With Christmas fast approaching, it’s time to think about decorations, presents and food! The costs associated with the season can quickly add up, so finding alternatives to buying new is always worth considering. Your garden could be the perfect place to start.
Garlands, wreaths and table centrepieces usually come with a hefty price tag, but you can make them yourself for next to nothing. Many plants found in most gardens are perfect for crafting decorations, such as holly, conifers or laurel. Pinecones and berries are lovely additions, too. Anything festive will work well in a handmade piece, and you can always brighten it up with some fairy lights.
A Festive Flashback: Our First Handmade Wreaths
We have some history when it comes to home-made Christmas decorations. In our first couple of months of trading back in 2007, when we had very few customers, we decided to take a stall at the Christmas Fair at the Shugborough Estate in Staffordshire, where we’d sell home-made fresh, festive wreaths and garlands – none of your plastic tat, these were all natural.
While our wreaths were beautifully made (if we say so ourselves), the busloads of pensioners who shuffled through the craft fair showed zero interest, so we gave the decorations away to family and friends. Expensive lesson learned!
Step-by-Step: Creating Christmas Decorations for Your Home
Back in the present day, we’ve had a go at making our own Christmas decorations for the office. Starting with some bendy branches (with pinecones already attached), you can use twine or string to twist around the branches, joining them together to create the length you want. The wrapped twine also provides a handy base for attaching other elements. Next, take some conifer from your garden or collect it on a woodland walk, and push these into the twine to bulk it out. If they feel loose, you can secure them with glue. We used glue dots, which worked really well.
Once you have a nice conifer foundation, incorporate some holly (berries make it extra festive) – but watch your fingers on the spikes! We learnt the hard way. You should now have a full and festive garland that you can decorate further with lights or ribbon or twist into a wreath to hang on your door. For a table centrepiece, curve the garland around some candles.
Here’s one we made earlier…
Easy DIY Ideas for Christmas from the Garden
For more ideas, you could try making twig stars by glueing small branches into a star shape or layering them on top of each other and tying the centre with ribbon. These look lovely hanging in a window or even on your tree.
Mini rosemary wreaths also make charming table settings or tree decorations. Simply cut a few rosemary sprigs, bend them into a hoop, and tie them together with string or ribbon. Add a dab of glue if needed.
If you’re short on time, keep it simple with a Christmas branch decorated with hanging baubles for a natural and elegant touch.
Making your own decorations is great fun, saves money and reduces waste – a win for your wallet and the environment.
Main photo by Kristina Kutleša on Unsplash