12 Days of Christmas Crafts: Martha Stewart's Best Christmas Crafts

I'll admit it, I signed up for Martha Stewart's online "Christmas Workshop," and I have been receiving emails about crafts and decorations for the holiday season ever since. I figured, who better to steer me on my path to maker merriment than Martha?

While I am unlikely to reach a Martha-level of craftiness this holiday season, I do intend to do some small projects to decorate my home. I dug around on MarthaStewart.com and came up with a list of my top ten holiday projects from Martha and her team. In no particular order, here are Marty's best Christmas crafts.

Above: Recycle last year's holiday cards as ornaments and seasonal garlands. Many people have copied this idea in the decade since Martha first published it, but we still love the ingenuity of homemade snow globes crafted from recycled jars.

We love this adorable wreath made out of gingerbread men and wonder if you could make it with Pepperidge Farm's gingerbread men for a quicker craft. Martha's instructions for a wreath made of tiny presents call for weather-proof paper, but we think you might be able to get away with regular paper on a covered porch and certainly indoors.


Use LED rope lighting to spell out a seasonal message. Bear in mind, the three-letter choice of J-O-Y shown here is certainly easier than 'Happy Holidays.' Jingle bells, a length of cord and a few felt leaves add up to one festive holly leaf napkin holder.

Cuteness overload: An advent calendar made out of baby socks! This is one sweet and simple idea. Fringed winter scarves can be transformed into homemade stockings with only a little bit of work.

If you can wrap a present, you can make this candy-cane inspired wrapping design. Just when you think Martha's thought of everything, she comes up with something new that just knocks you socks off. Behold, the Lump of Coal Gift Box from the current issue of Martha Stewart Living. I love it!