An inexpensive way to create cheery, colorful decorations—you’ll want to get the kids in on this!

What you’ll need:

• Pliable poster board or heavy construction paper (assorted colors)
• Patterned crafting paper
• Popsicle sticks
• Pipe cleaners
• Hole punch
• Hot glue gun

Instructions for Spheres:

1. Cut poster board (or construction paper) into ten 1 ½ inch by 9 inch strips.
2. Stack them in the order you want the colors to alternate in the ornament.
3. Using a hole punch, make a hole about 1/8 inch from each end of the strips.
4. Bow the stack of strips into a U shape and thread a pipe cleaner through each hole, leaving 1 ½ inches sticking out of each end.
5. Take a smaller piece of pipe cleaner and wrap it around these ends (at the base) so that the strips stay put.
6. Take a pencil or pen and wrap around the ends to create a curly pigtail.
7. Wrap a metal ornament hanger around the tip of one of pipe cleaner pigtails and it’s ready to hang!

Instructions for Christmas presents:

1. Hot glue popsicle sticks into a square frame.
2. Cut patterned paper into two 6 ½ inch by 6 inch pieces. (Each side can be a different pattern.)
3. Take two pipe cleaners and wrap each one around a pencil to create a spiral effect.
4. Glue each paper section to either side of the popsicle frame, leaving room to insert the pipe cleaners (each one now looped end-to-end). Placed side-by-side, they form the “bow” to your present-shaped ornament.
5. This ornament should be stiff enough to place on the bough of a tree without a hanger.