The projects cost between $5 and $10 to make
ESCANABA -- One aspiring Escanaba artist is using her creativity to show others how easy it is to make your own Christmas crafts.
She's reaching out through her blog, called "The Starving Artist: A Lot of Creativity on A Little Budget."
On December 14, Carrie Bartel kicked off The 12 Creative Days of Christmas on her blog.
She’ll take fans step by step on how to create affordable Christmas projects.
Bartel said the key to decorating on a dime is to use what you already have.
‘You're reusing Christmas decorations that you've already had for years past,” said Bartel. “And you’re just kind of changing things a little bit. You might have spent money on them years ago. But just switching things up a little bit will allow you to save money and not really put much into it at all."
The first featured project involves something you probably already have: Christmas lights.
It’s as easy as taking a regular basket, putting Christmas lights in it, plugging it in, and you've got the perfect centerpiece for a table or a mantle.
The projects range from easy, to making your own Christmas cards, to a little more challenging, like wax ornaments.
And artists, like Bartel, are finding another platform for their art at Leigh’s Garden Winery.
The business features different artists every second Saturday of the month.
“It's the value of watching that person come in the door,” explains owner Leigh Schmidt. “They can take a sip of wine, walk around, visit with the artist, and just enjoy the artists' work."
To learn more about the simple Christmas crafts, check out the artists’s blog: www.feed-thestarvingartist.blogspot.com
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