This holiday season, become a wrap artist! Learn how to make every Christmas present look festive, no matter what shape or size. Wrapping Christmas gifts can be quite the bore, but when you add a little artfulness, it could be more fun than ripping it off and finding your pres ...more
Chestnuts are roasting on an open fire, which can only mean one thing: Christmas is nearly here. It's the time of year we're supposed to spend with family and friends, but usually we spend it stressing out over what to buy everyone on our list without going over budget, or sho ...more
It's Christmastime, which means presents! Not only are you going to unwrap gifts under the Christmas tree this holiday season, but you'll probably have to wrap a few for others. Watch this clear, step-by-step, video guide to gift-wrapping, to make sure your presents look perf ...more
During the winter holidays, we want nothing more than to snuggle up into our Snuggie tents, put on Bing Crosby's "White Christmas," and sip a steaming hot cup of hot chocolate. But during those times we force ourselves to go outdoors (to, you know, go to work and stuff), we pr ...more
Place slip knot on hook. Hold yarn taut with 2 sets of 2 of fingers placed about 1½” apart, with tail in other hand. Create loop that crosses over bottom of 1st strand with loop toward right side. Fold loop over main strand going past tail. Insert hook below at tail strand. Pu ...more
Keep your Christmas green! Don't resort to environmentally unfriendly wrapping paper. You can put your gifts in cloth bags or use catalog and magazine pages as your wrapping paper. Or, just use plain brown paper bags and decorate them as your wrapping paper!
How to wrap presents like a pro. Watch this video to learn how to flawlessly wrap gifts this Christmas. All you need is a gift, scissors, wrapping paper and tape. You don't want to be giving gifts that have been wrapped messily this holiday season.
Learn how to make this fun Christmas craft! Learn how to make this fun Christmas craft! Making a giant holiday wreath involves gluing a large ribbon bow to the top of a wreath, gluing down small presents, holly sprigs and trinkets and wrapping the excess ribbon around the gree ...more
"Easy gingerbread house" may sound like an oxymoron, but our step-by-step guide turns this daunting holiday project into a cakewalk. You will need: at least 3 days to prepare gingerbread cookie dough plastic wrap poster board or cardboard wax paper rolling pin flour 2 cookie ...more
Learn how to wrap your presents in Furoshiki (cloth) to avoid using wrapping paper. Unlike wrapping paper (which usually can't be recycled) Furoshiki can be used again and again. With the economy the way it is, now is a good time to recycle and reuse, instead of wasting throw ...more
Holidays can be challenging, especially around Christmastime—but not if you invoke your inner MacGyver spirit. In my latest "life hacks" guide, I show you 10 amazing tips and tricks that'll hopefully make your holiday season a little more merry. Video: . If you're in need of s ...more
Although Christmas is a time to spend with family and be happy and full of joy, sometimes it's nice to pull a prank here and there, especially since many will not be expecting them. In this tutorial, I'm going to show you 10 simple pranks and booby traps you can set up on you ...more
Every year I wait until the last minute to wrap Christmas presents. I always tell myself I'm going to get it done ahead of time, but it never happens. And the worst thing that can happen when you put it off is running out of Scotch tape. If you find yourself in this predicame ...more
For as long as I can remember, I've always sucked at wrapping presents. No matter how careful I am, my gift-wrapping usually ends up looking like a toddler did it, so I'm always looking for easy ways to spruce up my packages. If you've got a lot of gifts to wrap, store-bought ...more
In this video, you'll be shown how to make Christmas crackers for the holidays. It's a cheap, easy and fun art project you can make with the kids. All you need is wrapping paper, some toilet paper tubes and glue and you're good to go!
