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There is nothing quite like the joy of receiving handmade gifts, and there are plenty of reasons to make them. Handmade items can be an affordable alternative to boutique purchases, and creating custom goods gives you the ability to personalize what you’re making to fit each recipient’s specific tastes. Handmade crafting is also a wonderful way to draw friends together in a group activity, which has the added bonus of "many hands making light work," as the proverb suggests. 

Whether you’re after a holiday party favor, a stocking stuffer, or a little something to fight off colds, here are four holiday craft projects you can make in about an hour for gifting to your near-and-dear ones. These were chosen from books you can use and draw inspiration from, not only for crafting and sharing during the holiday season but over and over again year-round, in the artful elevation...

I’m a serial craft-hopper. There, I’ve said it.

This means that I love (adore!) trying out new crafts, but once I’ve made it through my first several learning sessions, just as I’ve begun to get a handle on how it works and finished a few projects successfully, that particular craft loses a touch of luster for me and I find myself putting it aside in search of a new one. 

During the numerous classes I’ve taken and crafting groups I’ve sat in on, I’ve heard many others confess to having this impulse too. There’s something alluring about getting your feet wet with a brand-new crafting experience. Working with new supplies means having new textures, shapes, and colors to touch and explore, new tools and techniques to be learned, and new and different ways...