I really wanted to have a little craft time with the grandlittles when they came. But what project would be easy enough for a four and five year-old with a minimum of mess and easy to complete before they moved on? I opted for easy matchbox ornaments and they were a hit.
You can upgrade this with a little more sophistication for the more experienced crafter, but it was fine for the little guys, too.
Supplies:
- Matchboxes -- I used small ones from the Dollar Store, which come in a package of eight.
- Washi tape or decorative papers to cover the boxes
- Piece to decorate with -- buttons, deconstructed jewelry, charms, collage fodder. (Items should be relatively flat for easiest assembly)
- Glue (I used E-6000; a glue gun would work too.)
- Ribbon (optional)
- Brush Markers (optional but recommended for children) or paint (optional)
- Awl or very sharp poking device. A very tiny hole punch might work two, but you're going through two layers of thin cardboard.
Steps:
(Optional) -- If you want, spray paint the inner and outer box. I didn't do this so the rest of this method is based on NOT doing this!)
Remove box and matches from matchbox.
Using the outer box, cover with washi tape (recommended for small kids) or decorative papers.
Affix decorative elements to the front (and back if you want) of the outer box.
With the inner box, poke two holes close together. You can run a tapestry needle through it to make holes a little larger but it's not sharp enough for initial poking.
Cut a length of VERY thin cord, ribbon or string, longer than you want the hanger to be.
Thread string through the two holes so that the two ends to tie off are inside the box.
Knot the two ends at a point that allows you the right length for the hanger.
(If you want, you can add a bead or button to the hanger. We didn't do that for the kids.)
Finish the inner box. You can line it with decorative paper or (as the kids did) color it with brush markers). You can also put thin ribbon on the ends or cover the ends in microbeads or (if you dare -- we didn't) glitter.
Put the boxes together and you have a cute, easy ornament. Or three!
Our five year-old did three of these by himself (with the exception of the awl-poking/string attachment) in an hour or less. The four year-old needed a little more assistance.
Carson put a few trinkets for his mom inside his box. It would make a cute gift with some earrings or a small note or photo inside.
 |
| (unfinished) |
With or without, they make for a merry time!
Sharing with: Love Your Creativity / All About Home / Tuesday Turn About / Share Your Style
61 comments:
Thank you, Jeanie! Looks like some thng I could do (?) with a four year old helping me, that is.
I'm glad your project with the boys went so beautifully.
Oh, I remember that craft! I used to use more matches, and the little boxes were such fun to decorate.
What a cute craft! I might need to try this one. Your grands are so cute! You are one blessed lady!
Absolutely purrfect. Love them.
these are super cute, Jeanie. Yay for granny patience. I'm going to have to develop some of that!! Happy Sunday!
Small size, light matchboxes are ideal for craft work with kids! It keeps them bus, and it opens the way for more intricate work later in life.
This is like doing art class in high school again. Love the whole step by step scene of making one.
This is such a delightful idea for home-made ornaments (which I like); especially if you find the right kind of paper and decorations. And a super bonus is the idea that you can put a little suprise gift inside for a recipient. Thanks for a good Xmas share.
Hello Jeanie,
What a cute craft idea, I am sure the boys enjoyed making these Christmas decorations. A fun time for you all! Take care, enjoy your day. Have a great new week ahead.
Great project
What a great idea! I want to try it.
Owwww so sweet doing this together….lovely week 🍀🎄❤️🐾
Very creative!
I miss the crafts I did with my gr-kids! Now they are larger than I am!
Anyway, such creativity!
Very sweet what a great idea for the Littles
Cathy
wow awesome craft project-I love this. I use those little match boxes when using my sealing wax and stamps-always thought they should be good for something-now I know-hugs
The best thing about this project is even big kids like me love it. This looks like fun Jeanie. hugs-Erika
Great project with the grand littles, Jeanie. My grands are all grown now, but they loved doing crafts when they were small. They still love baking Christmas cookies.
Oh how cute.
What a fun and easy idea! Looks like they had a great time. :)
Adorably cute craft work...nothing like fun time with kids!
So much fun, so cheap! Love it!
Looks like you had fun. I used to do this wth the kids at school. Hugs, Valerie
This project is very creative. The box is cute and attractive.
