Custom Christmas Ornaments

Posted on 29. Nov, 2009 by Dragon Sue in General, Saving Money & Finances

Custom Christmas ornaments can be a way of making Christmas a truly personal event for both you and your family, as well as a way of saving money.

Talk first with your family to see what Christmas decorations mean to them, some like the ‘Santa’s grotto’ effect, some prefer the ‘country’ look, and yet others prefer a more traditional Nativity based décor, there is a lot of variation in each of those categories, and you don’t even have to stick to just one, there are no rules, just what you like. It’s not going to work if you slave away making your decorations if you are the only one in the family that likes them!

Next think about the decorations you already have that fit in to your chosen scheme, and what you have to make to top them up.

If you are going for the Santa’s grotto effect;

Placing of lights is the most important part of this look; they have to be in a position so their light can reflect off anything glittery near by.

A quick and easy tree bauble can be made with a polystyrene ball. Quarter the ball with ribbon, leaving a big loop at the top for hanging, use sewing pins to attach the ribbon. In the segments between the ribbons, just cover the ball with sequins of your choice, pinning them on with yet more sewing pins. Once the ball is hanging on the tree the sparkle is better than anything you could buy!

Try moulding cooking foil in to Christmas shapes that can be hung on the tree with a bit of cotton, the scrunched foil catches the light beautifully as it swings in the gentle breeze of someone passing by.

Children can cut out and paint with glitter all sorts of Christmas shapes that can be hung not only on the tree but around the house too. There are a lot of sites offering free sheets of Christmas designs you could download for this.

If you are going for a more ‘Country’ look;

Try using tartan ribbon instead of tinsel on the tree, it isn’t cheaper than buying tinsel, but at least it can be reused for other things once the tree is just a memory.

Take strips of brown packing paper and tie them in to big bows for the tree,

Get the kids to cut out ginger bread boys and girls shapes, and paint to their own taste, to hang on the tree.

Wire together branches of holly, yew or other ever green bushes to make swags. Decorate with small brown paper wrapped boxes tied with thin ribbon to match the colour scheme of your tree.

Get out the tinfoil plates and punch holes in them in the designs of your choice/theme. These can be hung in the windows, or on the tree.

There is an innumerable amount of crochet/knit patterns for free on the internet for bauble covers that will add that ‘homey’ feeling.

If you are going for the ‘Nativity’ scheme;

The first thing you need is the Nativity scene! Take a trip out in to the great out doors and collect a load of small sticks. These can be made, with a bit of glue, in to the stable in which to build the rest of the scene, the building of which can be as easy or as complicated as your skills dictate! The easiest way to people this is with paper cut outs that have been decorated. Let your imagination run wild, there is no limit to what you can or cannot do here. The Star can be painted with luminous paint. The Wisemen can be clothed with scraps of silk and velvet, painted with glitter, etc.

Of course it goes without saying that any or all of the ideas above can be swapped around between the categories, as it is all about what Christmas means to you. It is not about the shop keepers trying to sell you more and more things that will get used once a year, if that. Save your money, and enjoy the season in the most personal way there is!

Tags: christmas decorations, decorate your home cheap, holiday ornaments, make your own ornaments, save money on decorations