Paper Cone Angel
Make this pretty paper cone angel to decorate your table or tree. The angel is easy to customize and personalize using your favorite festive rubber stamps!

Goofy Reindeer Ornament
Need a little silly on your tree? This easy ornament from Tammy Powley will lighten the mood on your tree this year.

Curly Branch Paper Tree
These are a recycler's dream and can be made from a used pencil or colored pencil and a sheet of any paper or curling ribbon in any color - try used gift wrap or ribbon to make a wonderfully stylized forest.

Little Tree Cross Stitch
Stitch a tiny, tiny tree using this pattern by Connie G. Barwick and add it to a card or gift tag. Or, add more pizazz and decorate the tiny tree with sequins and beads.

Christmas Tree Pillow
This easy to knit pillow has a simple Christmas tree motif on one side, and plain red and green stripes on the other, so you can use it all winter long without feeling too mired in Christmas decorations.

Puzzle Piece Ornaments
Create your own unique ornaments for your Christmas tree or other holiday decorating needs by recycling old jigsaw puzzle pieces. You can use the ideas and directions I provide on these project sheets to create a variety of ornaments. Use my projects as inspiration to create your own designs.

Christmas Scrubby Soaps
This project from David Fisher is a simple variation of his Animal Melt and Pour Scrubbies project - except with Christmas themed nylon scrubbies.

Sparkling Holiday Pin
This elegant sparkles pin from the Bliss Tree blog is really easy to make, especially if you start with a pre-formed pin with drop loops.

Recycled Christmas Needle Book
From the Craftside blog, create this needle book out of scraps from recycled wool felted sweaters. HTis is the perfect gift for the stitcher in your life.

Painted Christmas Cards
Imagine receiving not just your average Hallmark card, but one hand painted by a dear friend. Spend a cozy night painting a few cards with the instructions and technique guides from Marion Boddy-Evans.

Want to Join Make it Merry to show off your holiday crafts? We will showcase your crafts and recipes of all holiday traditions. Learn more.

I know you remember it from the 1960s and 70s, but Soap on a Rope is actually a really cool novelty...and makes a great gift. Because it keeps the soap from sitting in any water, your soap lasts longer...and is always ready at hand. And with the variety of molds, ropes, scents and colors available, you can make your own classic soapy-rope creation.

Time is growing short for Christmas projects and gifts. Brambleberry has several really cool soap and stocking stuffer kits that they are featuring...including Glitter Soap, and a Sweet and a Spice version of a Stocking Stuffer kit. Really fun stuff!

Many of us have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen the past few weeks. I've made a few of batches of soap - pretty standard stuff - one with a blend of spearmint, clove and neroli essential oils, my Tea with Vita blend; one with a spicy, pepperminty, sugary holiday fragrance oil that I've had for a few years and used the last little bit of; and some melt and pour single-use Poinsettia Leaves soaps. What have you been making? What do you still have left to make? Click on the "comments" section below and tell us!

Photo: Don Farrall / Getty Images

"The Cat in the Candle Factory" ends, "So the factory was fine until Christmas...but that's another story!" Well this is the other story...and it's become a family favorite and tradition at our house. Now that my son is old enough to understand that his Dad makes candles, he really relates the characters in the book, including the cats, to his own house. It's a really fun and heartwarming book, about a real cat in a real candle factory, delightfully illustrated, with a wonderful subtle lesson for kids who might have to struggle to get along with their younger siblings. And anyone who has ever busily made candles for craft fairs or as gifts will certainly relate to the story as well, and also relate (like I certainly can) to the trouble that little ones (feline or human) can cause in the candle shop!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...at least in the U.S. A. Whether you like it or not, you can't go far without seeing some manifestation of Christmas. But Christmas is just one of the many world-wide Festivals of Lights being embraced and celebrated this month that are part of mankind's annual ritual passage through the dark days of Winter. And where there is a festival of light, there are most likely candles.
From the earliest Roman festivals and pagan rituals, through Europe and Africa to the Americas, candles and their enigmatic light have been one of the key factors in the celebration of the winter holidays. They are both decorative and utilitarian, and as I've spoken of many times on this site, have a certain beauty and power that just can't be summed up in words.
So while there isn't an About.com site about Christmas specifically, there are dozens and dozens of craft and holiday related pages. I have compiled a list of my favorite Christmas and Winter-related links. And I'll continue to feature the "Make It Merry" compilation of craft projects from the About Guides. Go make some candles and enjoy your particular special festival of light.
Photo Credit: Chris Sattlberger / Getty Images

Happy Thanksgiving, folks. Welcome to another edition of Make it Merry, where talented crafters share their holiday how-to's.

