Kids really look forward to the ton of goodies they find in their stockings every year, but if youre feeling the financial pinch, that could be more than you can afford. Make some of the stocking stuffers yourself and youll not only save money but youll thrill your child with your creations.
Really young kids will love a set of maracas you make in no time. Use bathroom tissue rolls to make the maracas. Cut four cardboard circles the size of the open end of a bathroom tissue roll. Cut four pieces of fake fur to cover the cardboard circles. Glue one fur-covered disk over one open end of the tube then fill (half full) with rice, bells, beads or other noisemakers. Glue the other fur-covered disk in place. Now wrap the entire tube in the fake fur and glue in place. The fur hides the seams well and feels good to the child. The child can shake the homemade maracas to create his or her own music.
If your child is crazy about Hannah Montana, Batman or even High School Musical he or she will love an easy puzzle you can make. Purchase one piece of magnetic sheeting at a craft store or craft department. The sheeting has a peel-away piece that exposes the adhesive underneath. Cut a picture of your childs favorite star from a magazine, poster or other source. Place the picture on the adhesive side of the sheeting. Use scissors to cut the picture into pieces for a puzzle. The pieces can be cut like a jigsaw puzzle or can be cut into simple squares. Your child can put the puzzle together, over and over, on the fridge. Place the puzzle pieces in a Christmas zipper bag and drop in the stocking. Its a fun gift thats very easy to make. If the stocking youre stuffing is for a teen that now drives you can make a cool key chain with Scrabble tiles. Use the tiles to create the childs name, astrological sign or other word. Dont go over 5 or 6 letters or the key chain will be entirely too long. Choose the letters to spell the word twice. Lay the letters of the word, face down, on a table. The letters should spell the particular word, from top to bottom. Fold a piece of cord in half and pass it through a key ring you purchase at a craft store. Let the ring lay on the table but glue the strands from it down the length of the Scrabble letters. Take the second set of letters and place them, face up, on top of the other letters, trapping the cord pieces in between. The cord you use should not be bulky. Fishing twine works great. Ordinary white glue or hot glue will work great for this project. If you dont have enough letters to spell the name twice simply turn the second set of letters upside down so that you can only see the backs of the tiles. That way, the name or word is spelled out on the front, but the back is blank, and you can use any letters you have. Make a cute gift for a babys stocking by starting with a small piece of fabric. Stitch several small jingle bells onto a piece of fabric that will wrap around the babys wrist. Two or three bells is sufficient. Stitch a piece of velcro onto the bracelet to fasten it to babys wrist. When baby moves his or her arm the bells will jingle. This is a fun gift thats simple to make. Youll find the tiny jingle bells at any craft store. Make blow bubbles yourself in no time. Take a vitamin bottle or medicine bottle and wrap it with a nice sticker to cover the label. Use a metal pipe cleaner and shape it into the blower. Bend the end of the pipe cleaner piece and glue it to the inside lid of the bottle. Hot glue is not appropriate for this craft. Mix two parts water with one part liquid dish soap to create the bubble mixture. Any child will love to find the blowing bubbles in his or her stocking. Stocking stuffers can get quite expensive, but this year, youll be making your own. Your kids will love the surprises they find on Christmas morning and youll love knowing youre not broke the day after Christmas!
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