Christmas crafts with foam

As we enter the festive part of the year, spending time with family is important. For many, undertaking arts and crafts activities is the perfect way to spend some quality time together.

The first crafting activity that is proving to be incredibly popular is the creation of hollow foam ‘baubles’. These aren’t vastly different to the typical Christmas bauble – they can be round or square, or any other shape you wish. For something a little different (and a little easier if it’s your first time making them!), squishy square baubles are a fun alternative to the fragile and plastic baubles that are typically used.

To make a standard size cube bauble, we recommend a size of approximately 10cm by 10cm. Alternatively, if you need more room, do consider a 12cm by 12cm bauble shape. Using our online cut to size tool, order as many foam cubes as you like. You may decide to make one, or ten! For this activity, we recommend ordering a high or very-high density foam, as the bauble needs to retain its shape even when it holds a small gift or trinket inside.

Taking your foam cube, measure the centre point and cut directly down the middle, splitting your cube in two. Next, trace out a shape in the middle - this will then be cut out. Leave approximately 1cm from the edge, and whilst using a craft knife, begin to cut along these lines to hollow out your shape. Grab eight small Velcro circles and secure these to the inner side of the bauble with a strong glue, so that the shape fixes together when closed.

To decorate, grab a very thin piece of ribbon or some thick embroidery thread, and loop this on the top of the cube shape using an embroidery needle. Once the two loose ends are tied, test out your loop by hooking it on your Christmas tree! Now for the fun part – using paint, glue, glitter and whatever materials you wish, decorate your shape. For advice on painting foam, please read our simple guide here.

Another excellent craft activity is creating Christmas-themed foam stack models. Again, these can be made to whatever size, using as many or as little parts as you wish. Using several foam sheets, these can be stacked and glued together to make a fun 3D model. That said, this simple craft has proven popular with children, and here, we are going to create a basic snowman figure.

First, order three small sheets of foam approximately 20cm by 20cm in size, and 2cm thick, using our cut to size calculator. Once your foam sheets arrive, cut out the following from the first sheet: two circles that are 5cm in diameter, and two circles that are 7cm in diameter. Taking your second and third sheets, cut out two circles that are 9cm in diameter each.

Next grab some clear, strong glue and stack your shapes together in the following order: a 5cm circle piece on the base, followed by a 7cm circle, followed by two 9cm circles stacked upon one another, and then topped again with the 7cm circle and a 5cm circle. Taking your 5cm cylinder shape, apply some glue to the curved edge and fix this to the top of the 3D model. Using excess foam, you are then free to decorate as you please, adding an extra foam nose and arms, or drawing on features to bring your snowman to life!

There are endless possibilities when it comes to crafting Christmas theme decorations, see our other Christmas crafting blog for more ideas.

If you would like to discuss your foam requirements for your crafting activities, do contact our friendly team.