Have Yourself a Crafty Little Christmas This Year…
- Words by Peppermint
Saying Christmas has become an over-commercialised holiday is a bit like saying water is wet or global warming is a serious concern that requires immediate drastic action. It’s like… yeah, duh.
But Christmas isn’t about buying a bunch of unnecessary trinkets to be disposed of come January, it’s about peace and love and family and good vibes and stuff. To get in touch with those warm fuzzy feelings without a price tag attached, why not gather round with your loved ones and craft some Christmas cheer yourselves?
To ensure you have some good times making good memories and useful, economical, ethical or at least adorable Christmas DIYS, we’ve compiled a few great ideas to get you started.
Trim the Tree
We don’t all have space in our humble abodes to cram in the traditional Christmas tree. Real trees are usually the most sustainable option but are sometimes not the easiest, and who wants to shell out for a scratchy plastic replica?
DIY queen Geneva Vanderzeil of Collective Gen has a whole series of space-saving Christmas tree alternatives including a DIY Foraged Branch Tree to bring that touch of nature, an All String Lights Tree, or a DIY Tree made out of hanging shelves – an absolute stroke of genius which can be used to store presents out of the range of pesky pets and children…
Deck the Halls
From basically October onwards, stores are overrun with cheaply made, poor quality, plastic Christmas decorations. Instead of contributing to that, why not make your own? You’re never too old to give your parents something terrible made of popsicle sticks that they have to hang on their tree but if you want to go a bit more upmarket there is a whole world of gorgeous DIY decorations out there.
You can use origami to make sweet little stars out of fabric scraps, leftover gift wrap or cereal boxes and other cardboard. You could go all natural and dry out some citrus slices to make traditional, festive and fragrant garlands. And if you have a handle on terracotta clay sculpting and a little bit of imagination, the world of ornaments is your oyster.
Wrethink your Wreaths
Wreathe your house in festive cheer with some funky homemade wreaths! There are a million and one ways you can remix that simple circle into a one-of-a-kind work of art that reflects your own personal style and the supplies you have at hand.
You can make a Scandi-style wreath out of leftover fabric scraps, a leafy paper wreath out of wrapping paper – go full collage art and upcycle some old magazine or comic book pages – or head out in nature and forage up some greenery to create a beautiful Christmas wreath out of Australian native botanicals!
WANT MORE DIY CONTENT? RIGHT THIS WAY!
top image GENEVA VANDERZEIL
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Any New Year’s resolutions on your list? We love this from @OtterBeeStitching - “be brave enough to suck at something new”.
There’s no points for perfection, but you’ll get a trophy for trying. If nothing else this year, take the leap and try something new.
#OtterBeeStitching #Embroidery #BeBrave #TrySomethingNew #EmbroideryArt
Sunday serving suggestion ☀️
Gorgeous photos from @JolieFemmeStore - who make sweet garments from vintage bedsheets.
#PeppermintMagazine #SlowSunday #SwitchOff #Unplug #ReadAMagazine
A toast to the old you 🥂
We wholeheartedly love this post from the brilliant @EmilyOnLife:
“2026: Reinvent, burn it down, let it go (whatever it is). Year of the Snake it up. Exercise your boundaries, exercise your body, take one teeny step every day towards a life that feels better to be in.
But don’t you dare shit on your old self while you do it.
Hold yourself with reverence and tenderness and respect, because you got you this far. You did your very best with the information and tools you had at the time. You scraped yourself together, you made it work, you survived what felt impossible to survive: again and again and again.
You are perpetually in the process of becoming, whether you can feel it or not, whether or not you add it to your 2026 to-do list.“
Some very wise words from @Damon.Gameau to take us into 2026 🙌🏼
⭐️ We made it!!! ⭐️
Happy New Year, friends. To those who smashed their goals and achieved their dreams, and to those who are crawling over the finish line hoping to never speak of this year again (and everyone else in between): we made it. However you got here is enough. Be proud.
It’s been a tough year for many of us in small business, so here’s to a better year in 2026. We’re forever grateful for all your support and are jumping for joy to still be here bringing you creativity, kindness and community.
We’re also excited to be leaping into the NY with our special release sewing pattern – the Waratah Wrap Dress!
How great are our fabulous models: @Melt.Stitches, @KatieMakesADress and @Tricky.Pockets - and also our incredible Sewing Manager @Laura_The_Maker! 🙌🏼
Ok 2026: let’s do this. 💪🏼
#PeppermintWaratahWrapDress #PeppermintPatterns #SewingPattern #MeMade #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Putting together our annual Stitch Up brings on all the feels! We feel humbled that you’ve chosen to sew Peppermint patterns, we feel inspired by the versions you’ve created and we feel proud of you.
Where to begin?! As always, there has been a plethora of Peppermint patterns flooding our feeds this year, and we wish we could showcase more than just a handful of magnificent makes from you, our clever community. We encourage you to flip through the me-made items in your wardrobe or scroll through your grid and remind yourself of the beauty you’ve created with your own two hands (and maybe a seam ripper and some choice words). Congratulations to all of us for our creative achievements this year!
We’ve put together some (but absolutely not all) of our favourites from 2025 over on our website. We hope it inspires your next make!
🪡 Link in bio 🪡
Pictured: @FrocksAndFrouFrou @MazzlesMakes @KatieMakesADress @_Marueli_ @IUsedToBeACurtain @Nanalevine.Couture @PiperInFullColour @MadeByMeJessieB @SarahMalkawi @Made.By.Little.Mama
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