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Listening to Christmas music on your way to work, sledding with the family, drinking hot cocoa slightly more often than you probably should—there are lots of ways to get into the winter season and make the buildup to the holidays even more exciting! Personally, I love all of the above. I also love doing crafts and making handmade gifts this time of year. If you’re looking for a fun and crafty way to get into the Christmas spirit, you’ll love these wood slice ornaments and this idea for “Elfing” your neighbors.
Growing up, I always loved helping my mom put together gifts for the neighbors: whether it was a surprise treat for Halloween ‘Booing,’ or picking out Christmas presents for a family in need. I was always the designated “runner” (the most heart-pounding, adrenaline inducing job ever, by the way). Now, I’ve passed on these traditions in my own family, and we all have a blast with it.
American Greeting has started promoting the idea of being someone’s Christmas Elf (a.k.a. Elfing). Basically, surprising a friend, neighbor, or co-worker with an unexpected gift! So, this year, we decided to do this too.
American Greetings #MerryAndBright Sweepstakes
We had a blast putting these cute Elfing gift baskets together for our neighbors using American Greeting products, M&M’s Fun Size, and our own special DIY ornaments! See how you can make these cute little wood slice ornaments using just a few simple craft supplies.
What You Need
- Wood Slices
- My Ornament Designs
- Vinyl
- A Cutting Machine or Scissors
- Eye Hooks
- Twine
How To Make
1. Screw your eye hooks into the top of each of your wood slices.
2. Use your vinyl and cutting machine to cut out your ornament designs. Rub your vinyl designs onto your wood slices.
(Hint: I’ve included a pdf version of the file if you don’t have a cutting machine. You can print off the template, trace the design onto the vinyl, and cut out the designs with an X-acto knife, but it will be more tedious.)
3. Attach some twine to finish off your lovely ornaments.
These ornaments are super simple, but I love the handmade touch they add to a gift! Plus, you could even write the recipient’s name and the year on the back to make it even more personal.
I think my favorite thing about creating an Elfing gift is that it gives the recipient a chance to pay it forward and get the whole community in on the ‘Elfing spirit!’
Get more Elfing inspiration and download the Elfing printable.
You can find everything you need to put together the perfect Elfing gift at Walmart. Plus, right now, get $2 back on American Greeting cards when you use the Ibotta app.
Have fun putting your cute wood slice ornaments together! Who would you and your family play ‘Elf’ to?
Mandee is a professional graphic designer, amateur bird watcher, and rollercoaster enthusiast. She is a wife to hardworking high school teacher and mommy to three adorable little humans. She fell in love with graphic design when she started working on a comedy website with a guy she met her freshman year of college. Design wasn’t the only thing she fell in love with, and they were married a year and a half later. She created Designs By Miss Mandee to be a place where she could merge her passion for design with her lifelong love of crafting.