Christmas Crafts for Adults: Cozy Farmhouse Projects to Make This Season

Christmas crafts aren’t just for kids. Some of my favorite December evenings are spent at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee, a pile of thrifted supplies and a project that’s just for me.

These 12 easy Christmas crafts for adults are cozy, cheap and made for real farmhouse homes. Most use things you already have, like twine, mason jars, cinnamon, pinecones and oranges, and almost all of them cost under $5 to make. Some become decor, some become gifts, and a few make the whole house smell like Christmas.

If you’re decorating the whole house on a budget, start with my DIY Christmas decorations hub for room-by-room ideas. This post is the craft-night list: projects you can finish in an evening, with a little patience and a hot glue gun.

1. Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

If you only make one Christmas craft this year, make these. Cinnamon applesauce ornaments look like rustic gingerbread, smell amazing for weeks and cost about $3 a batch.

What you need: a large container of ground cinnamon, about 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, cookie cutters, a straw and twine. A couple tablespoons of white school glue makes them a little sturdier.

How to make them:

1. Mix the cinnamon and applesauce until it forms a stiff dough. Add a spoonful more of either one until it stops sticking.
2. Roll it about 1/4 inch thick between two sheets of parchment.
3. Cut shapes and poke a hanging hole with the straw.
4. Air dry for 2 to 3 days, flipping once a day, or bake at 200°F for about 2 1/2 hours.

These are not edible, so keep them away from little ones and pets who might mistake them for cookies. If you loved making salt dough ornaments, this is the next project to try.

2. Dried Orange Garland

A dried orange garland is the most farmhouse Christmas decoration there is, and it costs about $4 for a bag of oranges and a spool of twine.

What you need: 4 to 6 navel oranges, a sharp knife, parchment, a baking sheet, twine and a large needle.

How to make it:

1. Slice the oranges about 1/4 inch thick. Thinner slices dry faster and glow more in the light.
2. Pat each slice dry with a towel to cut down the baking time.
3. Bake on parchment at 200°F for 2 to 3 hours, flipping every hour, until dry and leathery.
4. Let them cool overnight, then thread them on twine. Add a cinnamon stick or bay leaf between every few slices.

Hang it across a mantel, a window or the tree. Any leftover slices are perfect for my dried orange and pinecone jar.

3. Rustic Twig Stars

Twig stars are completely free if you have a yard, and they look like something from a boutique farmhouse shop.

What you need: 5 straight twigs about the same length, a hot glue gun and twine or jute. Fairy lights are optional.

How to make them:

1. Lay out the twigs in a five-point star shape, overlapping at each point.
2. Hot glue each point where the twigs cross.
3. Wrap each joint with twine to hide the glue and add a rustic look.
4. Wind a strand of battery fairy lights through the star for a glowing version.

Make small ones for the tree and a big one for the front door or the barn. Snip the twigs in fall before the snow covers everything.

4. Snowy Mason Jar Luminaries

You probably already have everything for this one in the pantry. Mason jar luminaries give off a soft, frosty glow on a windowsill or down the middle of a Christmas table.

What you need: mason jars, Mod Podge or white glue, Epsom salt, a foam brush, twine and battery tea lights.

How to make them:

1. Brush a thin layer of Mod Podge on the outside of the jar.
2. Roll the jar in a tray of Epsom salt until it looks frosted.
3. Let it dry for a few hours, then tie twine and a sprig of greenery around the rim.
4. Drop in a battery tea light.

Use battery lights, not real candles, since the salt coating isn’t meant to sit near an open flame. They pair perfectly with the ideas in my cheap Christmas table decor post.

5. Pinecone Fire Starters

Pinecone fire starters are a pretty decoration in a basket by the woodstove and a useful gift for anyone with a fireplace or fire pit.

What you need: dry pinecones, old candle stubs or leftover wax, a double boiler or a tin can in a pot of water, cotton wick string and tongs.

How to make them:

1. Bake the pinecones at 200°F for 30 minutes to dry them out and get rid of any bugs.
2. Melt the wax slowly in a double boiler. Never melt wax directly on the burner, and don’t leave it unattended.
3. Tie a short piece of wick to the top of each pinecone.
4. Dip the pinecone in the wax 2 or 3 times with tongs, letting it cool between dips.

Pile them in a basket with a tag that says “Light the wick, then add kindling.”

6. Personalized Wood Slice Ornaments

Wood slice ornaments are the craft people keep for years, especially with a name or date on them.

What you need: wood slices (cut from a downed branch or bought in a bag), sandpaper, a drill or small screw eye, a paint pen or stamps, and clear sealer.

