YOU'RE GONNA MAKE IT AFTER ALL.

Byline: Stories by Carol Bidwell/Staff Writer

If there's a bit of the crafter in any of us, it seems to wiggle its way to the surface just about this time of year.

Not only are we thinking about decorating for Hanukkah and Christmas, but we're beginning to think about gifts, too. And as any nonsmoking mom who's received a lopsided clay ashtray from her offspring can attest, no matter what the gift, it's special when it comes from someone you love and who loves you.

But let's face it: Some crafts - tole painting, needlework, woodworking - take more time, training and skill than most people have.

All crafts aren't difficult, though, otherwise Americans wouldn't be spending $10 billion annually on crafts materials. According to the Hobby Industry Association, more than four out of every five American households have at least one family member engaged in crafts and hobbies - and 77 percent of crafters give their crafts as gifts.

We've come up with five crafts that just about anybody who can wield a wooden spoon, a paint brush or a hot glue gun can do with a minimal outlay of cash. Virtually all are easy enough for the kids to do, but adults with an artistic bent can make some of them into works of art, eminently respectable for gifting . . . or for keeping.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Shake up a snow globe and you reactivate the magic of childhood, when it seemed you could make it snow at will, blanketing a tiny scene with particles of ice and snow. And it's not that hard to make your own, either to re-experience a chunk of your own childhood or to introduce your children to a bit of the magic.

Here's what you'll need:

1 empty, clear glass jar with tight-fitting lid

1 small can spray paint

Small glass, painted clay or ceramic figure

2 cups water (more if jar is larger)

2 teaspoons glycerin (available at pharmacy)

2 tablespoons clear and/or white confetti

Hot glue gun, glue sticks

Here's how to make it:

Paint lid of jar; let dry thoroughly. Turn lid over and paint inside; let dry.

Stir together water and glycerin in pitcher; pour into jar, filling to within 1 inch of rim. Add confetti.

With hot glue gun, glue the small figure (we used a cookie press with a Santa as a handle) to the inside of the painted jar lid. Squirt hot glue on the inside rim of the lid, then screw on lid. Turn over and watch the snow fall.

Cost: About $7, using a thrift-store jar for a globe. There'll be enough glycerin, paint, confetti and glue left over to make another globe or two with the addition of another lidded jar and another figure to go inside.

Time: Several hours, or overnight, to let painted lid dry. Assembly takes less than 15 minutes.

Difficulty: Easy. Small children may need help measuring and pouring glycerin and water.

It's as easy as pouring

Easy holiday candle

Say ``candlemaking,'' and you conjure up images of pioneer women slaving over vats of hot tallow, dipping wicks to give their family light on moonless nights.

Well, it's much easier to shed a little light on the holidays these days. While it's possible to buy paraffin - or even bees' wax - at crafts stores, there's an easier and safer way.

Our candles use a product called Candle Magic, which is finely ground pieces of paraffin, about the texture of coarse sand. No melting is necessary, so no little fingers get burned in the process. And it makes much less of a mess, although it's best to lay down a few sheets of newspaper before starting.

Here's what you'll need:

A clean, attractive, clear-glass jar or mug, heavy enough to withstand a bit of heat.

A wick that reaches from the bottom of the jar or mug to a couple of inches above the rim.

One or more bags of Candle Magic.

A pencil, chopstick or wooden spoon

Here's how to make it:

Place the wick in the center of the jar or mug, making suite confetti

Hot glue gun, glue sticks

Hre it touches bottom. Tape the top end of the wick around a pencil, chopstick or wooden spoon to hold it in place, and tape the anchor in place. Pour in the Candle Magic.

You can make a candle of all one color, layer colors to make stripes, run a knife through it to ``marbleize'' the colors, or tilt the jar or mug gently and layer in colors to make slanted stripes.

When the jar is filled, your candle is done. Use the scissors to cut the wick so a half-inch or more protrudes above the wax. Throw away the unused portion of the wick and untape anchor rod from jar.

Cost: For two candles, using heavy thrift-store mugs, about $9.50. You'll have several wicks left over (from a package of five) and possibly some Candle Magic, depending on the size of your mugs, so you might be able to make a third, smaller candle for only the additional cost of a small jar or mug.

Time: Less than 15 minutes.

Difficulty: Very easy. No special skills needed. But as with all candles, be sure not to let the glass holders overheat once they are lit, and keep the finished product away from curtains and other flammable items.

Cooking up crafty fun

Recipe card gifts

Come the holidays, everybody's thoughts turn to family and fun - and food! And what better way to preserve Aunt Edna's recipe for Sticky Buns or Gram's secret for the best butter cookies than to write them down on recipe cards designed just for the holidays?

Around this time of year, you can often find holiday-decorated recipe cards in local party, book and card shops. Or you could create your own with a stack of 3-by-5-inch or 4-by-6-inch index cards and some holiday stickers. And for giving, you can dress them up a bit.

Here's what you'll need:

An 18- to 24-inch length of jute twine, heavy yarn or ribbon, any color.

Two clay, ceramic or wooden figures, each 1-1/2 inches to 2 inches high.

Hot glue gun.

Glue.

Here's how to make it:

Use jite confetti

Hot glue gun, glue sticks

Hute, yarn or ribbon to tie the cards together; make a big bow and cut the ends to fall about halfway down the card. Use the glue gun to glue a small figure to the end of each tie.