Doing crafts with kids is about the best fun anyone could ever have. I remember doing it countless times with my daughter and often we would start with the simplest materials and only the most general idea of what we would create. As far as I can recall it was all from our minds and we didn't have a kit with instructions. Interestingly, one of the things we did (could hardly be classed as creative) was to collect small samples of rocks and minerals and I helped her to identify them. Then we mounted them on a board, three rows of twelve, and identified them all with adhesive metal labels punched out on a gun that held a coil of label material. She still has that! Another project was to find owl pellets and break them apart to identify the prey they had eaten. I think we put the various skulls etc into little hard plastic vials of some kind and labelled them. She even learned a little about rodent anatomy etc. As I read this, it is obvious that you are far more creative and enterprising than I, Jeanie, but the kids had fun, and that's what it was all about, really. It did fuel a sense of curiosity in my daughter that has never waned. Keep on playing with the grandchildren. They will remember it and talk about it fondly later in life.
Oh yes, doing things with the little kiddos is always heartwarming and personal time spent with them. your project lovingly reminds me of doing crafts on holidays with my two boys (now 60 and 50 yrs old).. Merry Christmas to all your family Jeanie! big hugs, Sharon of Las Cruces
Super cute..Ive used this idea for a very simple compared to your idea..Bravo!:)That santa's adorb..The Little making crafts used to make my heart sing.
Those are cute, and the kids will probably always remember making them!
There's nothing more fun than making art and crafts with little ones. They find so much joy in everything they do. And thanks for visiting me today on my blog. It's been a sad week and I appreciate my blog friends. Hugs, Diane
What a fun idea. Now my mind is thinking of all kinds of possibilities outside the box and inside. Ha!
It's always fun to craft with kids. Your little book container is very cute. Happy Holidays!
Very nice time with the children. Crafts make for a lot of fun.
I'm laughing because I was in a matchbox swap one year. It took me forever to decorate the outside and inside of the box, and a FIVE YEAR OLD can make three in under an hour. Put's mine to shame. These are very clever and very well done. You are a great teacher, too.
What fun and a cute idea!!
Jenna
Fun idea or young creative minds..looks like fun!!
Creative fun for all ages.
this looks like a fun activity for the littlies!
The grands are lucky to have a crafty lady in their life to do things like this with them. I am sure they loved it! And I love hand-made ornaments like these. They will be treasured for years to come as they provide such a snapshot in time! I'm telling my mom about this project as you know!
What fun!
Fun tutorial and you sure had some cute helpers! Hope your December is off to a great start......
These matchbox ornaments are so cute, Jeanie. And a good project to do with the little ones. I see the grandgirls soon, and was thinking of projects to do with them, but Nel and Jess always have clever projects to work on. I love that Santa matchbox ornament. That's so precious that Carson put a few things in his for his mom. She will treasure that always. I still have one from when I was little that I made. What a creative idea you thought of to put smiles on the little one's faces during their visit.
~Sheri
What a fun Christmas craft! Janice
These are adorable! And it looks like a lot of fun to make them, too.... a great party craft! Thanks for sharing the details...
Thank you so much for coming back to leave me kind words of comfort. You have always been such a good friend to me and I know you understand. Sweet hugs, Diane
Jeanie, you should have been an elementary art teacher. The kids would have adored you! You are so creative. Love everything about your project and it is not time-consuming.
Have a good week and weekend!
Very creative, cute idea! Oh, so sad my Nieces are too old already (but then I never get to see them anyways).
But... I think I won´t throw away those boxes no more! If for nuts or sweets for Ingo to take to work!
What a lovely adventure! We are so beyond crafts with our grandies. I'm so sad! They draw up a storm, our Ottawa girls. Josephine turns 16 on Friday!
Crafting with the little ones is always so enjoyable.
Lovely to see your photographs.
Keep well and keep on enjoying your December days.
All the best Jan
Stringing the ribbon through the button makes the ornament that much cuter. I just love these.
So cute, Jeanie, and such a fun thing to do with the littles. It would be fun for them to fill those little boxes..What a joy to have such fun together..Merry Christmas..xxoJudy
That’s so cute and what a great idea! Sweet grands too.
Jeanie, I am sorry for my late comment. This is a darling project for kids. My girls love to craft and I know they would love it, especially adding little trinkets inside the matchbox. Thanks so much for sharing. Your boys are handsome!
oh how fun! i miss those days of little crafts, glue and scraps of paper everywhere, little treasures made and then hung on the tree. those were the days!
merry christmas, dear Jeanie!
You are so cleaver and what fun. Have a great day today.
What a great idea! Wonderful craft for both kids and adults, and not just as tree ornaments but little treasure boxes to store keepsakes inside. I can see the boys like this craft too!
What a fun project!
Cute pics of the kiddos, and Rick:)
This is such a fun looking craft!!
Absolutely adorable! And I love how the boys are so into their project!
What a cute idea!
Post a Comment