Christmas Craft for the Clueless

DIY Christmas cards for craft virgins

Last year, we showcased some Mucha-inspired art nouveau cards in our Christmas craft feature. However, not everyone is an aspiring artist, so here I’ve tried to show how you can make something simple which will still look good on the lucky recipient’s mantelpiece.

• A4 coloured card (I’ve opted for red as being the most festive) – 40 CZK for a pack of ten sheets
• A5 coloured envelopes – you can make your own, but I bought mine for 15 CZK each
• Gold and silver shiny self-adhesive paper – 40 CZK a sheet
• Origami paper – 120 CZK for a pack of 20 sheets
• Gold and silver gel pens – 40 CZK each
• Seed beads (optional)
• Festive rubber stamps – 120 CZK for a container of 10
• Pencil
• Glue
• Scissors

All materials were purchased from McPen and Výtvarné potřeby a hedvábí, an art materials store on Korunní near Náměstí Míru. 

Step 1: To avoid a craftastrophe, print and cut out simple templates from the internet which you can use as the basis for the motifs which will decorate your cards. I downloaded mine from Christmas Projects and Activity Village, but a quick Google search will come up with tons of options.

• coloured A4 card
• ribbon (scraps will do)
• hole punch
• festive rubber stamps
• gold and silver gel pens

Finally, attack the tags with a hole punch and thread through a scrap of ribbon for that decadent touch.
 
Never mind the packaging: what about making your own Christmas presents? The internet is full of excellent tutorials for those of you who are keen to create your own gift to go under the tree this year and even if it doesn’t turn out quite as planned, at least it will be a talking point. 

Knit a scarf 

Revive those rusty knitting skills and help create something to keep your loved one warm this winter. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube, such as this one, to remind you of the basics: all you need to whip up something impressive is to cast on, cast off, and do a bit of basic garter stitch in between.

You might think getting a scarf finished in time for delivery by Santa’s elves is mission impossible, but if you super size your needles and yarn then you’ll easily have your wooly wonder complete in time for that crucial date in December. Head to MarLen if you want bulky skeins of real wool; haberdashery store Filium in Palladium have a range of chunky yarns in out-there colours.  

If you don’t fancy something super bulky but are pressed for time, why not try a neck warmer instead? This one from Knitty.com combines the trend for handmade corsages with the cowl concept but does require intermediate level knitting skills.

Upcycle an old sweater                                                                                           

When it comes to knitwear, Czechs tend to prefer practical moth-proof acrylic. This means that the thrift store bargain bins and anglická móda second hand stores are often full of 100% wool sweaters which have seen better days but could be transformed into a unique Christmas gift. Simply felt them — in other words, shrink them on purpose in your washing machine — then follow one of these fantastic tutorials to upcycle them into a cosy pair of slippers. Thrifty and environmentally friendly: it’s a win-win situation.

Tracking down felting-friendly sweaters can be a bit hit and miss but the Sue Ryder chain of charity shops are a good starting point. Prague Thrift Store has a bargain bin which is worth having a rummage through, and the Texile House chain of second hand clothing stores often have discount days too.

Make a statement necklace

The Czech Republic is renowned worldwide for its glass beads, so why not take inspiration your adopted homeland and create your own jewellery? Stoklasa has a decent range of findings and components along with ready to wear necklaces and earrings if you really can’t cope with the prospect of trying to produce your own. Koralky.cz, a retail chain stocking every kind of bead imaginable, has branches across Prague as well as in Brno and Ostrava.

This step-by-step tutorial should give you some inspiration or if you want something even easier, check out this guide to making a simple necklace with beads.

Paint your own teapot (or piggy bank, or butter dish…)

Getting to grips — literally — with the art of making a useful object from a lump of clay this side of Christmas might seem ambitious, but you can still give personalised pottery as a gift. Just head to one of Prague’s ceramic painting cafes — Kavarna Maluj or Vypálené koťátko — and then pick out the piece of earthenware you’d like to decorate. Ask the staff for tips on creating something simple but striking, such as applying tape to create a Clarice Cliff style geometric pattern.

• Czech Innovation: Fighting Terror with Flower-Box Barriers
• Finding Fashion Inspiration In Extreme Ugliness
• Butterfly House to Honor Karlín’s Industrial Past, Green Future
• Goethe-Institut Opens Room with a Castle View
• Czech Modern-Design Christmas Ornaments Shine this Season