Last minute Christmas gift idea

During the Christmas season, we often visit family and friends. Here's a lovely hostess gift idea that's quick and easy to make—even if you're putting it together just before heading out the door.

You will need a small glass bowl and some candies to fill it.

Using the rim of the bowl as a guide, trace a circle onto a piece of thin corrugated cardboard and cut it out. This circle will serve as the lid for your bowl and provide a sturdy base for attaching the decorations on top of your gift.

Cut a circle from cellophane that is considerably larger than the bowl. Place the cardboard lid on top of the bowl, then set the bowl in the center of the cellophane circle and gather the edges of the cellophane up around it.

Tape the edges of the cellophane together over the lid, keeping the top as flat and even as possible.

Die-cut two large flowers from gold-colored paper for each gift. Using a shaping tool, gently press the underside of each petal to give it a slight curl. A soft mouse pad works well as a shaping surface.

Apply glue around the edges and in the center of a round paper doily, then glue the doily to the top of the lid.

Glue the two flowers to the center of the paper doily.

Die-cut poinsettia flowers from red cardstock. For each flower, you'll need two large blossoms, two medium-sized blossoms, and one small blossom. If you'd like, you can add a little extra color by rubbing ink onto the petals. Then emboss the die-cut flowers using an embossing folder.

You'll also need five leaves for each flower. Shape the leaves with a shaping tool to soften them, then fold each one in half along the center vein. Trim the base of each leaf slightly by cutting off a small piece from the bottom.

Layer the flowers, rotating each one slightly so that the petals are staggered in relation to the layer beneath it. Glue the flowers together at their centers, using a generous amount of adhesive.

Glue the flower to the lid of the gift bowl.

Apply a small amount of glue to the center of the flower and sprinkle gold beads over it. Use a toothpick to gently press the beads into the glue so they adhere securely.

Apply a little glue to the base of each green leaf and tuck the leaves between the red flower and the gold flower. Allow the glue to dry.

Once the glue has dried, gently gather the red petals in your hand and squeeze them together. This will give the flower its three-dimensional shape.

Done! Happy Holidays!