4 Quick and Easy DIY Christmas Crafts Anyone Can Do

I swear Christmas seems to creep up on us earlier every year and with the recent warm weather, it really doesn’t feel like Christmas is just around the corner! 

Each year I try to do a bit of DIY Christmas Crafts with the kids and this year is no exception!

I let the kids choose one new decoration a year, but other than that, we tend to use what we have and craft the rest.  

4 quick and easy DIY Christmas crafts anyone can do Pinterest pin
Easy DIY Christmas decorations

However, I’ll be honest with you; DIY Christmas crafts normally make me shudder. I’ve always had Christmas tree OCD, there has to be a theme and I always try to keep to the same colour scheme.

I let the kids decorate the tree, but then I quietly rearrange it when no one is looking. Don’t tell me I’m the only one? 😉

How can I make cheap Christmas decorations? 

When my kids come home from school with a newly created craft paper star with glitter stuck on awkwardly or an angel made out of a loo roll, I smile sweetly and put it to one side.

In fact, it’s the main reason we got another Christmas tree for the kitchen. I have designated it for the kids only and it is where all their wonderful creations turn up.

Our old kitchen was extremely festive! We haven’t decorated our new kitchen yet as we were knee-deep in renovations this time last year…

Christmas decorations in an open plan kitchen with grey and blue sofas, christmas tree and christmas pudding on the dining table
Our smaller Christmas tree in our old kitchen. The kids can hang whatever they want from here!

DIY Christmas Crafts

I do like having a few homemade craft decorations dotted about the house though, so I thought I’d write a quick blog post on 4 of my favourite easy DIY Christmas crafts.

They are so cheap to make and perfect if you are looking for quick crafts for kids. 

At this time of year, our social media feeds are full of easy DIY Christmas decorations and it can sometimes feel a little overwhelming.

However, if you are looking to keep costs down and fill your house with sustainable Christmas decorations, creating your own is both fulfilling, cheap and fun!

Christmas Wreath

We have seen an explosion of people making their own Christmas wreaths in the last few years and these days, anything goes.

I have seen kitsch plastic toy wreaths, wreaths made out of feathers and colourful bauble creations.

Wreath, wreath made of colourful baubles
Colourful bauble wreath. Image credit and idea: thecraftedlife.com
Christmas wreath, Christmas wreath made of plastic toys including barbie dolls, action man, old baubles and feathers
A wonderfully kitsch plastic toy wreath. Image credit: mucknbrass.com

As I am going with a red, gold and green theme in my living room this year, I decided to make a wreath out of ribbon and flowers that I already had in my craft box!

Here’s what you need –

How to make a DIY wreath. Plain wreath, poinsetta, glue gun, ribbon, scissors, pipe cleaners and foliage on the table
Wreath kit

Method – 

  1. Start by securing the end of the ribbon to the wreath with a hot glue gun
Plain rattan wreath with glue gun
Use a hot glue gun to secure the end

2. Start wrapping the ribbon around the wreath making sure you overlap the ribbon

Wrapping a plain rattan wreath with Christmas ribbon
Wrap the ribbon around the wreath

3. Once you are a quarter of the way, if you have any foliage, wrap the ribbon around the stalk to secure it in place.

4. Keep wrapping the ribbon until it meets the beginning and then secure the end with the hot glue gun

Securing the Christmas ribbon on the wreath
Wrap the ribbon to the end and secure it with a hot glue gun

5. Use a green (or colour-matched) pipe cleaner to secure the foliage to the wreath

Attaching faux foliage to the wreath with ribbons
Secure foliage with a pipe cleaner

6. Clip the poinsettia onto the foliage

Attaching the poinsetta to the wreath with a pin
Use a clip-on Poinsettia

7. Either use string or red/green ribbon to tie around the top of the wreath to hang

red poinsetta, red poinsetta attached to a wreath
Completed wreath! You can use all sorts of ribbons, foliage and clip-on flowers to make your own wreath

Quick and Easy Snowflake

If you want some quick crafts for kids at Christmas, look no further than creating your own paper snowflake.

I wrote a dedicated blog post on how to create these snowflakes after people went crazy for them on my Instagram stories.

Read more >>>

How to Create a Quick and Easy DIY Snowflake Star for Christmas

The beauty of making these snowflakes is that you can use any colour and create them at any size.

You can make larger ones and hang them from your windows and ceiling, or make smaller ones and hang them from your Christmas tree.

I normally make large snowflakes, but I wanted to attach some to a hanging wreath I’m making so I followed the same instructions on this blog post, but created smaller snowflakes.

I also used different colours, including burgundy and gold to create a Christmas colour theme.

I love these paper snowflakes, they are the perfect sustainable Christmas decoration!

DIY paper snowflake christmas decoration

To create, all you need is a square piece of paper, some scissors, a stapler and some string or Sellotape from which to hang the snowflake.

Purple and gold paper with sellotape, scissors and stapler on the table
I’m using burgundy and gold paper from thepaperbox.co.uk

As I am making smaller snowflakes this time, I needed to use Sellotape to fasten them together, but if you are making larger snowflakes, a stapler is easier. 

Method – 

1. Cut the paper so you have a square shape. Fold it in half to create a triangle and then fold it in half again.

Folding over a piece of paper
A small triangle

2. Make sure you have the right angle of the triangle at the bottom with the folded edge of the triangle vertically, cut 4 x 1cm strips at 90 degrees angles leaving 1cm away from the folded edge. 

Cutting the paper to make a christmas snowflake decoration
Make sure the right angle is at the bottom and the folded edge runs vertically
The cuts on display on the paper
The folded edge in the middle should stay intact.

