25 Sparkling Ways to Celebrate the Holiday Season

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Ornament Party

Even your non-crafty friends will have a blast at an ornament-making event. You provide the supplies and drinks, guests bring the snacks, and everyone leaves with a new bauble (or five -- make it a swap and ask friends to offer materials for other ornaments). The mod, simple wood decoration shown here makes the perfect project.

1. Buy wood veneer paper in cherry, mahogany, or birch ($12, katespaperie.com) and back it with contact paper, or use spray adhesive to apply regular decorative paper.
2. Use a craft knife and a straight edge to cut the veneer into 3/4-inch-wide strips in 4- and 5-inch lengths.
3. Hot-glue the two longer strips to the shorter length, bowing them out to form the curved sides. Pinch the ends while the glue dries, then punch a hole in the top and attach a velvet ribbon hanger.

Watch a how-to video at LHJ.com/videos

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