Think of items around the house that can be transformed into Christmas decorations.
Christmas is about family, giving and sharing, but it can also be very expensive when you add together buying gifts, making food and decorating your home. Luckily, there are many ways for the thrifty homeowner to make her own homemade decorations. DIY ideas are just as festive as their store-bought counterparts, but don't put a burden on your wallet.
Recycle Christmas Cards
Use parts of old Christmas cards to create new ones.
Each year, most households receive dozens of Christmas cards from family and friends. Instead of throwing them away during post-Christmas clean-up, use them as recycled Christmas decorations. Cut your favorite parts of a Christmas card out to use as ornaments; embellish the card piece with glitter, ribbon or card stock and punch a hole at the top to hang on the tree. Alternatively, use the Christmas cards to make place mats; decorate a piece of foam paper or card stock with images from your recycled Christmas cards. Laminate the place mats so that they can be used over and over.
Popcorn and Cranberries
Use plain, unbuttered popcorn for stringing.
Stale popcorn and uneaten cranberries can be transformed into decorative garland for your Christmas tree or to be hung over doorways and along stair railings. Use popcorn that has been sitting in a bowl overnight as fresh popcorn tends to break easily, and fresh cranberries that are not mushy. Tie a needle to the end of a length of fishing line; thread the popcorn and cranberries onto the line. You can make individual strands of popcorn and cranberries or combine the two ingredients onto one string by alternating popcorn and cranberries.
Ornaments
Pinecones of various sizes can be used as hanging decorations.
Make your own ornaments from various household items. Cinnamon ornaments can be made from bottles of ground cinnamon and applesauce. Mix the two ingredients together to form a dough, then roll it out and cut out Christmas-themed shapes. Bake the ornaments, then allow them to dry before hanging.
Use pinecones from your yard to make glittered pinecone ornaments. Select pinecones that are dry or dry them for at least one day before decorating them. Brush white glue onto sections of a pinecone and dust it with glitter; be sure not to glue the entire thing at once or the glue will dry before you can get to each section.
Homemade Snow Globe
Make your own snow globe from a baby food jar, Mason jar or any other clear jar with the label removed. Glue a small toy or figurine to the inside of the lid with silicone and allow it to dry. Add your preferred amount of glitter or artificial snow to the jar, then fill the jar with water and a few drops of mineral oil (this helps make the glitter material fall). Seal the jar with silicone with the lid-side up and allow it to dry before turning it over.
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