St Patricks Day Craft Ideas: 
Here Are a Few of Our Favorites!

Coming up with great St Patricks Day craft ideas is a fun way to express our Irish sides on the most famous of Irish holidays!  Activities like these are a great way to teach young lads and lasses - and older ones for that matter! - about Irish culture and customs.

Not only is it fun to put our imaginations to work, it's an opportunity to learn more about the fascinating story of Saint Patrick and his importance in Irish history.

First, to State the Obvious...

Centuries ago everything was handmade.

The emergence of factories in the 1800s resulted in mass-production of many necessities - but some items of special meaning continue to be hand-crafted even today.

Crafts such as paintings, embroidered panels, tapestries, jewelry, greeting cards, and hand-blown glass can be found in Irish homes and stores.

Hand thrown tableware, handbags, coats, and engagement rings are also among today's Irish crafts.  But for our purposes, here are a few ideas you can do on your own.

St Patricks Day Craft Ideas
Project #1:  Irish Greeting Cards

Computers provide wonderful ways to make greeting cards and invitations.  You can look for free online pictures with Irish themes, or pay for stock images.  You can offer a more personal touch if you actually go out and take the photos you print on the front of the card.  

Instructions

You can use computer software like greeting card programs found online to upload the picture and then insert a personal message inside.  A more personal touch would be to create all the greeting cards by hand.

• Gather construction paper, scissors, glue, green pens, paint, and glitter. Also gather other colors of pens, paint and glitter.
• Fold the paper in half or in quarters, depending on how you want the greeting card or invitation to look.
• Draw a design on the cards. Leprechauns, clovers, the claddagh, Irish castles, and any other Irish symbol can work.
• After the front of the card is dry you can add your personal message inside. Add more decorations if you wish like a pot of gold and a rainbow.

Project #2:  St Patrick's Day Name Bracelets

Name bracelets are another great example of St Patricks Day craft ideas.  If you intend on hosting a party where everyone might not know each other or you want to make a lasting gift, name bracelets can be the way to go.

Instructions

Beads are the best way to go for these bracelets.

• Go to your local craft store to pick up an elastic string. Also pick up rainbow colored beads and lettering.
• Tie one end of the elastic string and then test a wrist to see what length would be best. Remember, with the beads on you need the string a little longer than the actual wrist size. You also have to have enough to tie the two ends together when you are done putting on the beads. Test a couple of wrists if you know you are making them for adults and children.
• Green beads as the main bracelet color make the most sense with St. Paddy’s Day. Put an even amount of green beads on each side of the name. As long as you do not tie the first end too tight you can always add more if necessary once you get the name on. Rainbow colored names can be the most fun, but white beads with black lettering are also available.

Project #3:  Handmade Hair Pins

In keeping with the tradition of St. Patrick’s Day you might want to make name bracelets for the boys (see instructions above) and hair pins for the girls at your children’s party.  That provides something special for all!

Instructions

Hair pins can be made as follows:

• Visit your local craft store to purchase hair pins, beads, and glue.
• Name hair pins can be made with the beads. If you do not want name hair pins consider finding clovers you can glue onto the hair pins.
• Hot glue guns are best for this rather than other craft glue. If you make name hair pins use different color beads for the letters in each name.

Project #4:  A Hand-Printed Rainbow

Rainbows are often associated with St. Patrick’s Day, along with leprechauns, pots of gold and shamrocks.  This hand-print rainbow is one of our kids' favorite St Patricks Day craft ideas. They love all the colors and the finished rainbows look fabulous.

Materials Needed

• Large piece of thick white paper
• Glue
• Construction paper in rainbow colors

Instructions

Have kids trace their hands on construction paper and cut out the handprints. Make sure you have handprints cut out in red, orange yellow, green, blue, indigo (or dark purple) and violet (light purple works).

On the thick white paper, start with the red handprints, arranging them in a large arch, making the top, largest arch of the rainbow.

Glue them down. Next, add the orange handprints, arranging them so they overlap the red handprints. Glue them.

Continue gluing on handprints of each color in smaller and smaller arches until the rainbow is complete.

Project #5:  A Leprechan Hat Planter

Combining the look of a leprechaun hat and a fun plant, you will enjoy creating this planter and watching the plant that grows within!

Materials Needed

• Plastic green planters (about 3-inch)
• Black ribbon
• Small plant
• Yellow craft foam
• Scissors
• Craft Glue
• Extra potting soil

Instructions

If you want, you can start by letting your child choose their own small plant for the project. The green planter will be the Leprechaun hat.

Take 1-inch square of the yellow craft foam. Fold it in half, snipping two cuts over the fold, but only cut the snips about halfway.

Now, take the black ribbon and thread the it through the slits you have cut in the yellow craft foam. This will be the buckle for the hat.

Glue ribbon and buckle around the planter to look like a belt around a hat.

Plant the small plant in the planter. Add extra potting soil if needed.

As a fun variation, consider planting shamrock seeds, which you can find on the Internet.  Sometimes the seeds come in a kit with genuine potting soil from Ireland!

Project #6:  A Shamrock Placemat

Let kids make these fun placemats, and then they can use them for dinner on St. Patrick’s Day!  Bring them out again during the year to remind them of their Irish heritage.

Materials Needed

• Shamrock template
• Two pieces of scrapbook paper (for every placemat)
• Black permanent marker
• Green construction paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Double-sided tape
• Sheets for laminating

Instructions

Choose simple scrapbook paper to be the background of the placemat. One piece will be the front of the placemat and one sheet will be the back.

This way you can flip it over and enjoy using both sides.

On the green construction paper, use a shamrock template to trace a shamrock with a pencil. Use the black marker to trace over the pencil so it will stand out.

In the middle, write the child’s name. Cut out the shamrock.

Use double-sided tape to attach the shamrock to the scrapbook paper. Use the double-sided tape to attach the other piece of scrapbook paper on the back, ensuring that the edges match up.

Use laminating sheets to laminate the placemat on both sides.

And for many more St Patricks Day craft ideas we invite you to visit Gathered magazine, one of our favorite sources of craft ideas.

Fun!  What's Next?

At Irish Expressions, our our goal is simple: to provide you with a unique Irish experience, on demand, wherever you are in the world.

If you have enjoyed our section on St Patricks Day craft ideas, you have probably been exposed to many of the most exciting traditions that Ireland has to offer!

Will that entice you to visit Ireland - or to return if you have already been? 

We hope so!  

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