Or, you could make your recipe cards into a book. Use a paper punch to make a hole in the upper left-hand corner of each card. Use jute, yarn or ribbon to tie the cards together, tie a bow, and glue the figures to the ends of the ties.

Cost: About $4.50 to assemble and decorate a stack (or a book) of 50 recipe cards.

Time: Less than 15 minutes.

Difficulty: Very easy. Small children will need help handling the hot glue gun.

Ho-ho-dough for the holidays

Everybody loves squishing stuff between their fingers - meatloaf, fingerpaint, mud pies . . . you name it. That's why it's such fun to make your own craft dough, to fashion into anything from a candy dish to a tree ornament.

Here's what you'll need:

A large-size resealable plastic bag

1 cup flour

1/4 cup salt

1/3 cup water

A rolling pin

Cookie cutters or a knife

A straw or colored paper clips

Colored acrylic paint

Clear acrylic gloss paint

Colored ribbon or twine

Here's how to make it:

In a large-size resealable plastic bag, combine flour, salt and water; zip closed and knead until dough is well-mixed and without lumps. (If dough is dry and crumbly, add more water, a few drops at a time. If it feels too mushy and wet, add more flour, a sprinkle at a time.)

When it's smooth and of the consistency of cookie dough, you can store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, but bring it to room temperature when you're ready to use it.

To make ornaments, use a rolling pin to flatten the bag of dough, to -1/4-inch thick. Zip open the bag, then cut each side open. Fold back the top layer of plastic and use cookie cutters - or a knife and your own pattern - to make the shapes you want. While the dough is soft, either push a paite confetti

Hot glue gun, glue sticks

Hper clip into the back of the ornament, making sure the top of the clip sticks out over the ornament, or use a straw to make a hole in the top of the ornament. Lift away any unused dough; fold the plastic back over and knead the leftovers together, reroll, peel back the plastic again, and cut more shapes out of it.

Let your cut-out ornaments sit on a flat surface in a cool, dry place for two to three days, until they're thoroughly dry.

Then paint them with acrylic paint in colors and designs of your choice. When dry, give them a coat of clear acrylic gloss.

Thread short lengths of ribbons through the paper clip or the hole you made, tie the ribbon into a bow and hang your decoration.

Cost: Less than $5 for a dozen ornaments.

Time: Mixing, rolling and cutting the dough takes only about 30 minutes. Then it must dry for two to three days. Painting the ornaments takes another 30 minutes; they take anywhere from several hours to overnight to dry. A final coat of clear gloss needs several more hours to dry.

Difficulty: No special skills needed, but young children will need adult help.

A step-by-step guide to shrinking

Shrink art pins

You may not want to wear your heart on your sleeve, but you can wear your holiday cheer on your lapel with handmade pins using the same principal as shrink-wrapping packages: Apply heat and watch it get smaller.

This craft can produce everything from tiny charms to large sun-catchers you can hang in the window year-round. All you really need to do is trace, bake and glue.

Here's what you'll need:

1 package (6 sheets) Aleene's Opake Shrink-It plastic

A design to copy

Fine-grained sandpaper 

Fine-tipped pen

Colored pencils or paints

Scissors

Pin backing or (for hanging) hole punch 

Here's how to make this craft:

Use sandpaper to rough up the surface of the plastic sheets. Choose an uncomplicated design from a coloring booite confetti

Hot glue gun, glue sticks

Hk, magazine or other source and photocopy it so the copy is 160 percent of the size you want your final project to be. Place the design under a plastic sheet and use a fine-tip pen to trace it onto the plastic. Color design with pencils. (If you plan to use paints, wait until after design has shrunk before painting.)

Preheat oven to 275 F. Use scissors to cut designs from plastic sheet. (Now is the time to punch a hole for hanging if you plan to use your design as an ornament or charm instead of a pin). Place plastic pieces, not touching, on a sheet of aluminum foil on a baking sheet. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes. (Plastic will curl as it shrinks but will uncurl and flatten as shrinking is finished.) Remove from oven and cool. If using paint, paint them; let dry. Coat finished designs with clear acrylic gloss paint or clear nail polish and let dry. Adhere a pin to the back for a lapel pin (use an adhesive pin, or use a hot glue gun to attach another kind of pin), add to a bracelet for a charm, or tie a ribbon on it for hanging.

Cost: About $4 for a package of Aleene's Opake Shrink-It plastic.

Time: About 30 minutes, depending on the complexity of your design and how much you embellish it with color. To save time, a whole sheet of pins or ornaments can be made, then baked at once.

Difficulty: Moderately difficult; needs a steady hand. Children will need help using the oven.

CAPTION(S):

9 Photos

Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Handmade for the holidays

Five quick crafts that are straight from the heart, but easy on the wallet

(2 -- color) no caption (Snow globe)

(3 -- color) no caption (Holiday decorated recipe cards)

(4 -- color) The paraffin granules pour right over the wick in a mug or jar, with no heating required.

(5 -- color) Candle Magic, made of finely ground pieces of paraffin, makes candlemaking easy.

(6) no caption (Craft dough)

David Crane/Staff Photographer

(7) ``Shrink art'' lets you make, wrap, heat and shrink tiite confetti

Hot glue gun, glue sticks

Hny jewelry or larger pieces using the same principles applied to large packages.

(8) Fogg traces a Santa onto the shrink plastic before baking.

(9) Shrink-art guru Audrey Fogg places the plastic into an oven to bake the designs for her shrink art.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer