Get creative with DIY Christmas decorations

IT is that time of the year again, when our homes are transformed into beautiful Christmas wonderlands.

And while shopping centres are filled to the brim with all sorts of beautiful ready made decorations, it can be much more rewarding to make your own decorations.

Not only is it a fun activity that can be used to occupy the children during the holidays, but it can also evolve into a wonderful tradition. It is also a great way of recycling.

Often home made decorations hold much more value that the store bought ones.

DIY Christmas decorations to bring the festive cheer:

1. Snow globes are iconic Christmas decorations, and always a lovely addition to any coffee table of fireplace. They can even function as DIY gifts. Fill the glass almost to the top with water, a pinch of glitter and/or fake snow and a dash of glycerin to prevent the ‘snow’ from falling to fast. Be careful not to add to much or the ‘snow’ might stick to the bottom or clump together. Shake well.  Glue the figurine to the lid of the glass jar, and allow to dry. Screw on the lid tightly, being careful not to dislodge the figurine, and voila!

You will need

– Glass jar with a lid

– Any Christmas figurine, such as Father Christmas, reindeer, snowman, or a tree

– Super glue

– Fake snow and/or glitter

– Glycerin

2. A sock snow man. A cute snowman will warm any drab corner and can even function as a beautiful toy for the kiddies. Cut off the bottom end of the sock. Turn it inside out, and tie the newly cut hole with a rubber band. Turn the sock the right out and start filling it with rice or beans. Make sure to pack the contents, and pop in the microwave to kill and deter any bugs. Tie another band, approximately ¾ of the way to the top to separate the head and belly, and then tie the top opening with a third band. Decorate Frosty with some buttons, which can glued or sowed, and other embellishments such as, sticks for arms, hat, bows, a scarf, eyes and a nose.

You will need

– An old sock, you know the ones who have lost their other half

– Rubber bands

– Buttons

– Fabric

– Glue or yarn

3. Add some glamour to you Christmas decorations with some sparkly tree branches. Placed along side some flicker of some candles theses beautifully simple decorations are sure to create added warmth to you home. Select a branch that is the ideal size, use shears or scissors to trim where needed then spray paint the branch. Once the paint has dried spray the branch with the glue and begin sprinkling the glitter over the branch. Do this over a large sheet of paper so that any excess glitter can easily be collected and reused. Allow the glue to dry, and then run a brush along the branch to remove any loose glitter. This will spare you a large mess in the long run.

You will need

– A tree branch

– Shears or scissors

– Spray paint (silver, green, red or gold)

– Glitter (the same color as the chosen spray paint)

– Spray glue

– Paint brush

4. Fake snow. One thing that South Africans miss out on during the festive season is the beauty of snow? But why can’t we enjoy both sun and snow? Fake snow will perfectly complete your festive decorations, is guaranteed to entertain both the kiddies and guests. Mix a box of baking powder with a can of shaving cream. The ‘snow’ will become extremely moldable, feel extremely soft and naturally cold, and also smells fantastic. Add some glitter for extra sparkle. Make some snowmen, snow angels and even partake in a snow ball fight.

You will need

– Baking powder

– Shaving cream

– Glitter (optional)

5. For a more rustic Christmas theme you can make your own Christmas tree. Collect several pieces of wood in various lengths. Start nailing them against the wall in the form triangle, starting with the shortest one at the top. Decorate the pieces of wood with Christmas ornaments, by placing some on top of the wood and handing them from the wood. Weave some Christmas lights between and/or around the wood.

You will need

– Wood

– Christmas ornamnets

– Hammer

– Nails

– Christmas light