Christmas Crafts-Add a Classy and Magical Touch With an Old Fashion Christmas Fruit Basket

This craft idea is sure to make a colorful and festive splash to your Christmas home décor, or as the perfect hostess gift.  In addition, by using a small strand of clear Christmas lights, it can also make a nice holiday night light in your guest bathroom.

Begin by stuffing your Christmas basket or container with newspaper to a height of three quarters of the way up. Using a hot glue gun, apply hot glue to the bottom of one large pinecone and hold firmly against the newspaper till glue bonds. Repeat the process using one large artificial red apple and one large artificial green apple. Continue the above steps alternating between pinecones and apples until the bottom of the basket is full. Once the glue has dried and items have adhered to the newspaper move on to step 2. 

Start a second layer this time using medium and small size pinecones and apples. Hot glue items to your larger size pinecones and apples until glue bonds firmly in place. Note: you will need to check pinecones and apples making sure none are loose before adding lights. Next, wrap and tuck 1 strand of miniature size clear Christmas lights around the pinecones and apples.  The eraser end of a pencil works great for tucking the lights in place between the pinecones and apples. Remember to leave about a one foot leader of the light cord hanging at the back of the basket so lights can be easily plunged in to an outlet. Next, using your ribbons listed below (3/4 inch or smaller) tie a bow around the handle on the left side of the basket. To personalize your basket, hot glue a 3-D foam letter sticker around the top of the handle (as seen in photo). Cinnamon sticks would also add a nice smell and could easily be hot glued in to place.

Supplies:

• Store bought basket or container with a handle.
• Large, medium, and small pinecones
• Large, medium, and small artificial apples in red and green
• ½ yard red & white candy stripe or plaid satin ribbon (¾ inch or smaller) Note: for a very large basket, use wider ribbon)
• ½ yard green satin ribbon (¾ inch or smaller) Note: for a very large basket, use wider ribbon)
• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue sticks
• 1 strand of green wired small clear Christmas lights (Single-ended plug)
• 1 3-D Foam letter sticker used for scrap-booking (Personalize it using any letter, we used the letter "S")
• Newspaper 

Merry Christmas!

Linda Johnson is a degreed and experienced crafter and interior/exterior decorating specialist, with years of experience helping friends, family, and clients solve their decorating and craft needs. Linda and her contributing editors invite you to submit your own great ideas for free, and also find tons more craft ideas and decorating projects like this with photos to try yourself.