St. Patrick's Day Crafts for Seniors

By Anna Hazard

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.

As the world begins to gear up to celebrate one of the greenest days of the year, you and your elderly loved one can begin preparations by checking out these St. Patrick's Day related crafts that are fit for being worn, displayed, or used as decorations during the upcoming festivities. Many can continue to be used to bring a splash of color all around the year.
 
Crafts range the gamut from the simple that uses only commonly found household items to those that require a bit more of manual hand dexterity or specialized art supplies. Most crafts & tutorials can be adjusted to fit your senior's ability or can have their materials subbed in for items that are easier to find at hand.

Shamrock Boutonnieres & Corsages

• Protect you and your senior loved ones from the traditional St. Patrick's Day pinches by wearing these  green shamrock boutonnieres and corsages. These particular crafts require a bit more specialized art supplies such as floral wire and fabric stiffeners (liquid starch/mod podge etc) or a bit of creativity (subbing in thinned down Elmer's Glue for mod podge) and handmade tissue flowers for store-bought fake flowers.
• Check out the various boutonniere tutorials at Martha Stewart, Live Laugh Rowe, Miriam Joy's Youtube Channel, and Simply Dream & Create. Corsage tutorials can be found at Vitamini Handmade and Thrifty DIY Diva
  

Rainbow Danglers

• While green is the color most associated with St Patrick's Day, one mustn't forget the rainbows that lead to the pots of gold. These particular colorful crafts are suitable for decorations around the house, in adult daycare, or other assisted living options. Most versions are paper based, the paper plates and toilet paper rolls taking the place of construction paper in some variations.
• Check out instructions & photos at Crafty Morning [1, 2, 3], Scrappin' Memories, Piikea Street, and Gluesticks
  

Pot o' Gold

• Jump straight to the treat at the end of the rainbow with these pot of (candy) gold crafts for St. Patrick's day. Most of the tutorials call for the use of small terracotta pots, but feel free to sub in with whatever you may have on hand (such as any cheap plastic cauldrons left over from Halloween decorating)
  
• Check out various step-by-step guides at 36th Avenue, Oriental Trading, Chica Circle, The Craftables, Quirky Inspired, and Make & Takes
  

Leprechaun Candy Holders

• What's St Patrick's Day without a little leprechaun to go with all the rainbows and pots of gold & golden wrapped candy? These cute little fellows range in a variety of styles from single to multi candy piece holders to candy bags and candy jars. Most leprechauns are paper stock based, but a few variations include mason jars, thick yarn, toilet paper rolls, and clay. Feel free to have your seniors sub in good old fashioned scissor cutting with colored paper instead of using fancy cricut machines and hole punchers as some tuturials suggest,  well as using air dry rather than baked clay.
• Check out all the little leprechauns at Lia Griffith, Happier Than a Pig in Mud, Craft Ideas, Yesterday on Tuesday, Suestampfield, Stitchin' N Stampin', and Consumer Crafts
  

Potted Paper Shamrocks

• A variety of shamrocks & clover in a variety of styles, these are made from paper in various forms such as card stock or even toilet paper rolls . The supplies regarding the rest of the set-up range from terra cotta pots to dried branches to living houseplants to plain mason jars.
• Check out the various shamrock styles available at Paper, Plate, and Plane, HGTV, Mollymoo, Squishy Cute Designs, and Sweet and Lovely Crafts
  

St. Patrick's Day Jars

• These decorative jars range through a wide variety of styles and uses from dioramas to luminaries to vases to treats jars and even St Patrick's styles sensory jars. Choose whichever design strikes or your elder loved one's fancy or whichever suits your current craft supplies at hand. As these crafts require the handling of small items and easily breakable material, they are probably not suitable for those seniors with hand dexterity & strength issues.
  
• Check out the various repurposed mason jars at Sadie Season Goods(Diorama), Pat Catan's Crafts(Diorama), Mom 4 Real(Luminary), A Little Claireification(Vase), Babble (Treat), and Kids Play Box(Sensory)

St. Patrick's Day Hats

• Go green with these St. Patrick's Day hats. Whether it's a mini leprechaun hat or a crown made of clovers, these crafts can easily be made using paper, felt, foam, or even toilet paper rolls. These crafts may require a bit of preparatory cutting for those seniors with hand dexterity issues. Sub in gluing for hat tutorials that require sewing.
• Check out the various step-by-step tutorials at Stitched by Crystal, SandwichINK, Pink Stripey Socks, Lia Griffith, and HGTV

Shamrock Garland

• Decorate your surroundings with these senior-crafted shamrock-styled garlands that are based on card stock, crepe streamers, toilet paper rolls & ribbon, felt, and even repurposed book pages. While all of them use the same shamrock & clover shape as their bases, they come in a wide variety of styles and include some favorites that are no longer available on their original sites.
• Check out the step-by-step guides, both short and long, at Sippy Cup Mom, Blitsy Crafts, Raising Whasians, Dianne Faw, Simple as That, Hoosier Homemade, Frugal Family Home, and Studio DIY
  

St. Patrick's Day Wreath

• Coming in a broad range of styles, these wreaths can be made using a vastly different supplies from dried beans, pool noodles, hedge clippings, and clothes pins to more traditional art materials such as ribbons, mesh, felt, and fabric. Have you senior loved one pick their favorite version and see what supplies are available at hand. Note some wreath styles may require preparation of certain elements ahead of time (such as cutting hedge clippings) or may require more manual hand dexterity than other styles.
• Check out the various tutorials at Sprinkle Some Fun, Bugaboo, Mini, Mr., and Me,  Blue Sky Confections, The Wreath Depot, Babs Made It, Make Bake Celebrate, Remodelando la Casa, DLTK, Pocket Full of Pink, A Night Owl, Modern Pilgram, and DIY Playbook