Have Yourself a Crafty Little Christmas This Year…

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!  

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top image GENEVA VANDERZEIL