Easy DIY Christmas decorations

It’s that time of the year again when we all put a bit of extra effort in to bringing that cheerful festive mood to the house. It is Christmas time after all! But this year, don’t just leave it to the Christmas tree in the corner, or Christmas lights by your window. Why not go all the way with extra decorations here and there to make your surroundings even more jolly.

You don’t have to spend a fortune buying expensive decorations - here’s how to make them yourself. You can even give some of them away as Christmas gifts!

DIY ornaments

Sick of those shiny balls decorating the tree each year? Try some of these fab ideas instead:

Get a piece of light wire and wrap it tightly with narrow ribbon then twist to form a loop at the top and attach the ends to two cinnamon sticks. Use a hot glue gun to add some fresh rosemary sprigs horizontally and add a few craft gems for some extra colour
Fill clear glass ornaments with multi-colour sprinkles, confetti, artificial snow, feathers or twigs to create some unique festive accents you won’t find anywhere else
Get some tiny hanging baskets or cones from your local craft shop and fill with brightly wrapped chocolates
Place a colourful satin bow around a pine cone, add some string and, just like that, you have another beautiful ornament to add to the tree

DIY wreaths

Christmas wreaths are super-easy to make - here are 6 of our favourites:

Tie star-shaped cookie cutters together with narrow red ribbons to form a circle, add a little greenery at the top and string up with some wide red ribbon. Simple but effective!
If you don’t want to use cookie cutters for your wreath, head down to Officeworks and grab some papier mâché stars - then use a glue gun to form them into a circle and hang
Get down to your local park and pick up some interesting looking twigs, sticks and pinecones then attach them to a cheap foam wreath using a glue gun. You'll want to go for full coverage so you can’t see any of the foam
Grab yourself a heap of paint sample cards from your local paint shop (they’re free after all) and cut them into leaf shapes. Crease them in the middle, then use a hot glue gun to glue onto a wreath frame. The more the better - this wreath looks awesome displayed in a wide range of greens with a few blues and yellows thrown into the mix
If you’ve got a box of old photos stashed away, dust them off and glue or tape them together to form a wreath shape. Use lots of overlapping images for an awesome effect
Create a candy cane wreath by winding red and white striped ribbon around a styrofoam wreath. Add some holly leaves and Christmas baubles to one side and string up with a big red and white ribbon

DIY Advent calendar

Making your own advent calendar is a fun activity for you and the kids too! Ditch the traditional and try some of these ideas:

String some ribbon across the mantlepiece, in front of the TV stand, along the rungs of a ladder or just anywhere in the house that needs some Christmas pizazz. Write the numbers 1 to 24 on some muslin craft bags and decorate them with a little ribbon, tinsel or baubles, then fill each bag with a small treat, toy or message from Santa - to be opened each day - and fix to your ribbon
Fill little colourful paper bags with your treats. On small pieces of cardboard, write the numbers 1 to 24 and then attach each one to your goodie bags with a colourful green or red peg. Scatter the bags on a small side table or pile them onto a tray for an awesome coffee table centrepiece

Fill the bookcase

If you’ve got a small bookshelf or shelving unit, you can turn it into an awesome showcase for all of those presents that are usually piled under the tree. Stick to a simple gift-wrapping theme (we love silver, red and black), but add an individual touch to each gift (think mini-wreaths, Christmas stickers, a little greenery or a Christmassy tassel). Load your gifts onto the shelves and hang a couple of your DIY Christmas wreaths in front for a magical gift display.

Add some twig trees

Work off some of the festive season calories by taking a walk down to your local park and keep your eyes peeled for interesting-looking twigs that you can use as mini Christmas trees. Spray paint if you wish, then place into a narrow-necked jar or vase and decorate with a few small ornaments.

Starry starry nights

Hang an assortment of stars from the ceiling at your entry to create a starry welcome. Just get stars of different colours and materials and hang at different lengths with some string.

Christmas can be expensive!

By taking the DIY route for your Christmas decorations you’ll definitely save money and you’ll get a great sense of accomplishment. But we know that Christmas is always expensive, so if you end 2019 with a financial hangover, we’re here to help. Just check out our fast cash loans from $1,000 to find out how quick and easy it is to get your hands on some extra cash. Once a loan is approved, we can deposit the money into your bank account within a few hours - so you don’t need to worry about anything other than having the best Christmas ever!