Using natural materials to decorate your home gives your holiday decor a distinctive cottage look. Making these homemade holiday decorations is also a fun project for the family during the holidays.
Pine cone Christmas Decorations
The humble pine cone is one of your best friends when it comes to homemade natural Christmas decorations.
- Gather a big basketful of pine cones, and display the basket of natural brown pine cones in your entryway, along with a festive red ribbon.
- You could also display pine cones in a tall glass vase with a few shiny Christmas ornaments thrown in for good measure, for a lively and festive table centerpiece.
- Buy a can of metallic gold spray paint at your local hardware store. Using a mask and a drop-cloth to protect yourself and your house, spray paint a dozen or so pine cones. Tie loops of ribbon to these golden pine cones and use them as homemade Christmas tree ornaments, as part of a holiday wreath, or display them as they are. You can do the same thing with other natural materials such as acorns or dried leaves. Just spray paint them gold, bunch them together, and hang them with a pretty ribbon. A big vase of golden leaves might be just the thing for your holiday table.
Homemade Christmas Wreaths
Why pay tens of dollars for a decorative Christmas wreath when you can so easily make one yourself? Collect flexible evergreen branches or vines, and wire them together into a holiday wreath made with natural materials. If you can't forage enough branches for yourself, buy some eucalyptus leaves at a local craft-supply store to round out your wreath. Using a hot glue gun, decorate the wreath with golden pine cones, acorns, your favorite Christmas baubles, and more.
If your branches are too short to form a wreath on their own, buy a foam circle from a craft store, into which you can stick shorter evergreen branches until they cover the circle fully.
This homemade wreath tutorial from Design*Sponge is a great resource to help you learn how to make your own holiday wreath from natural materials.
Homemade Christmas Tree Ornaments
All sorts of natural materials can be made into Christmas tree ornaments. Although these natural ornaments may not be as glitzy as those you buy at the store, they evoke an earlier, more traditional time.
- Bunches of cinnamon sticks can be tied with bright ribbon and hung on the holiday tree. They are not only beautiful, but will perfume the whole house with their holiday fragrance as well.
- Buy a large container of whole cloves, and stick them all over an orange or apple. Be sure to stick the cloves closely together, to cover most of the fruit's surface. Loop a colorful ribbon around the clove apple or orange, and hang it on the tree. You can even make mini clove oranges by using clementines or tangerines.
Preserve Colorful Leaves as Decorations
Yes, you can use dried leaves, but they tend not to be as vibrant in color as freshly picked autumn leaves. You can preserve the reds and golds of fall leaves by dipping them in wax, allowing them to stay colorful for weeks. Use these waxed leaves in garlands and wreaths. Here's the tutorial for preserving colorful fall leaves.
Camilla Cheung - Camilla is a Canadian freelance writer currently living on the Central Coast of California. She has a background in teaching and ...
