Homemade Western Christmas Decorations

A cowboy boot image is the ideal inspiration for a western decoration.

Christmas is the superstar of the winter holidays. Most people, even the non-religious, decorate their homes and businesses with enthusiasm. Christmas decorating is a way crafters use to show a special hobby or an unusual theme. Western Christmas decorations combine handicrafts with rustic supplies, resulting in a handmade holiday creation. In the months and weeks leading to Christmas, work on your western decorations so decorating will be a cinch when the holiday rolls around.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Printer
• Card stock
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Felt
• Hot glue
• Rhinestone
• 1/16-inch-wide white ribbon
• 1/16-inch-wide black ribbon
• 1/16-inch-wide red ribbon
• Blue permanent marker
• Hole punch
• 6-foot evergreen garland
• Bandanna material
• Aluminum spurs and horseshoes
• Floral wire
• Wire cutters
• Leather stripping
• Imitation chili peppers
• Floral picks

Instructions

Felt Ornaments

1. Open your graphics program or word processor. Select western-themed graphics to use as templates. Some suggestions would be a sheriff's badge, a single cowboy boot, a cowboy hat or a western-style shirt.

2. Print these images out on card stock and cut them out with sharp scissors. If you have no printer or computer, draw the items by hand using a pencil first, then outline the final picture with a marker, and cut the items from the paper.

3. Lay your templates on the felt and trace them with a pencil. Trace several of each item to put on a large Christmas tree. Use gold or yellow felt for the badges. Brown felt is ideal for boots. Use black and white felt pieces for the cowboy hats and red for the western shirts.

4. Dab hot glue on the boot ankle and tack on a glitter stone such as a rhinestone.

5. Glue black ribbon onto the crown of the white hat. Glue white ribbon onto the crown of the black hat.

6. Use a blue permanent maker to add the button details to the western shirt.

7. Hole punch the top of each ornament. Slide the 1/16-inch-wide red ribbon through the hole and tie them to the tree.

Western Garland

1. Lay a thick evergreen garland on a mantel or countertop.

2. Wrap the garland with red material that is used for making bandannas. Cut the material into 2-inch-wide strips first. Then wrap the material around the garland.

3. Add western items to the garland like aluminum spurs or horseshoes. Secure these items in place by using floral wire. Cut an 8-inch section of floral wire from the roll using wire cutters. Wire the items to the garland, spreading them out for a fuller look.

4. Wrap a thin strip of leather around the garland.

5. Put imitation chili peppers on floral picks and shove them into the garland, hiding the picks.

References

• HGTV: Cowboy Christmas Decorations Add Western Flair

Resources

• Terry Clothier Thompson: A Cowboy Christmas