HANDCRAFTED HOLIDAY

Get creative with your Christmas decorations, wraps and gifts by repurposing items found close to home.

Assemble new Christmas decorations, wraps and gifts from repurposed household goods.

Keep the focus on hearth and home this year by crafting simple and heartfelt items from inexpensive household and garage-sale goods. Find new value in old pieces that have fallen out of favor or have become too worn or damaged to serve their original purposes, such as a tattered blanket, a well-worn shirt, leftover holiday cards or a snippet of garland. These bits and pieces can be refashioned into ornaments, gift tags and wraps, wreaths, tabletop decor and more, all offering the added bonus of oneof-a-kind charm.

Don’t underestimate what you have on hand or what you can find in your storage areas. If you are low on supplies, check with family and friends to see whether they have items to donate. Local “buy nothing” groups on Facebook can be another rich source of materials, from decorative goods to craft components. Explore the great outdoors for fresh greenery, pinecones and twigs to embellish your creations.

Gather your supplies and a group of family members and set aside a few weekend hours for crafting. Time spent together creating something beautiful and original can be a gift in itself.