photo courtesy of Browzer

Glitter!

It’s the holiday help-all that keeps on giving — on your clothes, furniture, even eyebrows — long after you have completed the crafting task at hand.

While the ever-present seasonal sparkler brings a dose of cheer, evoking images of frosted wonderlands, the romance of the New Year’s ball-drop, and the glitz of gifts and champagne, it’s a pain to work with and is easily overused.

If you want to avoid the substance entirely or simply want to tone down busy holiday decor with something more rustic and subtle, here is a list of easy arts and crafts — 100% glitter-free.

---

‘Tis the season. Gift the creative in your life something special – check out our curated holiday gifts. 

1. Creative Wrapping

Make wrapping paper with textiles or book pages. Get more great gift wrapping ideas here and here.

photo courtesy of Carol Gibert

2. Mason Jar Crafts

Turn mason jars into candle holders (can also fill with pebbles, buttons, seashells)

photo courtesy of Cacophonous Bliss

3. Cinnamon Stick Santas

Spice up the tree with cinnamon stick ornaments.

photo courtesy of The Tiny Crafter

4. Cork Ornaments

Turn your wine drinking into a craft project with this cork ornament.

photo courtesy of Sarah Banas Studios

5. Sheet Music Letters

Cover block letters with sheet music for classic carols.

photo courtesy of Browzer

6. Wire Trees

Give Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree a run for its money — make an adorable wire tree.

photo courtesy of Kindered Images

7. Fragrant Fire Starters

Light up the fireplace with pinecone fire-starters strung with twine.

photo courtesy of Burntmill

8. Sheet Music Wreaths

Deck the halls with boughs of music with these wreaths made of burlap sacks, sheet music, and/or twigs.

photo courtesy of Pages and Prose

9. Earthy Ornaments

In lieu of an overly precious glitter-doused doily, make snowflakes using twigs, sprigs of pine, buttons, and twine.

photo courtesy of Little Things Bring Smiles

10. Wooden Table

Get ambitious and create a rustic coffee table using wood logs.

photo courtesy of OTC Custom Woodworks