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DIY Christmas decorations that are fun to make and easy on the wallet
It’s hard to believe that 2022 is almost done and dusted and Christmas is just around the corner once again. It’ll be here before you know it so there’s no better time to start preparing for the festive season than right now! But with inflation skyrocketing, we know that many family budgets are pretty stretched, so we’ve found these awesome DIY Christmas decorations that are simple to make AND easy on the wallet - so there’s need to scrimp on the festive feel at your place.
North Pole symbol
While it’s traditionally hot for our Christmas down-under, the festive season is synonymous with snow, so an awesome outdoor Christmas decoration you can create yourself is a North Pole symbol. Find an unused fence post or old piece of PVC pipe and simply paint it with red and white candy cane stripes. Place it in an upright position outside your door and bring it to life with some cute fairy lights around it. If you want to get really creative, you can also hang a Santa sign off it. It’s simple, and it won’t cost you much.
Snowman fridge
If you have a white fridge, you can turn the door into a Christmas-themed snowman! All you need is black and red paper. Use the black paper to cut out two large circles for the eyes, five smaller circles for your snowman’s smile, and four smaller ones for his shirt buttons.
Next, cut red paper triangles for the nose and hat. Then use double-sided tape to fix your snowman cut-outs to your fridge door. If you have an old thin scarf that you can also add, that will be great to complete your snowman’s attire.
DIY pinecone wreath
Ready-made pinecone wreaths from the store can put a bit of a hole in your pocket. But the good news is, it’s easy to make your own. You’ll only need some cheap beads (pony beads work well), a wire hanger, hot glue, and, of course, some pinecones (check your local park).
Just glue one bead to each pinecone, turn the wire hanger into a circle, and then thread the pinecones onto the wire, making sure you keep them close together, so there are no gaps. For the final touch, glue in a holiday ribbon where the ends of the circular wire hanger meet. These are simple enough to make that you can hang them all through your house.
No pinecones? No worries! Just twist and glue some small twigs around your frame and add some plastic berries for a more dramatic look.
Christmas card hanger
Christmas cards aren’t as plentiful as they once were, but we all receive them and finding a creative way to display them can be a challenge. But you can show them off by hanging some greenery or tinsel from wooden hangers and then clipping your Christmas cards to the tendrils. It’s quite satisfying watching your stash of cards grow as the season progresses - and it’s a pretty neat decoration too.
Branch Christmas tree
Of course, it simply wouldn’t be Christmas without a Christmas tree. But if you don’t have an existing one that you can reuse, or if you just need another one, you can create a Christmas tree yourself from a fallen branch or twig.
This is a great activity for the whole family as you head out to the local park to look for an interesting fallen branch that can form the base of your tree. Keep it au natural, or spray with silver or gold paint then decorate with contrasting colours for an eye-popping display. If you’ve left your branch unpainted, hanging some dried citrus slices makes a visually appealing and very unusual presentation.
Christmas tree decorations
Decorating the tree can be a costly exercise but not when you take the DIY route – and you get unique decorations that aren’t just a carbon copy of everyone else’s. From 3D paper ornaments to decorations made from twigs, popsicle sticks and salt dough, you’ll find plenty of inspiration at Good Housekeeping.
Also, don’t forget to check out what you have sitting around the house – a quick spray with paint can transform everyday objects and small kid’s toys into interesting decorations for the tree.
Fresh flowers on the table
The dining table takes centre stage on Christmas day and if you’re lucky enough to have some fresh flowers in the garden, now’s the time to arrange them in the centre of the table. And if you don’t have any flowers, just use some garden foliage to create your own festive table centrepiece. For some other fantastic options, check out these awesome ideas from Country Living.
Have a Merry Christmas!
So, you see, you don’t have to spend up large decorating your home and table this Christmas. All you need are a few bucks, a little creativity and a dash of time. But if you need a hand to buy some of the materials or even gifts this year, we’re here to help. Just take a look at our cash loans up to $5,000 to find out how quick and easy it is to get your hands on some extra funds. Once a loan is approved, the cash is usually in your bank account within a few hours – so you can have a truly Merry Christmas this year.