Christmas is a great time of year for so many reasons, and the fun of decorating is just one of them. It can be even more fun if you make a lot of your own decorations and involve the whole family in the process. Here are some great ideas for festive Christmas decorating.
Ornaments
-Tuna can ornaments: Save your old tuna cans, and remove both ends. This gives you a little shadow box to decorate. Hot glue trim around the edges and then use your imagination. Glue cotton snow with a little figurine onto it, hang photos of your children to swing in the middle of them. You are limited only by your imagination.
-Needlepoint ornaments: At this time of year, you will find a lot of small needlepoint kits in craft stores. From a small pillow with the year on it, to little scenes in frames, you and your children can be proud of your hand made ornament to hang on you own tree, or give as gifts.
-Clothespin ornaments: These are fun for little children to make. A simple clothespin becomes Rudolph when antlers cut out of felt are glued to the top, a small red pompom is used for a nose, and a little bow tied around his neck. Children get to draw his eyes above the nose.
-Felt ornaments: Another easy craft for children that only involves some felt, glue and beads is another reindeer idea. The child’s hand is traced out in tan felt. With the outstretched thumb as the head and neck, and the other fingers as legs, your instant reindeer just has to be decorated with bead eyes, felt antlers and whatever other touches the children want to add.
-Decorate the Kitchen, too: All too often the kitchen is left out when it comes to decorating for Christmas. Find, buy or make flat hanging ornaments and hang them from each of the knobs in the kitchen cabinets. Non edible gingerbread men are great for this.
Garlands, Baskets and Wreaths
-Pine Cones: There is literally no end to the use you can put pine cones to during the Christmas season. A lovely wreath can be made simply by hot gluing plain pine cones onto a Styrofoam wreath. Make sure you have a variety of sizes so all spaces on the wreath are filed. You can use the same method to form a tree, using a Styrofoam cone. Another pretty decoration, to be used as a dining table centerpiece or a hall table focal point is a pretty basket filled with pine cones that have been spray painted gold.
-Garlands: Predecorated garlands can get fairly expensive, but if you form your own, you can have a unique design and save money. Just buy inexpensive plain garlands and then twine artificial holly sprigs or poinsettias among them. For added glamour, twine a string of Christmas tree lights through them. These garlands look great on mantelpieces or stair railings.
-Baskets: Besides filling them with pine cones, baskets are great for adding color to any corner of the house at the holidays. Using a Styrofoam florists block to hold them in place, fill a basket with poinsettia picks and holly sprigs. You can buy small artificial poinsettia plants and fill a floor basket with them to add interest to a dead corner in a room. Mixing red and white poinsettias is an interesting look.
Outdoors
-Grape Vine Trees: You need some minor carpentry skills for these, but the result is worth the trouble. Form three legs out of ½ inch square trim, and hold them together at the top with tape. Then make a triangle frame for the bottom and attach to the trim, using carpet nails or staples. Next, weave outdoor lights in loose grape vine, and string it around the tree shaped frame you have just made, attaching it with staples or glue. You can make several trees the same size, or graduate them in size.
-Luminerias: This is a fun and simple way to add interest and glow to your outdoor Christmas landscape. You can use small paper bags, but many companies have introduced lumeneria bags with pretty winter themes cut out on the bag. Votive lamps are placed inside the bags and the winter walkway is brought to life with pretty footlights.
Happy Holiday Decorating!
Christmas is just around the corner and it is now time to start decorating your house with holiday ornaments. Visit http://www.findermind.com for more information about this subject.
