Do crafters ever stop thinking about Christmas? The answer is a definite no! It’s an occasion that is always in the back of our minds and we’re constantly saying to ourselves ‘Ooh, that would be perfect for the festive season’ as we scroll through our Pinterest feed in May. However, the time has now come to really up our crafting game and dedicate any spare moments we get to creating cards, gifts and decorations in time for December 25th. To help you out, we’ve teamed up with all-star experts who are on hand to offer their advice on what’s trending and how to have the most magical handmade Christmas.

1 Coming Home For Christmas

If there’s one motif that’s taking over this year, it’s the iconic image of a car carrying the tree home to be decorated. From snow globes to table decor, it’s everywhere you look! Why not add a crafty angle to it and decorate your wrapping in this unique way? Kids and adults alike will be in awe.

2 That's A Wrap

Jane Means

“Introduce some papercraft ideas into your wrapping this year; the art of origami is huge in Japan and is making an appearance now in Europe, or attach fans and pinwheels made from pretty wrapping paper onto gifts. As crafters, we are reluctant to throw things away, and if you like to collect small decorations from crackers and recycled embellishments, these can easily be tied onto gifts to give an eye-catching feature” Jane Means, Gift Wrapping Expert

3 Go Digital

Crafts Beautiful

Update your Christmas craft stash without spending a penny with our truly marvellous selection of free digi stamps, papers and sentiments which are all available at crafts-beautiful.com

4 Shine & Sparkle

“When it comes to Christmas cards, pretty much anything goes! The trend for metallic effects, foiling and glitter accents has been evident all year, with warm rose gold being particularly popular, and this carries through into the new festive collections. Adding a touch of glitz and glamour gives your cards the wow factor and takes them to the next level. Must-haves for your stash include metallic embossing powders, glitter, foils and metallic markers.”
Julie Brooks, Beebaab Crafting Supplies

5 Fiestive

Llamas, pom-poms and Frida Kahlo, they’re not what you typically think of when it comes to Christmas but watch out because this year the Mexican fiesta theme is everywhere! We’ve been hot on the pom-pom trend here at CB HQ all-year-round, but we particularly love incorporating them into our festive makes!

6 Feelin' Crafty

Paperchase

Paperchase has done it again with a stunning festive collection, and we love it even more because it features some brilliant craft kits! Get your hands on a papercraft book, make your own wrapping paper and table place cards, or try this fab origami starter set – they’re a brilliant way to get novice crafters involved.

7 Blankety Blank

If you’re going to add one craft essential to your stash this year, make sure it’s ceramic and wooden blanks. They’re ideal in lending a helping hand and can be made into tree and table decorations, placed on cards or turn them into keepsake party invites.

8 Popping Effects

Crafter's Companion

“We predict that cardmakers will be making fabulous dimensional cards with lots of layers and designs that move and pop-up to really add the wow factor! Our Gemini Dimensionals and Build-a-Scene dies are perfect for achieving this look when batch making! There will also be a huge surge in handmade gifts and decorations from stitched and crocheted items for around the home to papercraft gift boxes – we’re going crazy for crafts now more than ever!”
Sara Davies, Crafter’s Companion

9 Come Together

Hobbycraft

“Creating your own fillable tree decorations is a huge trend that’s just getting bigger. It’s an affordable project to complete and can be enjoyed with the whole family. With the hustle and bustle of Christmas, we love that crafting brings everyone together and there are so many projects and techniques to suit anyone – not one will be finished in the same way”
Samantha Shiers, Seasonal Buyer at Hobbycraft

10 What's Hot At Etsy

Etsy

“This year on Etsy, we expect items inspired by whimsical underwater sea creatures, DIY kits, and of course personalised gifts to top everyone’s list. Etsy’s community of over two million makers around the globe creates the ultimate destination for Christmas shopping!”
Dayna Isom Johnson, Etsy Trend Expert

11 Open Me

Hot on our radars are build-a-scene and concertina style greetings. They may take a little more time, but if you’re wanting to impress with your handmade offering, give these a try! Take a look at the ‘Card Making’ tab above for tons of festive cardmaking inspiration.

12 Make It Personal

Brother ScanNCut

If you’re after a straightforward way to add a spot of personalisation, then look no further than the Brother ScanNCut machine. In just a few simple steps, you can transfer hand-drawn sentiments into digital designs that are ready to be die-cut!