December is upon us and we’re ready to get festive! With last year not being quite what we had hoped, we want to go big this year and can’t wait to spend time with friends and family.
We’ve decided to take on 12 DIYS of Christmas and make, sew, color and bake our way to Christmas. We’ve shared some ideas below for fun festive activities which we hope will help get you into the Holiday spirit – and there’s no age on Christmas crafts, so everyone can get involved!
To start us off, we thought we’d get into a festive mood with a wreath!
What you’ll need:
eatsleepdoodle’s in-house wreath-making pro Niki made this gorgeous wreath for her front door, using a ready-made wreath frame and foliage she found in her garden! So, how do you make it? First, you might need to make up your wreath with moss (unless you buy a ready-made frame) and then begin by sticking your foliage into the frame, using wire to hold pieces together if need be.
Once your greenery is in place, you can start adding decorations and a pop of color (Niki used cinnamon sticks and berries), holding these in place with the wire. Once you’re happy with your wreath you can use the ribbon to tie it to your front door (or anywhere you’d like!).
Next up, we decided to make cookies - chocolate and hazelnut! These are simple to make and a super fun activity for all avid bakers out there. The full recipe can be found here. These cookies are delicious – perfect for a Christmas party or as a Christmas gift and they went down very well at eatsleepdoodle HQ!
Christmas cards are a lovely way to spread the joy of the festive season– so why not make this year extra special and create your own! We used our color-in Christmas cards and plain card for this festive activity. First, we colored in our Christmas cards using our artist set of 20 wash-out pens, then we cut shapes into potatoes to use as potato prints for the plain card using child friendly paint. This is a great activity for younger kids (although it can get messy!).
A lovely, jolly addition to your Christmas tree – clay decorations!
What you’ll need:
First, we rolled out our clay, then used cookie cutters to cut the shapes, made a hole in the top using a skewer, and put these to one side. We used Christmas tree and star shapes! We then left our clay shapes to dry for 24 hours before we painted them in festive colors. We used red and white ties and made a loop through the clay to hang them. They’re perfect as a decoration, a gift or even a stocking filler!
Struggling to find the right Christmas cracker that everyone will love? Why not make your own! Using wrapping paper, cardboard tubes (toilet roll size are ideal!), string, scissors and of course something exciting for the inside. A fun activity for kids and grown-ups, too! They’re easy and simple to make – you can follow this video to learn how to make them yourself! These are great fun to make and add an extra special personal touch to your Christmas table!
Wanting to be more sustainable this Christmas? Why not try our reusable placemats! Our doodle frame placemats are perfect for any Christmas or party table – they can be personalized and kids will love doodling whilst waiting for their dinner. We decided to embroider our placemats with names – like a place card! You can color and doodle on the placemats, personalizing it further for your guests or give everyone a pen and they can draw whatever they’d like!
Little ones will love getting involved with Day 7 of our 12 DIYS of Christmas - make your own baubles! We used clear baubles, red and white festive ties and lots of colorful craft pom poms. These are so simple and a fun activity for a winter’s afternoon – all you have to do is fill your baubles with whatever you’d like, close it up and tie it together with ribbon, string or a festive tie. This is great for little hands and they’ll love seeing their handiwork on the Christmas tree!
On the eighth day of 12 DIYS of Christmas…we made tea light holders! Grab some old jars and our wash-off ceramic markers and start doodling! Make sure you wash any stickiness off the jar and dry it, then color and draw anything you’d like – we went for some festive icons. Then carefully pop a tea light inside the jar and light it (grown-ups will need to help with this part). The warm glow from these tealight holders definitely makes us feel festive!
Another decoration for those looking to dress their tree – and this one involves sewing! We found these felt decorations online at The Orchid Craft Room. The kit comes with three different patterns and shapes to make, instructions for each one, a needle, thread and stuffing. These festive decorations are simple and easy to make, ideal for beginners! A lovely way to add another festive homemade touch to your tree!
Who else loves gingerbread biscuits at Christmas? We definitely do! We made some delicious gingerbread biscuits – which can hang on your tree or just be eaten as a yummy treat! We followed this great and simple recipe from Sainsbury’s Magazine to make these Christmassy delights.
Paper snowflakes– a Christmas classic! All you need is paper, scissors and a pencil to make a merry Christmas decoration. Follow these easy steps to make your own snowflakes! You can also thread string or ribbon through them to make a garland.
What better way to finish our 12 DIYS of Christmas than to make a topper for the Christmas tree!
What you’ll need:
We found this great video with step by step instructions on how to make your own star to sit atop your tree. This tree topper is the perfect addition to any tree – and will add a special handmade touch!
As you probably know, we love everything crafty and really hope you can join us as we craft our way to Christmas!
And don’t forget you can share any of your coloring or crafting creations with us on social media by using #eatsleepdoodle and #12DIYSofChristmas – we always love to see what you’re up to! You can also tag us on Instagram (@eatsleepdoodle_us), Facebook (@eatsleepdoodle.us) and Twitter (@eatsleepdoodle_).
Halloween is behind us and we’re ready to think about Thanksgiving! With last year not being quite what we had planned, we’re excited to go big this year and celebrate with friends and family again.
Stuffing, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and of course, the Turkey! We’re dreaming of this year’s Thanksgiving dinner and can’t wait to be around the table with everyone we hold dear, feeling grateful and blessed – and giving thanks for what’s truly important to us all.
Celebrating with family and friends is high on the list of our priorities this year, which means we want to get ahead with preparing the table, decorating the house, and sorting out entertainment for the little ones! This can all seem daunting but we’ve got a few ideas up our sleeve which we hope can be of help to you, too!
