10 Budget-Friendly DIY Christmas Decorations
Since Christmas time is the most expensive period of the year, most people would like to find some tips to make holidays less pricy yet hilarious and comfortable. Decorating for Christmas can be rather costly if you buy all your ornaments and garlands. Fortunately, it is very simple to create your own, beautiful decorations on a tight budget. They’ll be even better than store bought ones, since each decoration will have a special memory attached to it.
1. Felt decorations
Felt is a cheap fabric that can look great if you know what you’re doing. Felt is very versatile and easy to work with. It appears in all colors and structures so you can easily choose the one that is most suitable for your craft. Cut out two sets of triangles, stars or any other shape. One shape should be slightly smaller so that it leaves a border when glued to the other shape. You can then add embellishments, letters to spell out “Merry Christmas” or anything else you like. Attach the felt shapes to a length of ribbon or string and hang them over the mantel or a doorway. Don’t overlook felt Christmas tree decorations and felt Christmas stockings.
2. Gold plaster ornaments
With a bottle of gold spray paint and a bag of plaster of Paris, you can easily make your own ornaments. Choose a mold, mix up the plaster according to the directions on the bag and pour into the mold. Add a loop of thread to hang the ornament with. Once dry, pop the ornaments out and paint them. Look for Christmas related molds like Santa Clause, snowman, reindeer and Christmas tree mold. With plaster and colored paints you can also create Christmas tree decorations, photo frames, candlesticks and cute winter souvenirs.
3. Pine garlands
If you live near a forest, chances are you can find your own pine boughs for decorating. Cut a few that are nice and thick and wrap a wide ribbon around them. Set the garland on the mantle or wherever you want to display it and add a few glittery stars, LED candles and Christmas balls to add some pop. It’s a great idea to decorate staircase, headboard of your bed or the mantel. Not only will it jazz up the setting, natural pine garlands will also fill the ambience with marvelous scent of pine trees. If you cannot afford natural Christmas garlands, opt for artificial ones that you can find at any gift store.
4. Glitter cutouts
Christmas cutouts are the field where you can apply all your creativity and imagination. While you can use various materials and supplies, try to make the glitter cutouts to create a more festive Christmas atmosphere. Cut out the word Christmas from cardboard. Slather both sides and the edges in white glue and then dip into a bowl of glitter. Tap the glitter shapes on the edge of the bowl to get rid of loose glitter. Add a string for hanging. This festive and lovely signboard can embellish your living room, dining room or the front door and the porch.
5. String balls
String balls are absolutely chic and easy-to-make Christmas DIY projects. Blow up several water balloons and tie them off. Rub the balloons with oil or Vaseline. Mix white glue with a little water to make it slightly thinner and dip string into it. Wrap the string around the balloons, making sure to randomly wind it instead of following a set path. You can even use colored string or yarn for this. Allow the balls to dry, then pop the balloons and pull the pieces out of the string ball. You can now attach a thread and hang the ornaments on the tree.
6. Origami stars
Most people overlook origami decorations since they seem to be too difficult to make. However, it’s not so hard to make beautiful Christmas decorations if you find a tutorial in a book or online for an origami star. You can use colorful and patterned papers to make the stars even more interesting. To make your origami stars really stand out, opt for old newspapers, sheet music, scrapbook paper or your old school copybooks. When the stars are ready, hang them up to the ceiling, windows and mirrors or use them as Christmas tree decorations.
7. Snowflake cutouts
What can say Christmas more than a house adorned with marvelous festive snowflakes? Snowflakes are so easy-to-make that even your children can join the activity. Take a square piece of paper and fold it in half diagonally. Fold the resulting triangle in half and then fold it over into thirds. Cut off the wide end to make it flat and cut designs into the sides of the triangle. Open it up to reveal your snowflake. Make dozens of these to hang from the ceiling or glue them to the mirrors and windows. Vary traditional winter snowflakes by using colored paper or even silver and golden cardboard.
8. Gift cushions
Sewing your own Christmas cushions is really a good way to embellish your house without breaking a bank. Look for an appropriate Christmas color pattern, stock up on festive ribbons, gather your sewing equipment and start making your Christmas cushions. You can combine different fabrics and patterns to make your pillows more amusing and attractive. Pin colorful ribbons around your pillows and add a bow to make them look like Christmas gifts. It will take only a few seconds to do this and you will spice up the whole house.
9. Burlap ornaments
Burlap is a very popular fabric with crafters, it’s absolutely versatile and it can be used in many DIY projects due to its natural color and sturdiness. Cut out holiday shapes from burlap and use white or red fabric paint to add dots, stripes and shapes to the pieces. Lay a piece face down on the table and place a cotton ball in the middle. Use hot glue to attach another shape face up to the piece of burlap. Add a string and you have a rustic looking ornament. If you have great supplies of burlap, consider making burlap stockings, burlap Christmas garlands and banners or ornaments for Christmas tree.
10. Holiday branches
Decorating your house with holiday branches is the sure way to create an utterly festive ambiance and spirit. You can find faux branches at the gift store or prepare your own natural branch. Choose a few simple, leafless branches and let them dry. Spray paint the branches gold or silver and twist a red ribbon around it, securing with hot glue as needed. Mini-bulbs, fake snow and berries are also great options to adorn the branches. Put the branches in a vase for display purposes. Holiday branches will look especially great on the Christmas table or on the mantelpiece.
You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to decorate your home for the holidays. It can be very rewarding to make your own decorations. Choose one or a few of the above-mentioned projects and start making your own adorable Christmas decorations. Get you family members involved in this fun activity and have great time together!
