Finally, December is here! Come on, Jack Frost. Bring on that cold weather and a little snow. I am dreaming of a crackling fire in the fireplace and a mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows and peppermint sticks. Time to make lists and check them twice, venture to the shops and find gifts for all who are “nice.” The world outside the door slowly transforms into a winter wonderland, dressed with twinkling lights, glistening Christmas trees, and a merry Santa Claus on every street corner. Rather than appear the scrooge, I wish to adorn my home with festive decorations too, but ho, ho, whoa the prices! Is it just me, or do retailers measure your holiday spirit by the flow of cash you are willing to spend? Tis’ the season to be jolly, but we – you and I, dear readers – can bring a little cheer and merriment to our homes this season without spending the big bucks. Trim your home with these 11 DIY Christmas decorations – five to deck your halls and six to ornament your curb – and spread a little joy to all who visit your stoop and enter through your door.
Deck the Halls with…
Via: Brit + Co
Ornament Garlands
Ornament garlands are beautiful in their simplicity; easy-to-make, all you do is string 60 or more ball ornaments into a bundle. Versatile in placement, your ornament garland can dress the fireplace mantle, stream the stairway bannister, frame an entryway, or wrap a Christmas tree. And, because ball ornaments are available in a variety of colors and styles, this piece can cheerfully unite the elements of a room’s theme.
Additional Source: Ornament Garland Tutorial Video by Martha Stewart
Via: Diyprojects.com
Festive Apothecary Jars
Apothecary jars can function as year-round decorative pieces for any holiday or season; moreover, the creative displays achieved with these figures are limitless. Celebrate winter and Christmas by filling the jars with ornaments, candies, bows, frosted berries or pinecones, or burned-out Christmas light bulbs. Showcase a miniature frosted fairyland complete with small-scale trees, cabins, animals, and people upon a bed of faux snow. Or, you can make a more personal exposition by placing one or more holiday photos in the jar and accessorizing the glass interior with seasonal elements like ornate snowflakes and twinkling lights.
Additional Sources: Holiday Jar Tutorial Video by Martha Stewart, Apothecary Jars Décor Ideas on Pinterest, Decorating for Christmas with Apothecary Jars
Via: Pinterest
Christmas-Crafted Wine Bottles
Do you enjoy recycling materials for creative efforts? This year, rather than throw away your empty wine bottles, turn them into jovial tabletop pieces; there are more than a dozen craft ideas to repurpose the ordinary wine bottle into a one-of-a-kind vase for seasonally-decorative sprigs or stand-alone appreciation. And, why limit yourself to wine bottles? You can use any soda or liquor bottle for this project.
Additional Sources: White Snowy Bottle Tutorial, How to Put Lights in a Wine Bottle, Letter and Twine Bottle Video, Christmas Wine Bottle Ideas on Pinterest
Via: Country Living
Christmas Window
Repurpose an old window to display past Christmas cards, holiday photos, and similar seasonal memorabilia upon the fireplace mantle. You can share a festal message and accessorize the frame with all sorts of knick-knacks, such as paper ornaments, snowflakes, ice sickles, and lights. Or, you can paint a merry scene on the glass – snowmen singing carols, Santa with his flying reindeer, or a horse-drawn sleigh over a winter landscape.
Additional Sources: Where to Find Old Doors and Windows, Christmas Window Ideas on Pinterest
Via: Smile.Walgreens.com
Photo Block Letters
Pick a word that describes the season of Christmas to you, be it “Joy,” “Hope,” “Merry,” or “Jolly.” Purchase the respective block letters that spell that word and mod podge seasonal photos you feel capture the definition of that word over the letters. Feel free to accessorize the letters with glitter, stickers, or charms, whatever you like.
Additional Sources: 10 Tips for Using Mod Podge, Christmas Vocabulary
Ornament Your Curb with…
Via: Reusero.com
Christmas Wreath
Wreaths are a fun, decorative method of expression that accommodates your personality; you can style a wreath in any manner you choose and garnish the circlet with a wide assortment of trinkets, such as poinsettias, ornaments, snowflakes, reindeer, and gingerbread men. You can adjust the size of your wreath to fit your door and make this piece as simple or flamboyant as you like, either way enhancing the curb appeal of your home.
Additional Sources: 55 DIY Christmas Wreaths, Monogram Wreath Tutorial Video by Martha Stewart, Christmas Wreath DIY with Pool Noodle Frame
Via: Smart School House
Giant Candy
Who here played Candy Land as a kid? Did you ever fantasize about walking through the peppermint forests or swimming the ice cream sea? A delicious fantasy, right? Well, this year, you can transform your front yard into a candy land, complete with giant lollipops, candy canes, gumdrops, and scoops of ice cream.
Note: To create giant scoops of ice cream, you can purchase large styrofoam balls from Michaels, Hobby Lobby, or online craft stores, and then paint the balls to look like whatever flavors of ice cream you like. Should you want the ice cream to appear as though it is melting, use a mix of craft glue and craft paint to create the puddle. To make an ice cream cone, roll a large sheet of poster board into a cone and glue or staple the shape in place; then, glue light brown felt sheets or rolls of crepe paper around the cone. Another option is to construct the cone out of paper-mâché, using chicken wire covered in masking tape for the frame and a layer of expanding foam carved into the cone shape for the foundation of the paper-mâché; this method takes more time though.
Additional Sources: Giant Paper Plate Lollipops, Giant Candy Canes, Melting Ice Cream
Via: the WHOOT
Giant Ball Ornaments
Repurpose the plain oak or pine tree in your front yard into an oversized Christmas tree using lights and these giant ball ornaments. These large ornaments are simple to make, as they are upcycled plastic or rubber balls you find in the toy section of Walmart. After following the provided tutorial for this project, you can coat the ornaments in glitter using a craft bond spray adhesive or paint different designs and images on the ornament surfaces with stencils.
Additional Sources: Giant Ball Ornament Tutorial Video, Essential Tips for Crafting with Glitter
Via: Christmas Lights Etc
Christmas Light Balls
Anyone can string lights on their home, in a tree, or along a driveway; surprise your neighbors this year with a collection of large Christmas light balls. These magical spheres can vary in size and color, illuminating your front yard in a unique fashion. To prevent these orbs from changing into tumbleweeds though, secure the bottom of the globes with tent pegs.
Additional Sources: Christmas Light Balls Tutorial Video
Via: Christmas Lights Etc
Christmas Tree Pallet
Christmas tree pallets have a rustic appeal about them that is appreciated by viewers and enhanced with lights, ornaments, and other embellishments. Wooden pallets are freely available to you at local feed stores and garden nurseries, and these platforms are durable to altering weather conditions. If you feel concerned about wood-burrowing insects infesting the pallet, scrub it with antibacterial soap before you begin decorating it.
Additional Sources: Make a Rustic Upcycled Wood Christmas Tree – Step 2 for Bug Control, 25 Ideas of How to Make a Wood Pallet Christmas Tree
Via: clubchicacircle.com
Concrete Presents
No one will loot these presents. A simple, affordable way to repurpose old concrete blocks, these stone gift boxes look great under an outdoor Christmas tree display. You can also place them amongst your garden beds, upon the front porch steps, or along a footpath; just be mindful of nightly toe-stubbing situations in ill-lit places.