Christmas is just around the corner, which means holiday wreaths are decorating many doors across the nation. While we're always fans of a practical DIY, we especially love the edible kind, which are great for last-minute decorations. We gathered the easiest, tastiest "recipe ...more
The possibilities are infinite when it comes to DIY gift wrap. Instead of the usual Christmas-themed wrapping paper, make your packaging look funky with old maps, music sheets, calendars, and other material to encase your loved ones' presents. You can also make the wrapping a ...more
Want to wrap your Christmas gifts in a memorable way? Give your gift recipient a DIY super-secret book safe, and while you are at it, hide a small gift inside the the secret safe. Or, if you plan on giving a gift card, create a snow globe out of a mason jar and water and glitt ...more
Sick of the same boring, holiday-printed, gift wrapping paper for packaging your presents? Using spare cardboard, make a pyramid-shaped gift box for your unusually-shaped item. Or, transform your spare empty cereal boxes into fancy custom-made gift boxes. For a more textured ...more
The book is almost closed on 2019, but Magic Leap has one more gift to offer its users before the new decade arrives. Now appearing in the Magic Leap "Concepts" section of the app store is an experience called Music Box that brings an immersive caroler to anyone using the aug ...more
Christmas is almost over— all of the presents are unwrapped, all of the prime ribs have been eaten, the whole family's drunk off eggnog— and soon it will be time to forget about Christmas until next year. Once the party's over, you're stuck with cleaning up all the shredded w ...more
Learn how to wrap your Christmas presents so that they look pretty and professional. Brought to you by CanadaStyleatHome.com
Forget Christmas, it's all about Festivus these days. But what is Festivus? When is Festivus? On December 23rd, people around the world are standing up against Christmas and having a "Festivus for the rest of us"— a new holiday created by Frank Costanza on Seinfeld in 1997. ...more
How to wrap your presents in Furoshiki (cloth) to avoid using wrapping paper. Unlike wrapping paper (which usually can't be recycled) Furoshiki can be used again and again. This is an eco-friendly Christmas solution that comes from folding techniques used in Japanese art simil ...more
Looking to crochet something special this Christmas season? Give your loved ones a handmade gift from the heart with help from this crochet tutorial presented by Crochet Mania. Learn how to crochet a left-handed Christmas holiday tree using this video as your guide.
Watch this instructional crochet video to crochet a miniature holiday Christmas tree. Use any type of thread and crochet needle to complete this project. You will also need a tapestry needle to sew the Christmas tree into a hanging ornament. Add small embellishments with red y ...more
Get ready to impress your friends and family with a cool holiday paper project! Join in on the fun as Origami instructor, Michael LaFosse shows the step by step folds for an amazing holiday wreath! It's a perfect gift for your favorite teacher. Follow along with this video ori ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to design Christmas holiday winter nails. First, purchase acrylic nails and paint them a burnt orange or copper color. Now, take a very small and pointed brush and dip it into red nail polish. Draw a candle onto the acrylic nail, then paint green ...more
A great way to class up your Christmas party is to make cute little decorative soaps shaped like wreaths. In this tutorial, learn how to use easy pour and melt soap to make decorative guest soaps for the holidays. It's easier than you may think, and only takes a few steps. You ...more
Here's a quick and easy way to add some Christmas flair to your home this holiday season. These mini wreaths will be a huge hit. You will need: green pipe cleaners scissors ribbon craft glue a ring from the neck of a water bottle minature accents This is a really cute chris ...more
Improve you crocheting skills by creating fun holiday decorations. This how to video is a tutorial that will show you how to crochet a Christmas wreath. Crochet small or large wreaths to decorate your house with.
This how-to video demonstrates the process of making a handmade stocking, which might even make a nice Christmas present in and of itself. You will need a red 4-ply worsted weight yarn, a white 4-ply worsted weight yarn, and a size H crochet hook.
These are great, personal gifts that you can hand out to friends this holiday season. Find a picture and a quote you like, then dress them up in a picture frame! All you really need is the frame, some paint, a few old magazines and some paper!
We totally get it if you're a present wrapping procrastinator. Thinking about what presents to get your friends and family is hard enough, and then actually going to the store and shopping around for them for hours on end is exhausting. By the time you have everything in front ...more
These boxes are great for small gifts, and you can make them at home. You will need a craft knife, a square ruler, a cutting mat, heavy paper (approximately 6 inche by six inches) and Dura-Lar paper or sheets of clear acetate. Make a home made gift box for Christmas or holiday ...more
Christmas Balls and Mason Jars. I used Dynamic light, Camera+, and Phototoaster.
This video goes over traditional wrapping - using tissue paper, wrapping paper, ribbons and bows. But if you just can't get the fiddly bits right, or your gift is oddly shaped, then this video will also show you how to use a gift bag!
This is a lovely craft project you can do with kids - make a bunch of acorns that you can use as fall or winter decorations. You will need: small foam balls, mod podge, brown acrylic paint, glitter and brown yarn for the cap.