Snowman Ornament
Sherri Osborn will show you how to create a cute snowman face using a clear, glass ornament. It's a great project for the whole family.

Recycled Pine Cone Gnome
Get a glimpse of this pine cone gnome at the Recycled Crafts blog. It's a cute reason to collect a few pine cones around the yard.

CopprClay Pendants
Try your hand with pendant making this year with a little help from some winter foliage. The Beading Arts blog will show you how.

How to Make Paper
Handmade paper not only makes a great gift for the avid scrapbooker in your life, but you can also create tags and cards for every present on your list. Marion Boddy-Evans shows us how.

Little Town of Bethlehem Cross Stitch
Get down to the true meaning of Christmas with this simple cross stitch pattern from Connie G. Barwick.

Mitten Earrings
Tammy Powley shows us how to make these cute mitten earrings using lampwork beads.

Christmas Stocking
This cute two-color Christmas stocking is a breeze to knit, even if you've never knit a sock before. Worked with bulky yarn on big needles, it will be done and ready for you to embellish in no time.

Advent Garland
If you are looking for something a little different when it comes to counting down to the holidays this year then take a look at this pyramid box Advent garland. Use the free template to make the boxes and decorate them with your favorite festive stamps.

Miniature Gift Boxes
Have a little gift to give? Check out these free printable miniature gift boxes for small gifts or advent calendars from Lesley Shepherd.

Manga Holiday Card
Instead of a traditional Christmas card, you could go with something a little more contemporary this year. Helen South has tips on how to create a manga style card.

Want to Join Make it Merry to show off your holiday crafts? We will showcase your crafts and recipes of all holiday traditions. Learn more.

Adding chunks or shredded bits of already finished soap to a fresh batch of soap is a really easy method to add some neat variety to your soap bars, give them a unique look, recycle a batch of soap - or all of the above. The concept is the same as with Chunk Candles, or my Morning Mint melt and pour soap recipe, but with a few changes and a little bit more math. But it's worth it. You can get colors, scent blends and designs that just aren't possible with a plain "one-batch" soap.

Welcome to another edition of Make it Merry, where talented crafters share their holiday how-to's.

Advent Candy Tree
Everyone loves counting down to the holidays...add candy to the mix and you've got a fun Advent calendar from Sherri Osborn for the whole family to enjoy.

Pumpkin Cross Stitch Pattern
Use a variegated floss to make a swirling pumpkin that would look great near the Thanksgiving table. Connie G. Barwick has the free pattern.

Knit Wreath Ornament
Scrap knitting makes for fun quick projects that are perfect for any skill level. Sarah E. White has the instructions for this cute wreath.

Miniature Glitter Houses
Snowy villages look great upon every mantle and tabletop. Lesley Shepherd has a free printable so you can make your own tiny houses.

Paper Bead Star Ornament
If you're looking for something a little different to do with your paper beads then take a look at this paper bead star. This project is simple to adapt in a wide variety of ways.

Rustic Pillar Candles
'Tis the season for running out to buy candles. David Fisher will show you how to make these festive pillar candles with the perfect finish.

Pear Diamonds Painted Card
This card has an intricate finish, but it is so easy to make. Tina Jones shows us how to create this colorful card from start to finish.

Christmas Apron Pattern
Just because you've got to bake cookies for the whole family doesn't mean you can't look fabulous! Phyllis Dobbs has created this adorable holiday apron, and she's got the free pattern just for you.

Flower Petal Ornament Cover
Sometimes those plain ornaments just need a little dressing up. Tammy Powley will show you how to use seed beads to create this unique ornament drapery.

Paint a Christmas Tree
Instead of paying a premium for a colored tree, Barbara Crews will show us how to paint your tree red to match the latest holiday trends.

Want to Join Make it Merry to show off your holiday crafts? We will showcase your crafts and recipes of all holiday traditions. Learn more.

Usually I only rebatch soap when I've made a mistake on a batch, or need to incorporate some persnickity ingredient. But there are suppliers that sell a product which is made with the intention of rebatching:

• SoapCrafters sells a product called Soap Noodles
• BrambleBerry sells grated rebatch base

They're real cold process soap, finely shredded, that is intended to be used to make rebatched soap. You just add your own fragrance and color. SoapCrafters has a great oven-process tutorial on using their Soap Noodles, and Bramble Berry has got a step by step tutorial on rebatching soap that uses the "plastic bag" technique on her Soap Queen blog too. Check them out!