How to make free, disposable Christmas decorations

Instead of spending cash on decorations for Christmas that later have to be packed away in crowded closets, you can easily make your own. These decorations are simple yet beautiful, quick and easy, and best of all can be thrown away, for no storage hassles after the holidays. Once started you and even your children will enjoy finding items to turn into homemade ornaments.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Spray paints in Christmas colors-gold,silver,white
• Razor knife
• Scissors
• Glue
• Cardboard from boxes
• Various dry plant materials -see article
• Florist wire and tape

1. 
    
   A sample of items for decorating

   You will need to gather supplies first. Buy the cheapest paints, both spray and brush on that you can find and search through your old Christmas cards, boxes, and wrap for colorful pictures and scenes to cut out. Look for stars, angels, crosses, snowmen, santas, reindeer, and shiny foil paper to cut shapes from. Go outside to find interesting leaves, seedpods, dry flowers, and branches. Hunt up family photos, pet pictures, and baby picts. Look through old magazines and sales ads for pictures dealing with Christmas and winter.

2. 
    
   Grape vine wreath

   Spray paint items to give them a Christmas look. Items from nature, ie: walnuts, sycamore balls, rose hips, dry hydrangea flowers, clematis seed pods, and others, look beautiful when sprayed gold or silver. Simply lay them out where it is safe to spray paint and give them a coat of color. If you want to glue hooks on any for hanging do so before spraying them, as they will be easier to paint if you can hang them up. Branches sprayed white give a crisp winter look to decor and you can hang items from them. Long lengths of vine(grape, honeysuckle)can be wound into wreaths or strung over doorways and mantles. Tall grass stems with or without seedheads look nice painted gold and bundled together with a ribbon. Leaves can still be green before painting but they will curl as they dry. If they are not flat before painting, press them between two boards for a few days to make it easier to paint them. Evergreen magnolia leaves look good painted or not and they last forever. You can use leaves that are still attached to branches and vines, just be aware they will fall after a while. Maple, grape vine, privet, pine needles, and boxwood all make good choices. Pineapples, fruits, and pine cones make good decorative pieces simply placed in baskets or added to center pieces. Let your imagination run wild and look for any and all interesting shapes or forms to decorate with. It is amazing what a little spray paint can do.

3. 
    
   Some spray painted items

   Look for sources of decorative materials. Pictures and scenes cut from old cards can be glued to wreath forms, strung onto the tree, used for name tags, or glued to cardboard backings then creased to stand up on shelves. You can use the paper from old shiny bags or boxes to cut out Christmas shapes. Just make two of each and glue them back to back to make ornaments. Cut out photo sized paper frames in various shapes, like hearts or stars, to display family photos. Glue the photo to the frame and add a cardboard backing if necessary. Make copies of the photos if you don't want to take chances with the original. Wrap up some little boxes, blocks, or balls, and tie them with ribbons to hang on the tree. Polyester stuffing or cotton can be laid out across a mantle or table top to look like snow. Cardboard backed pictures of whatever scenery you like can be placed on it or other decorative items can be used. If you look at my third picture with this article, you will see how some of my decorative items look. I have included: walnuts, pine cones, sycamore balls, dry gomphorina flowers, and even peach pits(in the middle), just to show what they look like after painting. Hope you enjoy your holidays and have a blessed Christmas.
   All content and photos copyrighted by Aupoet.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't use too much spray paint. You will find a light touch is better.
• Don't forget to wear gloves when painting.
• Check for uninvited guests when using things from outside. Bugs love to hide.
• Most of the items I've mentioned are going to be flammable, so be careful if you are going to have lit candles or a fire in the fireplace.
• If you have pets or children be careful with plant materials that might be poisonous or harmful to them.

[Truckergirl]

on 11/28/2008 I remember helping you make decorations like this when I was a kid, reading your article brought back some good memories. You should write one about how to blow out eggs and decoupage them as ornaments. Those were the coolest.
Hugs,
Truckergirl