We have a few Christmas Eve traditions in our family.
Chinese food for dinner. New pajamas. One gift before Santa’s arrival. Last-minute Christmas crafting.

For this month’s home decorating guest post, I thought I would share five last-minute Christmas ornament crafts you can make with your family.
(By the way, I’m Amy from the blog Atta Girl Says, and every month I share a home decorating post here at seven thirty three.)
Our family loves crafting together. It’s fun and a great way to create memories, while also creating pretty ornaments for our tree.
These five handmade Christmas ornaments are all cheap, easy, quick to make and kid-friendly. (Husband friendly, too!)
First up are these twine candy canes made from dollar store supplies.
You can find complete directions on how to make them on my blog.


When I saw the tutorial for how to make these borax crystal snowflakes on Rook No. 17, I knew I wanted to make some for our tree. 
They are so beautiful, and this is one time when you can combine crafting with a science lesson. You do need to allow for these snowflakes to sit in a Borax solution for at least 5 hours, so start them in the morning, and watch the crystals grow throughout the day. It’s a guaranteed white Christmas.

We also made some glittery icicles using the same Borax technique, but these aren’t as dramatic as the snowflakes.

Here’s an ornament idea we cribbed from Martha Stewart.

We coated glass ball ornaments with glue and Epsom salts. (We just used a glue stick and the salt has stayed for several years.) We also filled some of the ornaments with salt, to look like snow, and sticks and pine needles, as the Martha tutorial instructs.

While you have the Epsom salts and glass balls out, why not make some I Spy ornaments. Just put a little salt inside and add buttons, tiny clothespins, mini bells and other doo-dads. (I recommend using plastic ornaments for this project so they don’t break.)

Finally, I love to decorate with pinwheels — and I think they make gorgeous Christmas ornaments when you use sheet music or pretty scrapbook paper and embellish them with glitter.

They’re easy to make, too. 

You start with a square of paper, then cut up halfway to the center from each corner. Punch a hole in the center and on every other point.

Feel free to use my printable pinwheel pattern. I also have a video tutorial on how to make paper pinwheels on my blog.
Once you’ve cut your paper, fold up each point and use brads to secure your pinwheel.
I like to decorate mine with glitter, brushing the edges with a little bit of glue, then dusting with glitter. If you don’t have a little tray, I recommend you add one to your craft supplies. Mine has a built-in funnel, which makes it so easy to pour the extra glitter back into the jar without making a mess.
Once your pinwheels are glittered and dry, glue a loop of ribbon to the back and hang them on your tree.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these ideas for last-minute Christmas decorations you can make while making memories with your family.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I hope you’ll stop by and visit me at Atta Girl Says.
If you’re not completely tired of Christmas, I’d love for you to tour my home decorated for Christmas.
You might find some ideas for next year.

Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more crafts, decorating ideas, recipes and ideas to make your home brighter and your heart lighter. 

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