felt ornaments in no time and in whatever color scheme you prefer. They are easy to make and are pretty inexpensive. You can even get gold or silver embroidery thread to make it more sparkly and festive!

What are the Supplies needed for these DIY Felt Christmas Ornaments?

Felt sheets in colors of your choice – I got mine at Walmart for just 33c a sheet. But apparently, it is cheaper on Amazon!

Embroidery thread

Needle

Marker (to draw the shape on the felt)

Scissors

Thread or ribbon (for creating the hanging loop)

Felt scraps (for stuffing the ornament)

Cookie cutters (optional but recommended)

Here are my Amazon picks for this project:

(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you for your support!)

How do you make these DIY Felt Ornaments?

Place the cookie cutter on your felt sheet and draw the outline with a marker. To get 2 of the same shape, just fold the felt so that you have 2 pieces of felt, the one that has the shape drawn and another underneath. That way you will get 2 of the same shape when you cut them out.

DIY Felt Christmas Ornaments — Trace shapes with a cookie cutter and cut them out. (2 of each shape)

Next, you have to stitch whatever pattern you want on the felt shapes. I stitched on both the sides that will be facing out. You can stitch only on one side to save time if you prefer. (Make sure that the marker cannot be seen, make that side the inside of the ornament.)

Stitch both the shapes together using blanket stitch. Here is a great tutorial from thesprucecrafts.com on the blanket stitch.
When coming to the point where you need to attach the hanging loop, using a hot glue gun stick the bottom part of the loop in between the 2 shapes of felt. (I made a knot at the bottom of the thread). Continue stitching, towards the end, stuff the shape with little pieces of cut-up felt.

Continue stitching till the end. Your felt ornaments are ready!

Notes:

If you do not have Cookie cutters, you can draw or print out templates onto cardboard and use that to draw your shapes on the felt. There are lots of free templates available online.
I used all 6 strands of the embroidery thread. Feel free to use just 3.
It does take a lot of practice to get the blanket stitch right. As you can tell I am still practicing as I am not very good at it!
Using a thin ribbon instead of a thread for the hanging loop would be easier. I found the thread that I used was not easy to work with.
To make it even easier you can use a glue gun on the edges to glue the shapes together. To make the edges look neater, cut them with pinking shears.
Another option instead of embroidery is using sequins or beads. I have not personally tried it but I think it might look good.
There are many options that you can make like stockings, snowman, holly, poinsettia, bauble, Santa, reindeer, candy cane, etc.