Easy DIY Christmas Gift You can Make with Kids

DIY gifts can be the cutest, most thoughtful gifts to give. Something made by someone you love is special on so many levels. But what about those of us who aren’t especially gifted in the talent of DIY?  Hi, my name is Candice and my hands won’t do what my brain wants them to when it comes to crafting.  It’s not that I don’t want to craft. I do.  It’s just that, well, my creations usually end up looking like those Pinterest memes – “How it looks on Pinterest [perfect] / How it looks IRL [barely recognizable].”  It’s also difficult to get time alone to focus on a DIY activity with a little one running around.  So, my DIY activities must have the following criteria; be easy-peasy and be something I can make with my son. If you’re in the same boat as I am or if you’re looking for a fun holiday craft to do with your kids, check out the DIY gift below.

No-Bake Cinnamon Clay Ornament

Do you remember these?  I made these as a kid and they STILL smell deliciously warm.  There is something so inviting about the scent of cinnamon during this time of year.  These ornaments are easy to make, hard to terribly mess up, and edible (for those little ones who seem to put everything in their mouths).  

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of salt
• 1 cup of flour
• 3/4 cup of warm water
• 1/2 cup of cinnamon

Directions

Mix all ingredients together

With dry, clean hands knead the dough until it is completely mixed.  Dust your hands with flour if the dough is sticky

Place the dough on wax paper and roll out using a rolling pin

Use cookie cutters to cut out the ornaments

Poke a hole at the top of each ornament (large enough to string ribbon through)

It takes about 24 hours for the ornaments to dry.  Once that is done you can string the ribbon through, hang on the tree, or give to a friend, family member, or neighbor as a gift.  Easy-Peasy!

Featured Product: Happy Holidays Planner

Planners make life manageable and planner accessories make the planning arena so much more fun. Stickers have become my newest obsession, but in the beginning, it was all a bit overwhelming. There are so many pretty ones to choose from, but the important thing is to figure out what will work for you. When you are on a budget it can be disheartening having purchased items that do not work out.

In this guide, I offer quick points on the types of stickers and how they can be used. If you are new to the sticker world, this might help you figure out which types of stickers to purchase. If you have already purchased stickers, you might get ideas on new ways to use them.

Functional Icons

Functional icon stickers are my favorite. They add a decorative element to the weekly pages without requiring too much pre-planning. If you are interested in making your first sticker purchase, I recommend starting with these types of stickers. With functional icons, you can mark laundry day with a sticker of a washing machine, study time with a sticker of a stack of books, and leisure time with a sticker of a television. There are sheets dedicated to chores, fitness, academia, and leisure time, which are extremely helpful for day-to-day activities.

Some variety sheets may not be practical for you and that is okay. You might need more of a specific sticker or there may be a sticker in the sheet that doesn’t apply to your life. In these situations, I recommend purchasing sheets that contain one icon in multiple colors. This way you have enough of that specific sticker and you can coordinate it to that week’s layout, and you won’t have unfeasible ones leftover.

Alert Stickers: Page Flags, Teardrops, and Arrows 

Page flag, teardrop and arrow stickers are another favorite sticker type, which I consider “alert” stickers. I love using these types of stickers to draw my attention to important tasks. Page flags and teardrops work almost like icon stickers. You can use these stickers to mark appointments or reminders for “must do today” types of activities. Arrow stickers are long enough that you can write information directly on them. They are decorative and functional at the same time. I use these arrow stickers to mark important events for the day and place them at the top, or if you have an hourly planner, at the time the event or task needs to be taken care of. Limelife Planners has many of these types of stickers to choose from.

Weekly/Monthly Kits

Weekly/Monthly kits can work beautifully if you love the “No-White Space” planning style. You can have all your decorative and functional icons stickers in one set that is gorgeously coordinated. If you find kits difficult to incorporate into your planner because you have stickers leftover that don’t apply to your life, consider buying sheets of half-box stickers or sheets with just checklists, page flags and boxes. There are many shops out there that sell kits designed specifically for certain planners, even your Limelife planner.

At the end of the day, you don’t have to pick just one sticker type to use in your planner. I find that combining all three-sticker types helps make the process easier for me and I end up loving the final product. Get started on the sticker obsession by checking out the NEW Limelife Planners stickers and Welcome to Sticker Heaven.  

This post was written by Sadia Chowdhury for the Limelife Planners Media & Creative Team. For more information about Sadia visit her on Instagram @sadias_ruminations. Please share and repost this blog entry with your friends! All we ask is that you give credit to Limelife Planners and the post author.