With the weather turning cooler, many of us are starting to think about holiday crafts. Whether it is for decorating or gift giving, crafts are a terrific way to bring the family together. I’ve only just scratched the surface, but here are some wonderful sites online where you can get patterns and ideas.

ALL HOLIDAYS:

eisa.net.au/~thomler/craft/index.html

Spiders on mobiles and cheesecloth ghosts roam this site’s Halloween section. Pinecone angels and snow women inhabit the Christmas area. This one is worth the visit, although some of the projects are “cheesy”.

homeschoolzone.com/pp/ppcraft.htm

Crafts with a twist, they are geared toward children who are being home-schooled and may miss out on projects and group projects like these. Glitter domes, cat party favors, and a bean soup in a mason jar gift which is just super (or would that be souper?) One of my personal favorite idea sites, its very creative.

styrofoam-crafts.com/projects/index.htm

Terrific crafts made from Styrofoam. These projects cover all holidays and styrofoam-crafts.com is actually a part of Dow Chemical’s site.

kidsdomain.com/craft

This site is for kids crafts (read that low cost and fun to make!) How about a macaroni skeleton or some pinecone turkeys for Thanksgiving? Their egg carton spiders are very inexpensive to make, and kids love them. All major holidays are covered.

makestuff.com

Some low cost and some better quality crafts are posted here. I love their spool scarecrows for Thanksgiving and beautiful decoupage gift boxes that can be tailored to suit any holiday. For kids, the egg carton Christmas bells are simple yet nice.

ideacraft.com <http://www.ideacraft.com>

Just click on the “free samples” link at the top of the page for something different.

Lollipop witches and sock reindeer are samples from their craft book. Only a few, but they are good ones!

altalabinstrument.com/wood/freeplan.htm

This is a list of links to sites that offer free wood craft patterns. Some are holiday, most all are worth downloading.

HALLOWEEN:

cstone.net/~bry-back/holidayfun/ween.html

A ghost wreath and some terrific paper twist pumpkins are posted, along with cat candy dishes and oatmeal

box witches.

CHRISTMAS:

mychristmasprojects.com <http://www.mychristmasprojects.com>

A lighted Christmas tree made from recycled baby food jars and plastic bottle Santas are but a few of the many fine crafts you’ll find here. Crafts are not just for the women or kids.

Patterns are available for nativity silhouettes, waferboard Christmas trees, and plywood snowmen.

They even have instructions for a giant three dimensional candy cane made from furnace vent pipe and red duct tape. Wouldn’t Tim Taylor be proud!

imagitek.com/xmas/crafts Imagitek’s Christmas Crafts

Puzzle ornaments, paper angels, and crocheted wreaths, along with a recipe for salt clay dough are waiting for you at this site. A variety of crafts with little investment in supplies are posted for your enjoyment.

acplace.com - Abigail’s Christmas Place

Separate crafts for kids like Christmas placemats, toothpick ornaments and candy wreaths. Grown-ups, try your hand at holiday candle holders or a ribbon-decorated photo album. And if you’ve ever wanted to make a gingerbread house, Abigail can show you how.

Remember almost no gift means more to a friend or family member than to receive something you’ve personally made just for them. Kids love to make things. Don’t have kids but would like to try some of these? Why not volunteer your time at one of the local nursing homes. Gather your leftover boxes and bottles, scissors and ribbons, and sit down for some fun, quality time together this holiday season.