Add a hand-made touch to Yuletide decor with a dried leaves wreath, shares artist Analisa Noronha. “Scavenge through the gardens near your home for dried leaves and sticks. Dust them off with a dry brush, or wash them and dry in the sun,” she suggests. One can tie or braid the leaves and sticks together light-handedly with a long piece of gold or silver wire — available at stationery shops — to form a circle or perhaps a heart.

Bag it up

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Canvas bag

Teens and pre-teens can try their hand at sewing, with adult guidance, for a Christmas-themed bag to stuff in candy canes, holiday sweets or groceries. Noronha shares that all you need are fabric paints, a sewing machine and good quality canvas fabric, or even an old shirt.

Analisa Noronha

“Stitch up the bottom of the shirt, hem up the armholes, use the sleeves to make the handle. Double-stitch for a stronger hold,” she says. The bags are hardy enough to carry weight. “I settled on a simple print like holly leaves and berries. Paint the bag and iron on the reverse to make the paint permanent,” she shares.

Tree of hope

Sheetal Gupta

Sheetal Gupta, who curates innovative DIY craft kits to engage kids, offers a fun suggestion to jazz up good ol’ X’mas cards. Fold a thick paper — cardboard or a piece from an old cake box — into a card shape. On the front side, with the help of an adult, cut out a triangular shape. Use a hole puncher to create holes along the edge of the triangle.

“Take green coloured wool and stick it on the inside of the card near one of the holes using tape. Now, thread the yarn through the holes, across the cutout area in a way to cover the triangle cutout. You can use a big-eye plastic needle for help,” she explains. Use markers to make a star and a bark of the embroidered Christmas tree, and a sky in the background. Pen your season’s greetings to a beloved inside.