Are your tree ornaments looking a little worn around the edges? Do you need some fun, affordable activities to keep the kids busy during the long December holidays? Or are you keen to get creative and craft away the year’s work stress?
Here are some great DIY Christmas decoration and craft ideas that are easy and inexpensive to pull off.
Photo tree ornaments
Photos of family and friends, pets and happy memories from the year are a wonderful addition to any tree. Simply select 10 – 15 of your favourite happy snaps and print them out on photo quality paper (available from TOWER here), mount them on red or silver cardboard, and fasten them to your tree with a festive ribbon.
Edible decorations
Who doesn’t love Christmas ornaments that double up as midnight snacks? It’s so easy to create your own range of tree treats. Some ideas are filling cones made from Christmas wrapping paper with sweets or chocolate balls, or baking and icing some simple sugar cookies and attaching these to the tree with pretty ribbons – if you’re an adept baker, try to make a hole in the centre of each biscuit so it’s easy to attach the ribbon or string.
Upcycle your baubles
Do you have some scuffed, dented or just-plain-boring baubles stashed in the top of a cupboard somewhere? Why not give them a festive makeover? You can paint them with glittery paint, decorate them with TOWER stickers or stars, or even wrap them in scraps of bright leftover fabric that you tie at the top with a ribbon to resemble a gift.
Bead wreaths
This is a great project for kids! To create small bead wreaths that you can hang from your tree, simply put little hands to work threading some big, brightly coloured or shiny metallic beads onto a sturdy piece of twine or even a thin piece of wire. Then, bend this into a round wreath shape and it’s ready to hang from the tree.
Create your own gift labels
A great way to save money, especially when you’re buying presents for a large family or big group of people at work, is to make your own gift labels. This saves time and cuts the cost of gift giving, yet still provides a personal touch.
Ice cream stick snowflakes
This is the perfect excuse to eat ice creams! Save up your used ice cream sticks – or find some affordable craft sticks – and use these to create beautifully simple decorations for your tree or wall. Simply paint these sticks white, blue, silver or gold and sprinkle on some glitter, and then glue one stick on top of the next, fanning these out to create a star or snowflake shape.