Stuck for ideas on how to make your Thanksgiving table even more special this year? We’ve got it covered – literally! Our color and learn tablecloths are the perfect addition to any family party or mealtime and a fun new way to dress your table! In four fun designs; world flags, world map, United States map and nature & wildlife - kids (and adults) will love coloring and discovering all the amazing things featured. They’re great for a separate kids table and make an exciting, fun, educational dinner-time activity (and we’ve put loads of learning resources on our website for the kids to find out about what they’re coloring!).
Our United States map tablecloth is perfect for a Thanksgiving table – you can use the map to spot where friends and family are from and travel the country from the comfort of your own home. Little ones will have so much fun discovering new places and learning facts about each State. Not to mention, everyone (kids and adults alike!) can have fun testing each other on each State’s animal, bird and flower!
If you’re looking for something that the adults might enjoy, we’ve found a few easy DIY place cards for you to try. For something minimalist, these plain name cards with a sprig of rosemary are lovely and won’t distract too much from the main event! For the artists among us, we love this idea of using a color swatch of each guest’s favorite colors. Or, for a more hands-on crafting experience, these pumpkin place cards are a fun Fall favorite!
For your Thanksgiving décor, how about a colorful wreath! We found a great and simple tutorial online to guide you through the process. We think that a wreath would be a lovely and welcoming addition to any door! And if after that you’re still feeling creative and in the mood for some DIY – you can make this fun Thanksgiving centrepiece, too! We found a pumpkin floral centrepiece with a step-by-step guide that encapsulates the festive Fall feeling that Thanksgiving inspires.
Maybe you need something to keep the little ones entertained on the big day, or perhaps you want some fun activities in the run-up to Thanksgiving? Well, we’ve found just the thing - 15 last minute Thanksgiving crafts to keep them occupied and get them crafting! From a wreath making station, to pumpkin pie crafts and gratitude books, there are so many fun activities to choose from!
As you might have guessed, we love any opportunity to get creative and do some crafting – and we hope we’ve given you some inspiration for your Thanksgiving Day.
And as a festive Fall treat, we’re offering 15% off all eatsleepdoodle tablecloths – perfect for the Thanksgiving table and playing some family games! Use the code ESDTHANKSGIVING at checkout.
And don’t forget you can share any of your colorings or crafting creations with us on social media by using #eatsleepdoodle – we always love to see what you’re up to! You can also tag us on Instagram (@eatsleepdoodle_us) and Facebook (@eatsleepdoodle.us).
Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at eatsleepdoodle!
P.S. We’re so thankful to you, our loyal customers, for supporting our small, independent company. Thank you so much for being eatsleepdoodle friends!
The ghouls and ghosts are coming out, bats are taking flight and the wolves are howling… not really, but the spooky season is upon us once more! With Halloween just around the corner, we thought we’d share some fun activities and creative crafts to get you and your family in the mood for the upcoming All Hallows Eve.
Reminiscing about those childhood memories, we discovered an all-time favorite of the eatsleepdoodle team is stick puppets! So we found some paper, craft sticks and glue and set to work! Our Halloween-themed stick puppets are easy to make and a fun activity for the whole family. Take a look at our video below and learn how to make your own or you can follow our easy step-by-step guide.
You’ll need colored paper/card, craft sticks, scissors, a glue stick and craft glue, fun spooky shapes.
👻 Step 1 - find some colored card or paper (plain white paper will work, too) and choose your favorite Halloween characters.
👻 Step 2 – cut out those spooky shapes! As you can see in the video above, we stuck our chosen images onto the colored paper and cut around the shape. We found this was a quick and easy way to make our characters.
👻 Step 3 – once all your shapes have been cut out, you can use the leftover paper to add additional details, or you can draw on them using markers or crayons to make features for those spooky puppets! If using leftover paper, you can use the glue stick to attach these features to your shapes!
👻 Step 4 – use craft glue to attach the characters to your craft sticks. Make sure they are secure and then let them dry completely.
👻 Step 5 – put on a spooky puppet show for friends and family!
Crafting activities wouldn’t be complete without some sewing! We found this cute sew-your-own felt spider kit – perfect for Halloween decorations! The kit contains colored wool blend felt shapes, step-by-step instructions, embroidery thread, polyester toy filling, glue, a needle and woven hanging thread – you’ll only need to supply the scissors.
If you fancy a fun, fall day out for the whole family you can’t go wrong with a pumpkin patch! You can pick your own pumpkins, ready for decorating and carving (and great for some cute pictures, too!). Fox News has put together a list of the best pumpkin patches for fall fun in America – take a look and see if there’s one close by!
Thinking of having a Halloween party this year, but can’t find the right table decorations? We’ve got it covered! Using a tablecloth and our artist set of 20 wash-out markers we created an exciting, spooky tablecloth perfect for any party – and you can do the same! You could also use it as a party activity – use a blank tablecloth and partygoers can draw their own spooky monsters, jack-o’-lantern, spiders and more. This makes a fun and sustainable party decoration – that can be used again and again (you could even change the drawings each year)!
If you’re heading out Trick-or-Treating this year and need something to carry all your candy home in – our doodle backpack is the perfect thing! With the included set of 10 wash-out markers, you can color and doodle whatever you’d like before you head out on a spooky adventure. They even make a great party bag, for kids to decorate and take home!
As you can probably tell, we love everything creative and crafty and hope we’ve given you some Halloween inspiration for this year!
As a spooky Halloween treat, we’re offering 15% off our NEW special box of 20 wash-out markers – perfect for all craft and coloring activities. Use the code SPOOKYDOODLE15 at checkout.
And don’t forget you can share any of your colorings or crafting creations with us on social media by using #eatsleepdoodle – we always love to see what you’re up to! You can also tag us on Instagram (@eatsleepdoodle_us) and Facebook (@eatsleepdoodle.us).
