Three quick crafts for Advent

Christmas has always been an important event for me throughout my life and while I am not actively practicing a religious faith, I respect the religious origin of the occasion. I was brought up in Austria, a country whose culture is deeply entwined with the Roman Catholic faith. Many of the local traditions around Advent time (the four weeks before Christmas Eve) are deeply meaningful and beautiful, even for someone who is not religious.

I have the fondest memories of dark, sometimes snowy, but always cosy winter evenings, of air filled with the smells of nutty biscuits and beeswax candles. We always had an Advent wreath with four red candles, which would be lit one by one on a Sunday for each week of Advent, and we would sing traditional songs - the song 'Silent Night' originates from Austria. These traditions have become a huge part of what family life means to me, as they gave me a sense of belonging, security and being nurtured as a child.

And it is these memories that always pull me to my crafting cupboard when the air gets crisp and the leaves start falling in Autumn.

If you, like me, feel an itch to get crafting, here are some ideas you may want to try:

Decorative pine cones

I love to bring nature into the house, and pine cones are a must at Christmas time. Get children involved in collecting pine cones throughout the year - try to collect ones that are fully open and have no seeds in them (though if any seeds fall out once you have brought them home, you can scatter them in your garden for the squirrels).

Adding string to a pine cone is simple - you don't need any tools or glue. All you do is slide a (fairly thin but strong) thread underneath the top cone scales (also called 'bracts') of the pine cone, going round the top in a circle, underneath the tight bracts) and tying a knot. I like use a single strand of golden embroidery floss - this slides nicely underneath the bracts.

Once you have attached the string, you can get your children to add bows, or thread pompoms onto the string above the pine cone. They can also paint the pine cones or add colourful feathers in between the more open bracts.

Gilded pine cones

If you want to make your pine cones look particularly festive, you can decorate them with gilding wax. As it contains solvents and powdered metal, gilding wax is not suitable for children to use, and you should protect your skin with gloves when using it.

But if you have some gilding wax at home, it helps you to add instant lustre and elegance to the most simple things:

You need:

• some pine cones

• a small pot of gilding wax

• a brush to apply the wax with

• some string - red or green and white twine is popular, but gold thread always adds something special

Add the string to the pine cones first - I say this because when you have applied the gilding wax, they need to be left to dry, and I know from experience that if I don't finish a craft on the same day, it may never get finished! So, attach your strings, and then dab the brush into the gilding wax and apply it to the bits of the pinecone that stick out. Place them on a piece of newspaper to dry - this should take about a day. Then they are ready to hang up.

Applying gilding wax to pine cones is a quick and fun way to add some home made Christmas decor to your tree.

Straw stars

All you need is some straw from a local farmer (or you can order it online), some coloured thread (I like to use red perle yarn), and some scissors. If you are doing this craft with children, it's also helpful to have some pins and a cork trivet/cork board, or anything you can stick pins into.

Start by splitting the straw in half lengthways - you do this by inserting a pin in the middle of a piece of straw and running the pin down the length of the straw both ways.

To create one star you need eight pieces of straw of about 10cm in length each, some string, scissors, pins and a cork trivet (or a pillow).

If you'd like to make one, you can go to my Creations page that has instructions on how to make a straw star.

Garlands

Garlands are perfect for decorating doorways, banisters and fireplaces. They are easy to make and you can get very creative with them. Here are some ideas:

Paper chains

I often look at old photos and when I come across ones of our living room at Christmas, I'm often surprised about how festive the humble paper chain made it look - when my daughter was about 4 or 5, she used to love making these and they often adorned our living room. They really are the easiest thing to make, but they don't have to make your house look like a kindergarten. Use elegant gift wrapping paper, and vary the width of the strips when you cut the paper to add interest. Anyway, Christmas is all about maximalism in my view - a tree has to be loaded with decorations, the more the better! You can make very simple paper chains which add an instant pop of colour to any room, and if you have a colour scheme for your tree, a paper chain is an easy way to repeat that scheme (or reflect it elsewhere in the room).

Make some tassels or pompoms out of yarn and attach them to a ribbon or rope.

If you know how to crochet, you can crochet some simple stars and turn them into a garland.

Use pine cones as described above and attach them to a ribbon.