Our top 10 picks for DIY Christmas decorations and crafts

reindeer-costume-santa-photoAs some of you already know, Lil’ Creatures all started with just a couple fun crafternoons making costumes from baby rompers for my new baby Hugo.  The first was a Redback Spider Halloween costume, the next followed on from that Idea and making him a Red-nosed Reindeer outfit for his first Santa photo and Christmas day.  I really enjoyed making something special for my loved ones that would be really treasured and adored.

So, I thought it was only right to put together a collection of DIY Christmas decorations and craft ideas for the whole family.  Some of them just about anyone could do, while others might need a bit of sewing or crafting know-how under their belt – I’ve rated them out of 3 scissors for difficulty, 1 scissor for easy, 3 for the more tricky to help you choose.  I’ve searched through my go to list of amazing crafters, and even discovered some great DIY Christmas craft idea that I’m going to try myself too!

One:  Felt Ornament Advent Calendar Pattern

diy-advent-calendarby Sesame Seed Designs

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This is just the most beautiful advent calendar.  I bought this very pattern myself and made it a couple of years ago and absolutely L O V E it!  I have no doubt it will be treasured through the generation of my family to come.  Both my little boys love picking out the next decoration to hand on the tree.

SesameSeedDesigns sell the PFD pattern through Etsy and have very easy to follow instructions.  This one required some amount of sewing skills (though I cheated and fabric-glued all the decorations together, and highly recommend that you do too) and a bit of embroidery to finish off the decorations, the main thing you need is a bit of time and patience – it is not a small/quick Christmas craft item, but well worth the effort!

Here is a picture of my completed one in use last Christmas:

 

Two: Handmade Christmas Tree Card

christmas-cardsby HGTV

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Surprise friends and family with this cute, easy-to-create handmade holiday card. Trendy patterns and traditional Christmas colors really make it pop.

Three:  Cookie Cutter Wreath

wreathby Better Homes and Gardens

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After you’ve finished all your Christmas baking repurpose your Christmas cookie cutters into this festive wreath.  So simple and cute, and you can take it apart when you pack up your decorations to use for cookies again.

Four: Christmas tree piñatas

christmas-tree-pinataby Everything Etsy

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These mini piñatas will brighten up any tree or package.  They’re great to give to little guests that stop by during the holidays…what’s not to love about a mini piñata full of candy???

 

 Five: Orange Pomanders

orange-pomandersby The Pickled Herring

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Orange pomanders, oranges studded with dried cloves, are a common sight in Swedish homes around Christmas time – either hung in windows using ribbon, or else lying in a fruit bowl spreading a lovely Christmas fragrance around the house. Pomanders are incredibly simple to make, and they will make your home smell amazing!

Six: Scrabble Christmas ornaments

scrabble-ornamentsby My Sweet Savanah

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I love board-games and Scrabble is one of my favourite, as are these cute Scrabble Christmas ornaments.  I think you could make these even easier skipping the Scrabble trays and simply gluing the pieces together.  These days Scrabble letters are pretty easy to come by, try Esty, Gumtree or your local thrift stores.

Seven: Pipe-Cleaner Snowflake Ornament

pipecleaner-snowflakesby Martha Stewart

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This one is perfect to do with the kids and still look good enough to hang on the tree and give as gifts.  A nice idea would be to attach to Christmas cards so they can be removed to use as tree ornaments.

Eight: DIY pom-pom Christmas Wreath

pom-pom-wreathby EmmaJayne Designs

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This is one of the funnest and easiest DIY Christmas decorations you’ll find.  Lots of pom-poms, something round and a hot-glue gun to stick it all together.  I’d love to see it in all shades of reds.

Nine: Cute String Ornaments

diy-string-ornamentsby From the Heart Up

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These are simple, sweet and fun – what more could you ask for in a Christmas crafternoon!

Ten: Festive Finger Puppets

festive-finger-puppetsby Parents

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After your kids make these holiday-inspired finger puppets, it may be hard to part with them!

 

 

We’d love to see how you go making one or more of the DIY Christmas decorations and craft ideas!

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