How to make them:

1. Sand the face of each slice smooth.
2. Drill a small hole near the top, or twist in a screw eye.
3. Write names, the year or a simple snowflake with a white or black paint pen.
4. Brush on a coat of clear sealer so they last.

They make sweet gift toppers, too. Tie one onto a wrapped present and it’s a gift tag and an ornament in one.

7. Thrifted Book Page Wreath

A book page wreath looks elegant and vintage, and it starts with a 50-cent paperback from the thrift store.

What you need: an old paperback, a cardboard ring (trace two plates on a cereal box), a hot glue gun and a ribbon or sprig of greenery.

How to make it:

1. Tear out the pages and roll each one into a loose cone.
2. Hot glue the cones around the cardboard ring, pointed ends toward the center.
3. Add a second layer of cones on top to fill in any gaps.
4. Finish with a red velvet bow or a few sprigs of pine.

Lightly brush the edges with cold coffee or tea before rolling for an aged, farmhouse look.

8. Embroidery Hoop Wreaths

Embroidery hoop wreaths are the easiest modern farmhouse wreath you can make, and the hoops cost about $1 each.

What you need: a wooden embroidery hoop (use just the inner ring), faux greenery or eucalyptus stems, floral wire or hot glue, and ribbon.

How to make them:

1. Arrange a small bundle of greenery on one side of the hoop.
2. Wire or glue the stems in place, keeping the rest of the hoop bare.
3. Tie a ribbon at the top for hanging.

Make a set of three in different sizes and hang them on a wall, a mirror or the kitchen cabinets. They also look sweet hanging in front of a window.

9. Simmer Pot Gift Jars

Simmer pot jars are a cozy homemade gift that costs pennies per jar and makes someone’s whole house smell like Christmas.

What you need: pint mason jars, dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, star anise, dried rosemary, a kraft tag and twine.

How to make them:

1. Layer a few dried orange slices, 2 or 3 cinnamon sticks, a spoonful of cloves and a few star anise in each jar.
2. Tuck a sprig of dried rosemary on top.
3. Tie on a tag that says: “Add to a pot of water and simmer on low. Add more water as needed.”

The recipient can toss in fresh cranberries or an apple peel when they simmer it. My simmering holiday potpourri post has more scent combinations to try, and you’ll find more jar gift ideas in my mason jar Christmas gifts roundup.

10. Clothespin Snowflakes

Clothespin snowflakes are a classic craft that’s fun to make while watching a Christmas movie.

What you need: 8 wooden clothespins per snowflake, a hot glue gun, white or silver paint and twine.

How to make them:

1. Pull the clothespins apart so you have 16 flat wooden halves.
2. Glue the flat sides of two halves together to make each “arm” (8 arms total).
3. Arrange the arms in a circle with the points facing out and glue them at the center.
4. Paint white or leave them natural, then add a twine loop.

They look beautiful on the tree, in a window or tied to a wrapped gift.

11. Thrifted Sweater Pillow Covers

An old cable-knit sweater makes the coziest Christmas pillow, and you don’t need to be good at sewing.

What you need: a thrifted sweater, a pillow form or an old pillow, sharp scissors and a needle and thread or fabric glue.

How to make them:

1. Turn the sweater inside out and lay the pillow form on top.
2. Cut around the pillow, leaving about an inch extra on each side.
3. Stitch or fabric glue three sides, then turn it right side out.
4. Slip the pillow in and close the last side.

Place the sweater’s ribbed waistband across the front of the pillow for a fun detail. Cream, red and evergreen sweaters look especially farmhouse.

12. How to Host a Budget Christmas Craft Night

The best part of Christmas crafts for adults is making them with friends. A craft night is a cheap way to celebrate together, and everyone goes home with something handmade.

How to keep it cheap:

• Pick 2 or 3 projects from this list so you can buy supplies in bulk.
• Ask each guest to bring one supply, like a bag of oranges, a box of mason jars or a glue gun.
• Make it a potluck so nobody has to cook a big meal.
• Set up stations around the kitchen table with supplies and a printed instruction card.

Put on Christmas music, light a simmer pot and let everyone pick their favorite project. It’s a tradition your friends will ask about every year.

Closing

You don’t need a craft store haul to make Christmas feel handmade. A bag of oranges, a few twigs from the yard, some thrifted finds and one cozy evening at the kitchen table are enough.

Pick one project this week and make it your own. Then save the rest for a craft night with friends, or for those snowy December afternoons when you’re stuck inside.

Which one are you making first? Tell me in the comments, and pin this post so you can find it again when the craft bug hits.