Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask for home made Xmas Decoration Ideas

58 replies

NaviSprite · 13/12/2019 13:37

I’m trying to save money and also do a bit for the environment by not going OTT this Christmas with decorations.

I have a tree and some garlands/lights donated by my Mum (who goes mad for Xmas decorating so has enough decorations for probably three houses in her own) but I have no tree decorations. I’m not too bad with arts and crafts but find myself stumped on simple decorations that I can make with the art supplies I already have at home (and in the one to two hours of brainpower I have left after my DC have gone to bed in the evenings).

I’ve looked online but the ‘simple’ decorations it suggests are either not that simple or require buying a lot more materials and that would sort of defeat the point of not buying the decorations to begin with! 😂

DH says I don’t need to worry too much as DC are only 2yo so they won’t miss not having a decorated tree, but I want to have one for them (and for me) as I managed to convince my parents and PIL to let us have this Christmas as just our little family unit at our house for the first time and want my children to look back on photos of it and know some effort was made.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. My creative brain has gone AWOL this year.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
10
Original poster
NaviSprite · 13/12/2019 14:32

Loving these I honestly cannot wait to get started! If I manage any decent enough looking ones I might post a pic in the coming days. Thank you so much, it’s been a crap year with a lot of bad news, so I really wanted to make Christmas special and happy for us and to me, decorating was a huge part of that growing up. Thank you all for contributing to making it happen Grin.

OP posts:
NearlyGranny · 13/12/2019 14:34

Old-fashioned dolly pegs dressed in scrap fabric as nativity figures. We put some on our tree that were made 25 years ago by DD1!

cattaxi · 13/12/2019 14:38

You can make lovely stars using twigs & twine. Hang them on the tree or make them into a garland.
Holly is lovely hung around the house.
Paper snowflakes are beautiful!
I made some lovely bunting with ds the other day - just triangular bits of paper threaded with strong & coloured in by ds.
This is a great thread. You will have some lovely decorations.

ineedto · 13/12/2019 14:38

Cardboard circles with small skits cut into the sides then threaded with wool look lovely. As do pom-poms!

FusionChefGeoff · 13/12/2019 14:40

My 6 year old made these origami stars last year I stapled them to red ribbon this year - tricky the first time but once you get the hang of it they're easy.

It was a YouTube video.

To ask for home made Xmas Decoration Ideas
FusionChefGeoff · 13/12/2019 14:41

We just used squares of wrapping paper.

0nTheEdge · 13/12/2019 14:49

Salt dough shapes cut with cookie cutters and your little ones finger prints sqidged in are lovely keepsakes. Recycled tinfoil squashed into star shapes, popcorn garlands, slices of orange dried on a low heat in the oven strung up, pinecones with a dusting of gold glitter and the PVA glue are gorgeous!

Original poster
NaviSprite · 13/12/2019 14:50

Excellent suggestions and giving me lots of ideas for future Christmases when my DC are old enough to join in making them too.

@FusionChefGeoff well done to your 6yo, when I was six I could barely manage paper snowflakes and those decorations look really nice Xmas Smile

OP posts:
Londonmummy66 · 13/12/2019 14:57

Kirsty's handmade home had some decorations made out of tinfoil baking trays that were based on Mexican tin decorations but made using just a pencil, scissors and sharpie - they looked great and only took about 30 minutes. She also had a recipe for salt dough - think it might have been the last 2 or three episodes.

Garlands of ivy sprayed silver look good wrapped round the tree if you have somewhere to pick it nearby.

bluejayblue · 13/12/2019 16:01

popcorn threaded on cotton, a traditional American tree decoration.

BeanTownNancy · 13/12/2019 16:18

I keep meaning to make toilet paper roll snowflakes and just haven't got to it this year! (Currently have a 3 year old and 7 month old baby with croup)

To ask for home made Xmas Decoration Ideas
Sweetandawfulsour · 13/12/2019 16:27

Pompoms. Pompoms garlands. Pompom tree decs. Pompoms on a diy tassel. Pompom errrrthang!
You can make animals, different prints. I bloody love them!!!
blog.pommaker.com/how-to-make-a-pom-pom-bear/

Sweetandawfulsour · 13/12/2019 16:28

I meant to add in the link blog.pommaker.com/how-to-make-a-pom-pom-bear/

TheElfFellOffTheShelf · 13/12/2019 18:07

If you can knit you can make knitted baubles.

If you can sew you can make quilted Christmas tree shaped decorations and a Christmas bunting garland thing.

YouFellAsleeep · 13/12/2019 19:08

If you have Hama beads, you can find patterns online to make christmas decorations. I think they turn out quite nice.

ShinyMe · 13/12/2019 19:38

We had a star topper for our tree which my mum made when I was 2 or 3 - tough card, 2 little holes for some string to tie it round the top, and covered in foil. Every year, we added another layer of foil to have fresh shiny. We were still using it when I was in my 30s - every so often we scraped off some of the layers of foil which had started to rot, but it lasted for ages and we were very attached to it. It finally died a death after maybe 35 or so years.

Howlovely · 13/12/2019 19:42

I saw a lovely idea the other day. Get empty, clear plastic baubles. Measure your child's height with a thick coloured ribbon and fill the bauble with it, with the date written on it. Do it every year to see how much your child has grown.
At a Christmas fair the other day, wire and bead snowflake decorations and painted wooden discs were popular (painted with Christmassy scenes/pictures. Looking forward to seeing what you make!

HerRoyalNotness · 13/12/2019 20:10

Do you or your mum crochet? I got a silvery wool one year and crocheted a garland for the tree using double stitch and popcorn stitch every so often. I’ve also crocheted snow globes for the tree and gave them to play group friends which were well received

Original poster
NaviSprite · 13/12/2019 21:12

I can’t knit or crochet sadly but I can sew! I might add learning to crochet to next years list of (very hopeful) goals and I can try the crochet ideas next Christmas Grin (probably the year after as I’m not the fastest learner when it comes to fiddly things). I’ve just about convinced my DC to go to sleep so hoping to crack on with some of your suggestions soon.

Terrible twos with twins makes for double the fun with naptime dodging and bedtime tantrums Xmas Smile

OP posts:
Solihooley · 13/12/2019 21:15

Another suggestion for origami stars. I’ve got them everywhere.

To ask for home made Xmas Decoration Ideas
Deckthehallswithlotsofcake · 13/12/2019 21:20

Or you can go on pinterest and have a look

Solihooley · 13/12/2019 21:21

Also these paper ones I made with an origami YouTube video. And a few fabric covered ones (but it does involve buying the polystyrene balls from hobbycraft). This is one of my faves and it’s just ribbon wrapped round.

To ask for home made Xmas Decoration Ideas
To ask for home made Xmas Decoration Ideas
To ask for home made Xmas Decoration Ideas
Letthemysterybe · 13/12/2019 21:25

You can make very simple 3D cardboard baubles by cutting out 4 circles, folding them in half, and sticking each half to another half. I did it with old Christmas cards and it looked quite effective. You can do more than 4 circles, the more the better.

RiskIt4Biscuit · 13/12/2019 21:29

Ornaments made of baking soda dough are quite nice - they are bright white and can be made quite thin (they will be fragile if very thin) and dainty.
You can find recipe and pictures on google

Swipe left for the next trending thread