OS christmas decorations :)

franky

Designer decorations can be made for free.

Go on a nature walk. Gather organic elements that can be used in your house decorating. Acorns, pinecones, seed pods, bark, even stones can be used as display in bowls around the home. Press pretty Autumn leaves and place them on tables and around centerpieces.

Spray some of these with gold spray to make Christmas decorations too ;D

16011996

a couple of years aago we found a medium size branch that had broken off in the park, we sprayed it silver, and the kids hung things on it. my friends were quite envious as it looked really good.

Chris25

Designer decorations can be made for free.

Go on a nature walk. Gather organic elements that can be used in your house decorating. Acorns, pinecones, seed pods, bark, even stones can be used as display in bowls around the home. Press pretty Autumn leaves and place them on tables and around centerpieces.

Spray some of these with gold spray to make Christmas decorations too  ;D

I agree - we've done this before. I've just put the virtually the same post on the 'acorns' thread. Also spraying them with a little fake snow looks good.

Lucie_2

I have an "artistically arranged" pile of driftwood & beach pebbles on my living room window sill. All were freebies collected off the beach, but people always ask where I bought them from. Similarly my twirly hazel twigs in the dining room were from a friend of my Nana's farm. People pay a fortune for these things.

16011996

i have bits of smooth glass in a jar i've collected over the years off beaches on holiday, most is clear, gone milky white, but some are green, blue and brown. they look lovely.

Galtizz

Not sure if these should be here or home made gifts - I suppose it depends if you keep them or give them!

Multi coloured pine cones / logs (found this in an old magazine)

Mix any/ each of the following chemicals with shellac (which you can get from DIY stores) to make a paste then paint small patches onto a log or pine cones. When burnt on a fire the flame will be different colours:

Violet flame - Potassium Nitrate (from a chemistry set)
Apple Green flame - Barium Nitrate (from a chemistry set)
Vivid green flame - Borax (from MSOS kitchen cupboards!)
Blue - Copper Sulphate (Garden centres)
Yellow - Table salt

16011996

thanks for that, off to raid the chemistry set. ::)

rushnowt

I cant wait to get cracking on making my own designer deccys now, its going to say me tons ;D ;D

16011996

i have a roll of stuffing for cushions stuff (like wadding) that i roll out on the sideboard each xmas, and put other decs on. is cheap and looks good.

Queenie

Harvesting nature's harvest is the very BEST way to decorate your home with seasonal decorations.

One year, a friend of mine gathered pine cones, wrapped them in offcuts of netting and glued teeny metallic sprinkles on them. She gave me a couple. They are still part of our decorations each year.

Equally, hunt around Charity Shops for clothing in reds/greens. (Old shirts/skirts/dresses). Make a long tube in 3 different fabrics. Stuff with old, odd socks/tights (chopped into little pieces) into the tubes; then plait and curve into a circular wreath shape. Secure with a few stitches.
Either leave plain, or, add your pine cones, cinnamon (sp) sticks, sprigs of holly, trails of ivy, into the the wreath and voila (!) a welcome wreath for the door!

Also, don't be shy in asking friends/relatives for any decs they might be throwing out. Sometimes, when others get their boxes out of the loft/garage, they realise they have some which either don't fit in with "this season's colours" (*sniggers*) or simply no longer suit their fancy ... baubles can always be painted, covered in fabric, glittered etc.

School fairs can be a little goldmine in getting cute, one of a kind decs at a fraction of the price of storebought.

Remember, you are only limited by your OWN imagination

rushnowt

I love all these ideas, i've never been that arty crafty lol. but don't know how cost effective this is becoming as i've now spent that much on paper and ink to print off all these fab ideas, :-X :-/