[For Seniors] Lovely Christmas Crafts: Easy Ideas Using Recycled Materials and 100-Yen Shop Supplies

ball ornament

How to Make “Ball Ornaments”! Cute and Easy Decorations with Felt [Felt Crafts: Small Items & Christmas Decorations] | DIY Felt Ball Ornaments Tutorial

Here’s an introduction to making a cute spherical ornament out of felt.

First, create a circular template and use it to cut out circles from felt.

Cut five pieces each in two colors, such as red and green, then cut them in half and glue them together with a hot glue gun.

Be careful not to burn yourself, as the glue gun gets very hot.

After making two half-spheres, attach a bell with a thread to the bottom, and a ribbon with a pearl bead to the top.

That’s it! Simply by changing the colors, you can create ornaments with either a Western or Japanese feel—aren’t they lovely?

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Poinsettia wall decoration

[Christmas Decorations] Easy December Poinsettia Wall Decoration [Activities for Seniors] Poinsettia wall decoration

This decoration features a poinsettia—an essential motif for Christmas—made by layering leaf parts in red and green.

Fold origami and cut it to create six-directional leaf pieces, then make them in different sizes and stack them to add a three-dimensional feel.

Adding a small indentation in the center gives it a realistic look that seems to spread outward.

It’s also recommended to try variations such as using crepe paper to change the overall mood, or putting extra care into decorating the backing board to which it’s attached.

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kappamaki

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Christmas wreath at the mall

[Easy] Sparkly Tinsel ✨ How to Make a Christmas Wreath 🎅 [All from the 100-yen shop 🌲] Just twist! DIY How to Make a Christmas Wreath.

Introducing an easy-to-make Christmas wreath that only requires twisting pipe cleaners from a 100-yen shop.

This craft uses your fingertips extensively, making it effective for fine-motor rehab for seniors! Why not include it in your preparations for Christmas events? To make it, overlap the ends of two pipe cleaners and twist them together, then clamp a pen, straw, or battery between the pipe cleaners and twist two or three times.

Repeat this process, and once you’ve wrapped to the end, form a circle and twist the two ends together to connect—done! Adding ribbon-shaped pipe cleaners or decorative stickers will make it even more festive.

Try making it with your favorite colors and get into the Christmas spirit.

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miyabi

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Christmas tree wall decoration made with origami

Easy Origami Christmas Tree Wall Decoration (with voice narration)

Let’s decorate your walls with a must-have Christmas item—a tree—to build excitement for the season.

The key is to layer pieces cut from three sheets of origami paper to clearly convey the tree’s three-dimensional feel.

Fold the origami into a triangular screen shape, trim the edges, and attach the pieces while keeping the stepped layers in mind.

Adding wooden pieces and ornaments helps make it unmistakably a Christmas tree.

You can use a single tree as a decorative accent, or line several up to create a large tree—there are many ways to use this idea.

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kappamaki

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Snowman garland made from recycled materials like milk cartons

[Christmas Decorations] 3D Snowman Garland [Activities for Seniors] Snowman garland

This is a three-dimensional snowman garland made using a milk carton and toilet paper rolls.

First, cut the milk carton into long, narrow strips and shape them into circles.

Wrap them with flower paper while shaping to create the snowman’s base.

Next, cut the toilet paper roll into a short width, shape it into a hat, and wrap it with the same flower paper.

Add faces and patterns to each part, assemble them, and hang them on a string to finish.

It’s also fun to change the colors and decorations of the flower paper to create your own unique snowmen.

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kappamaki

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A scarf on a plate stand

[Easy for anyone!] A new knitting trick: the Plate-Stand Scarf #shorts

You can knit using a rod-style stand for holding plates upright.

Wrap the yarn around the rods on the plate stand in order.

Place the yarn over the wrapped yarn, then hook the lower yarn over it.

By repeating this, you can make a scarf.

There’s a similar method in finger knitting, so some older adults may have made one with their fingers before.

Plate stands and yarn are available at 100-yen shops, so it’s easy to get started.

Since you use your fingers a lot, it may also have brain-training benefits.

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Nakajima Junko

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Easy fluffy mittens

[Done in seconds] Easy fluffy gloves using a twist on that popular kids’ game! #shorts

Let’s make simple gloves using yarn.

Many yarn crafts involve knitting needles or crochet hooks, right? Some older adults may feel, “I’m not good at knitting.” Knitting often includes complicated methods.

However, here’s a way to make knitted gloves using just cardboard and wooden sticks like ice cream sticks.

Place your hand on the cardboard and draw an outline about one size larger.

After cutting out the outline, make slits at 1-centimeter intervals along the cut edge.

Wrap yarn around all the slits in the cardboard, then attach yarn to a wooden stick and start weaving.

The key is to pack the woven sections tightly together.

Once you’ve finished weaving, tie off the end of the yarn, remove it from the cardboard, and you’re done.

This easy method for making hand-knit gloves seems like something older adults can enjoy as well.

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Nakajima Junko

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