Create and be merry

Christmastime is all about celebrating family, friends, tradition and a little magic! So, this season, embrace that which brings joy and turn a hand to some fun-filled projects that are destined to impress young and old. Create and be merry! Festive arts, crafts and eats to ring in the season

Air dry clay is an all-star – it’s easy to work with, dries without baking and can be fashioned into pretty much any object your heart desires. We heart Crayola Model Magic!

Step 1: Use your hands to work the air dry clay until it softens, then roll it out until it's large enough to wrap around your small plant pots/jars. Step 2: Next, wrap the clay around the pots/jars and trim off the edges, smoothing over the joint where the two ends meet with a little water and the blunt side of the knife – this should even out the joint. Step 3: Then it’s time for some texture! Taking your pen, use the round side – not the ink point – to pattern your clay pots. Indenting round circles in horizontal lines all the way around your pots – top to bottom. To mix things up, try using the pen to make diffident designs and patterns i.e. a snowflake for Christmas or cacti print! Step 4: Once you’ve finished getting creative leave your pots to dry out in a warm, dry place. Step 5: To make them sparkle and shine, spray them with a coat of spray varnish. If you’re wanting a matte look, skip the varnish and leave them as is or give them a coat of paint – you choose the colour! Step 6: Finally, pop a baby succulent or cacti into your air dry pots!

Pomanders make perfect Christmas decorations, centrepieces and gifts for friends and family. Traditionally known as a ‘perfume ball’, as the orange dries it releases a delicious fragrance that can last up to six months!

Take your orange and pierce it all over with the toothpick – covering it with holes. Then, take your cloves and gently press one into each of your holes – make sure you push the whole clove stem right down into the hole. With your orange fully cloved, it’s onto your spice mix. Take all your spices and mix together in a bowl. Then gently roll your orange in the mix – leave it sitting in the bowl for a week, turning it every second day, in a cool, dry place. After a week of spice curing, remove your orange from the bowl and wrap your red ribbon around the orange. Secure it with a bow and leaving enough length of ribbon to hang it from the Christmas tree or mantle.

This is an easy-peasy Christmas treat to make – and eat!

Line your baking tin with the baking paper. Take two microwave heatproof bowls (or set a stainlesssteel bowl over a simmering pot of water) and melt the chocolates separately – approximately 30seconds. Next, pour the dark chocolate into the baking tin, then pour the milk/ white chocolate on top – gently trailing it through the dark chocolate. The chocolate should spread to a thick slab. Now it’s time to get your reindeer groove on. Take the smarties and arrange over the slab – leaving space between – these are the reindeer noses. Then take your pretzels, snap in half to make two antlers (snap off excess pretzel bits) and press into the chocolate close to the noses. Reindeer sorted, move onto the snowmen. Position your marshmallows in lines of three across the slab. Then taking the scraps of pretzel, fashion snowmen arms and use the red liquorice strip to make scarves. Finally, dust your chocolate with sprinkles and stars and leave the slab to set. Once the chocolate is hard, take your black icing pen to add eyes to the reindeer, and eyes and buttons to the snowmen. Take a knife and cut the bark into pieces around the reindeer and snowmen. Your reindeer and snowmen are ready to gift and devour!