Cheap and/or easy Christmas decorations

[BertieBotts]

Can anyone help me with thinking up some good Christmas decorations which aren't too expensive to make? I really want to make the house feel all magical but am a bit stuck for inspiration! I have a tree of course, but nothing much else.

I don't mind how tacky, poncetastic, or whatever. I'm just in need of some ideas and inspiration! :)

Dip pine cones in emulsion paint and they look like porcelain.

They really do!

I love paper chains. DC can make them. Wilkos do packets of ready gummed ones very cheaply. Wilkos and Tiger also do big fold out coloured paper lanterns and baubles that look great - seen them featured in lots of mags this year - they're only £1 each.

We make a wreath every year. Either get a wreath wire, or undecorated fir wreath or make your own from scratch by weaving twigs together 9sounds very folksy but can be done and is great fun. then decorate it with tinsel, baubles, berries, straw figures, glass bells etc - whatever takes your fancy - and hang it on the front door. Nothing looks more Christmassy to come home to.

Tiger has massive tubs of gingerbread biscuits in Christmassy shapes for around £2.50. I was thinking of getting some, decorating them and making a string of them.

Take DC into the woods to collect pine cones, holly and fir branches. Or use pyrocanthus berries from the garden, if you have any. You can spray the pine cones or paint them. Use the foliage to make candle and table decorations.

Go to the pound shop - loads & loads of cheap & easy decs! If you are feeling creative, they've got lots of stickers & crafty type stuff in at the moment as well as all the tinsel, baubles, streamer type stuff.

I bought some pretty ribbon & baubles last year & hung baubles in the windows. Cost about £2 and looked really great.

Felt or gingham - red or foresty green - make hearts, blanket stitch round the edges , stuff with contents of a poundshop fibre pillow -you could even sew a button in the middle .. hang separate on tree, or string into garlands..

Verrrrry poncey and looks expensive. Cost me £5 for enough to drape hang round the living room

What's tiger? We don't have a wilko's either, the nearest one is in a nearby city. Could take a train over though maybe.

If you've got some cheap baubles (I had loads as we used them in our wedding center pieces) and some newspaper or a book you no longer want. Cut the paper into squares, and with pva glue, stick onto the bauble. Once the bauble is completely covered, spead pva glue all over. Allow to dry. Once dry, spray on some glitter (I got a can from hobbycraft) These look really nice. I got the idea from Pinterest: They look a bit like this Then we hung them on a sparkly silver tree we got shipped over from America.

Salt dough decorations. Find a recipe and make them, use nice cutters. If you do stars or hearts etc, you can push in one of those round gems you can get form supermarkets by the candles. Once they're dry, paint with pearlescent (sp) paint. These look lovely.

Felt heart decorations. I get felt from Hobbycraft. Cut out into heart shapes. embroider words or what ever you want onto them (this year I've sewed 'love' really fancily) Then sew the two hearts (add in some ribbon to hang it) 3/4s the way around, then add some padding then continue to sew all the way.

I got a really nice pack from Hobbycraft the other day that contained red and white patterned paper to make paper chains with.

Can you guess which shop I love ?

You can make amazing 3D paper snowflakes out of normal white printer paper. (might look good in different colours too)

Instructions - sorry about the music!

Once you've done one they are pretty quick to make. I am thinking of a whole flurry of them this year...

You can buy extra large baubles from the pound shop. The matt finish ones work best for this.

Get a glue pen and write on the bauble then sprinkle with glitter. I write the DCs names, but you could do love, family, peace etc.

Tie a big bow on top ( thread through the hanging thingy.) you can buy nice thick ribbon from the pound shop too.

We sold these at our school Xmas fayre for £5 each with personalised names and made a fortune! They look lovely hanging in windows or on the tree if it's big enough. Really easy and cheap.

Cheap easy bunting!