Need some wrapping paper? Want to go beyond the basic and bland Christmas wrapping paper in stores? There's one solution that's in everyone's pockets— money— cold hard cash— paper bills— money. We're talking George Washington (because Franklin might be a little extreme). Just ...more
There are very few times (if any) the word poo and delicious belong in the same sentence, but any fan of South Park (or chocolate) will appreciate this awesome Mr. Hankey, The Christmas Poo treat, created by Degroof. Best of all, it's super easy to make, and consists of only ...more
This week, Etsy How-Tuesday presents Kari aka ikyoto and Stella aka lookcloselypress of The {NewNew} York Team. Today we're going to learn how to screenprint our own snowflake gift wrap for the holidays. Kari and Stella remind us that recycling paper bags is a great source for ...more
These festive Christmas crackers serve as both party favors to hand out to guests and name plates on your dinner table. In vibrant colors of green and red, they simply scream out Christmas. Check out this crafting video to learn how to make these cute paper crackers. Learn h ...more
Building a snow globe is a fun indoor project for a cold winter day. You will need: a glass jar with a lid a small, rust-proof ornament or figurine white glitter aquarium silicone sealant distilled water 1/8 tsp. glycerin small block of wood or bowl for base one hard-boiled w ...more
A talented confectioner shows you a traditional recipe to make French nougat. This candy is a great present to give people on your holiday gift list; or make it as a treat to bring to your next Christmas or holiday parties!
Make some candy Christmas trees as decorations this holiday season! All you need is some Styrofoam cups and a collection of your favorite Christmas candies, like gumdrops or peppermints. You can use hot glue to attach the candies, or toothpicks if you want to eat them later.
Add some pizzazz to your holiday celebrations! Christmas ornaments aren't just for the tree any more - this tutorial shows you how to take a collection of brightly colored ornaments and incorporate them into a spectacular and colorful holiday wreath.
Bring a little joy and festivity to this holiday season, check out this do-it-yourself video to see how to make a festive holiday wreath, perfect for creating that festive atmosphere around your house during Christmas. At home on your front door or in a hallway, this cheerful ...more
Thanksgiving. It's sadly over. But happily replaced by the Christmas season! My apartment complex is already full of the Christmas spirit. Wreaths are tacked up on wooden doors, windows contain strands of bright and colorful lights, and there's even a few nearly decorated con ...more
Hackers can be notoriously difficult to buy gifts for, so we've curated a list of the top 20 most popular items Null Byte readers are buying during their ethical-hacking studies. Whether you're buying a gift for a friend or have been dying to share this list with someone shopp ...more
Christmas is the time to splurge— not just with presents and food— we're talking decorations. It's that time of year when verdurous fir trees take up half of your living room, when waving elf figurines silhouette your front windows, when Rudolph flies from the rooftops, Santa ...more
This week on Etsy How-Tuesday Kristen Couse aka cakehouse shows us how to make a decorative holiday trivet for the dining table. You can spice up your home decor, whether you're hosting Christmas or a potluck with friends! Things you will need to make your patchwork trivet: * ...more
General Electric isn't known for their Christmas lights, but maybe they should be, because their GE Color Effects are pretty awesome. Especially the LED Color Effects G-35 String sets. And especially when someone named Darco hacks them. Darco, whose real name is Robert Sun Qu ...more
Your Christmas tree isn't the only place ornaments belong. Add ornaments to your cupcakes this holiday season as well by creating these adorable holiday ornament cupcakes. All you need is some icing, sprinkles, and imagination to create all varieties of sparkly Christmas ornam ...more
Got fudge fingers? Are you the joke of your family and friends when it comes to wrapping presents? This Christmas, make it an exceptional year by learning how to wrap your gifts the proper way. No more wrinkles and botched Scotch tape! Your gifts will look perfectly presentable.
Taken at the Toronto Eaton Centre using an iPhone and Hipstamatic 231 app, James M lens and Ina's 1969 film. The radial spin was created on camera by quickly turning the phone clockwise. I didn't think it was possible since I had no control whatsoever with shutter speed or ape ...more
Christmas music makes the holiday season just that much more enjoyable. And the folks over at Google must be feeling the holiday spirt since they are making Michael Bublé's Christmas album free for a limited time. The Grammy Award winning artist debuted his Christmas album in ...more
If the idea of baking perfectly-shaped sugar cookies in time for Christmas is an intimidating prospect for you, you can make your own no-bake holiday treats simply using a microwave and a few simple ingredients. Want to make gourmet-looking candy cane bark? All you need is wh ...more
You can use ribbon as a tree decoration! This tutorial shows you how to take a spool of wide ribbon (use wired ribbon for best results) and use it to create a unique and eye catching holiday decoration for your Christmas tree.
A trivet is something that you put a hot dish on top of, to protect your counter or table from damage. This trivet uses bottlecops covered in crocheted yarn to make an effective and cute holiday trivet. Use it yourself, or give it as a gift!