Christmas decorations now reach the high street shops from the moment summer ends, which is depressing for some, exciting for others. We spend so much money on one day of the year, we might as well enjoy the lead up right? For crafters, this means endless opportunities for creating beautiful festive items. Card and gifts are often popular projects for crafters to take on, but more recently, Christmas decorations have become just as popular. This is likely to be because a lot of us are bored with the standard Christmas decorations you get in shops on the high street, and we want something more unique. There really is no better way to create gorgeous, beautiful Christmas decorations than to craft them yourself, here’s how:
Nature
There are lots of different natural inspirations for Christmas decorations which don’t involve too much skill on your part in order to make them decoration ready.
- Mistletoe – this magical Christmas plant looks stunning wrapped in ribbon hung in a doorway. It is also cheap to buy which is a bonus.
- Pine cones – spray them with glitter and pile them in a bowl, tie a ribbon around them and hang them from the tree, or incorporate them into your wreath.
- Fir – fir branches look gorgeous sticking out of a vase, or even an old wellington (red or green ones look fab) – try sticking them out at an angle and hanging decorations from them, they look really pretty.
Lightshades
At Christmas we put twinkling lights everywhere to add magic to our home. One way to make these lights even more special is to create your own mini lightshades for the bulbs. Coloured paper bags (green, red or festive print) look really pretty on outdoor lights and are really easy to make. Otherwise, get your art and craft supplies and consider spending an afternoon getting really crafty making more intricate designs. Watch an origami tutorial on Youtube, or learn how to make basic shades and decorate them using glitter and accessories.
Pom Poms
Pom poms are in fashion this year, and you can find them being sold as Christmas decorations in some well known high street shops. They are so easy to make, don’t bother buying them! You can make them into tree decorations, or you can even make other cute things like snowmen or santas. Check out these inspiring pom pom ideas on Pinterest.
Tealight Holders
Real candlelight is so beautiful, so why not make some festive tealight holders to place on your mantlepiece at night, or to line your garden table on an evening while you chat and have hot chocolate with friends? From upcycled tins, decoupage, to glass etched designs – there are lots of different tutorials to watch and have a go at.
Wrapping Paper
Wrapping paper tends to be either really expensive, or really thin and rubbish. Plus, it’s really impersonal, especially when the best part of a present tends to be unwrapping it! To craft your own gorgeous wrapping paper, consider using a variety of different craft techniques depending on the outcome you want. You could create lots of individual pieces of paper with different designs on, or design one 2D piece and copy it for your own custom designed paper. There are companies who enable you to create wrapping paper with photos on, but that’s just so boring when you can make your own! We love this short ‘how to’ tutorial on Youtube.
Knitting
Knitting is officially back in, with knitting clubs all around the country and online craft retailers seeing a surge of knitted goods back on the market. If you’re good at knitting, or you use a knitting machine, there are lots of things you can create for Christmas. One of the most satisfying creations is Christmas tree decorations which look so gorgeous and homely when they are knitted. Why not make simple Christmas trees and add a few mismatched buttons to them? Or make little stars and connect them together to make a garland?
Paper Chain
This old fashioned Christmas decoration can look really cool and it’s a great craft the kids can do without getting messy. Use plain coloured card for a standard chain, or cover the table in paper, get your craft kit out and cover the card in decorations before cutting it and turning it into a paper chain (we think the latter is a much more fun option!).
Have Fun!
Remember, despite Christmas being one of the most wonderful times of the year (according to the song anyway!), there are so many things that can make it stressful – don’t let crafting be one of them. You craft to relax and make nice things, so treat yourself to an afternoon of Christmas decoration making and have fun, you deserve it!
