There are lots of reasons to make Christmas decorations at home rather than buying them in. It saves money, adds a unique touch to your home, and can be a fun activity. Here are some simple but beautiful Christmas decorations you can make at home.
Orange garland
An orange garland not only looks festive but smells the part too. All you need are some oranges, string or yarn, and an oven.
- Cut the oranges into thin slices, around 1/8 inches thick. Next, arrange them on a baking rack and pat them dry with some kitchen roll.
- Then, put them in the oven and cook at 120 degrees Celsius for two and a half to three hours. You’ll want to flip the slices every half hour or so. Once they are cooked, they should look like dried orange slices, brown around the edges.
- Once your slices have cooled enough to handle, use a needle and string to pierce each slice at the top and weave the string through, connecting all of the slices into a garland.
- Some optional extras include adding fake cranberries to the garland or wrapping it around a green garland to give it extra fullness.
And then you should have a festive-scented decoration that can last up to three years!
Cardboard décor
Reusing cardboard is a great way to make decorations. This is especially true today, when many prefer to shop online and are left with extra cardboard from parcels. At first it may sound tacky, but there are some lovely decorations to be made from cardboard and a touch of arts and crafts. One thing you can make out of cardboard are star-shaped yarn lights.
- Cut a star shape out of cardboard, however big you want. Then, cut a boarder for the star, about two inches thick.
- Glue the border around the star cutout, making it 3-D. To make the surface smoother you can add a layer of paper mâché. This will make the painting easier.
- Paint the star all over in any colour you like. Then fill the inside with string lights of your choice.
- Finally, wrap some yarn around the star to give it a more festive look – this will also hold the lights in place.
And you’re done! This can be replicated with any shapes that you want, making it a versatile option for décor.
Revive old baubles
This one is super easy and super effective. It can feel overwhelming trying to change the colour scheme for your Christmas décor each year with whatever is on trend, or what suits your personal tastes. Baubles are a big one with this – they aren’t cheap, and it can be hard to find the colour you want.
Here is an easy tip to revive your baubles to match any colour scheme you want. All you need are some balloons and your old baubles.
- Pick some balloons that are the colour you want. Most packs of balloons only cost a pound or two from occasion shops or supermarkets.
- Cut the tip of the balloon off – the tip you use to tie the balloon.
- Stretch the balloon over your old bauble, it should fit snuggly around it.
Just like that you have a new selection of coloured baubles!
Featured Image Credit: Pexels.com