3. Open up the triangle so that it is a square shape and starting from the middle, secure the two sides in the middle with sellotape. Do this for each strip, making sure they alternate from left to right. 

Fold over the cuts in the paper to create a snowflake petal
One completed snow “flake”

4. You need to repeat this six times so that you have six “flakes” to create the snowflake. Secure them together with a stapler and you’re done!

The 6 petals before connecting together to create a snowflake
6 petals completed
Using sellotape to fasten the petals together
Staple the middle section together
The completed christmas snowflake decoration
The completed snowflake
Paper snowflake decoration, paper brown bag decoration hanging from a mantelpiece in the living room
I’ve hung the star on my mantelpiece next to my Brown Paper Stars, which make wonderful sustainable Christmas decorations. You can get similar ones here.

Christmas Craft Citrus decoration

Did anyone else get an apple and orange in the bottom of their stocking every Christmas?

According to the story, St Nicholas learnt of a father who couldn’t afford a dowry for his 3 daughters, so he threw three sacks of gold down the chimney and they landed in the daughters’ stockings that were hanging by the fire to dry.

The oranges we put in stockings today are supposed to represent the gold that St Nicholas gifted.

I also remember making Christingles as a kid which consists of an orange, a candle stuck in the middle, a red ribbon wrapped around the outside of the orange and dried fruits or sweets stuck on cocktail sticks representing the “fruits” of the earth.

oranges for Christingle
Image by Couleur from Pixabay

Oranges play a big part in the whole Christmas season so I made some citrus decorations to hang on a Christmas Chandelier wreath.

As DIY Christmas crafts go, they are extremely simple to do and provide a lovely natural/biophilic addition to your tree, wreath or garland.

What you will need –

  • Orange! Or any type of citrus fruit
  • A sharp knife
  • Baking sheet
  • An oven
  • Some string
Oranges, lemons and limes on a chopping board in the kitchen
Oranges, lemons and limes are all perfect for these easy sustainable Christmas decorations

Method

1. Cut the citrus fruit into slices of about 1cm thickness with a sharp knife and remove all seeds

Citrus fruits cut in half on a chopping board
1cm slices

2. Lay them out separately on a baking sheet and place them in a preheated oven set to around 160F.

Placing the citrus slices on an oven proof tray
Lay them out on baking or parchment paper

3. Bake them for around 3-4 hours, making sure you turn them over every hour to bake both sides.

Placing the citrus slices in the oven
Pop them in the oven for 3 – 4 hours

4. Keep checking the slices as you do not want them to completely shrivel up or get burnt.

5. Once you are happy they are baked, leave them to cool in the kitchen and then thread some string or craft wire through the slice so you can hang it from the tree.

A baked orange slice
The citrus fruit should be hard and browned but not burnt
Tying the baked orange slice to gold string
I threaded some gold wire through the orange to hang

If you are looking at creating more easy DIY Christmas decorations, you could get creative with the orange slices and use them as single decorations, stack them together to make citrus baubles or create garlands. 

Baked orange slice in a hanging christmas garland made of eucalyptus
I decided to add my citrus decorations to my chandelier Christmas wreath in the kitchen
Close up of the hanging Christmas garland
Perfectly rustic

Christmas Twig Tree

Another DIY Christmas craft I have done in the past is creating a Christmas twig tree. 

Read more >>>

How To Create an Eco Friendly Christmas Twig Tree Decoration

This is so simple and easy to do and looks fabulous with very little effort. It is also a great idea if you are looking for quick crafts for kids.

You can forage for the twigs and let them choose their own sustainable Christmas decorations to decorate the tree.

My two young children (who often moan when I task them with anything!), enjoyed looking for different lengths of twigs and branches and choosing the little baubles to attach to the tree.

Christmas twig tree hanging up above a fireplace on a dark green wall
Twig tree hung up with command hooks

What you will need –

small baubles in various colours
Mini baubles from Paperchase
Different sized twigs laid out in a tree shape
Line the branches up in order of size

Method – 

1. Make sure you collect around 6/7 branches all descending in size by about 2 inches. Arrange them on a table and starting at the bottom left branch, wrap twine around the end of the branch and work your way upwards, leaving about 2 inches between each branch.

It is probably better to drill a hole through the middle of the branch and feed the twine through.

I think this works better as I found that, by just wrapping it around the end, the branches kept moving and dropping when I lifted it up. 

Tying the string to the twigs
Tie the string around the ends

2. When you get to the top branch, make a triangle at the top so you have enough room to hang it and then work your way back down the right-hand side of the branches.

3. Once you are happy that the branches hang equally when lifted by the twine from the top, you can fasten it with a hook to a wall. I found it easier to hang it first and then add the décor.

Hanging the twigs up on the green wall
I hung my tree up first then added the decor.

4. Wrap the wire lights around the branches and then to finish off, add mini decorations, bird baubles or whatever takes your fancy.

The finished christmas twig tree hanging up in the living room
The perfect example of how to create easy DIY Christmas decorations. It doesn’t have to be expensive!

I’ve had fun creating these DIY Christmas crafts and they shouldn’t take you any more than half hour to complete (excluding things like foraging for branches and baking oranges in the oven!).

They are a great idea if you want some quick crafts for kids and make beautiful sustainable Christmas decorations which will last you for years. 

Keeeeeep crafting!  

Mel x

More on Christmas >>>

7 Cheerful and Colourful Christmas Tree Themes you Need to Try

Cooking at Christmas – 4 of the Best Kitchen Appliances and Recipes

4 quick and easy DIY christmas crafts Pinterest pin
DIY Christmas crafts

 

 

 

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *