Christmas time is HERE! It’s upon us, whether you’re ready for it or not. December is a busy month for all of us. Everyone is buzzing about, slowly but steadily checking off that “Gifts to buy” list for our friends and family. We’re putting up lights, decor, and you’re probably spending one of the next few weekends buying your Christmas tree if you haven’t already done that. Well, you have a lot to do and so do I!
I can’t help you with your shopping list, but what I can do for you this Christmas is give you some absolutely stunning, inexpensive DIY ideas for how to decorate your home for the season. Minimalist decor is definitely “in” right now and these ideas are perfect for that theme. Personally, I won’t mind if this trend sticks around for years to come – I so enjoy the simple, natural beauty of it.
I can’t really take credit for these ideas though. You might say that The Well Sourced Life has had it’s first contributor who is also my sister in law! We had the best day working together making these beautiful creations, each of which can help you to beautifully decorate your home – for less than $20.
I think you’ll find these decor items easy, fun, festive, and something that brings cheer and livelihood to your home this season. So let’s get decorating!
- Frosted Tree Branches
ITEMS YOU NEED:
- White Spray Paint ($5-10)
- Branches – see below & above photos for types
- Foam paint brush ($0.50) **optional
- Epsom salt **optional
HOW TO MAKE: If you have a pine tree, eucalyptus tree, weeping willow, or anything with long sweeping branches and needles or even small leaves in your yard, you can use those for this simple craft. You can also use thin, dead sticks or branches with no leaves at all as shown in the images above. A trip to the mountains (or any legally public, non-park land) can also provide these items. Frosted branches are beautifully elegant, and can be done in a variety of ways! Take some pruning shears and cut off branches that are between 2 FT – 4 FT in length, depending on how you plan to use them for (see ideas for uses below). Then take your white spray paint and generously spray the entire branch, along with leaves on all sides to give it a snow-like effect.
(Hint: If you want to add crystals to the edge of the branches for an EXTRA snowy effect, take a foam paint brush and brush the edges of the leaves with acrylic white paint, then sprinkle Epsom salt crystals on top and set out to dry!)
USE FOR: Garland across a mantel, entertainment center, hung on the wall or above doorways. With softer branches, you can bend these and use a green wire tie to make an all-natural wreath.
- Dusted Pine Cones
ITEMS YOU NEED:
- Spray Paint (white, red, gold or any other desired color)
- Glitter (any color is fine, but I recommend the same color as the paint that you use)
- Pine Cones
HOW TO: Purchase or collect as many pine cones as you plan to decorate from your own backyard, public mountain land or any other allowable locations. If you’re purchasing these, you can get 18 of pine cones for $10 on Amazon at the link here. At any local hardware store or off of Amazon, purchase a white, red or any other color of spray paint desired. You don’t need anything too expensive, so don’t spend more than $5 or $10 on the paint. Here is an example of one that would work just fine. Generously spray the paint on the pine cones, then while the paint is still wet apply the glitter. If using as ornaments, wait until the paint has dried and take some twine (see here), tie it around the top of the pine cone and create a loop for hanging.
USE FOR: Centerpieces, shelf decor, ornaments.
- Painted Mason Jars
ITEMS YOU NEED:
- Mason Jars
- Spray paint (any color)
- Acrylic paint set **optional
- Ribbon **optional
HOW TO: This one was absolutely beautiful. Take as many mason jars as you think you’ll use. Any size will work, but we used the larger 16oz jars. Mason jars can be inexpensively found at thrift stores, grocery stores, or online at Amazon. Place with the mouth side down and spray generously around the exterior of the entire jar. Let sit for 1 day to dry. Fill the next day with branches, decor, tea lights, etc if planning to use as plain vases.
If you would like to go a step further and write on the jars, you can use any acrylic paint set. I used my kids’ which was about $8 from Walmart and that worked fine! Paint “MERRY, JOY, PEACE” in a simplistic, all-caps font or any related Christmas wording onto the jar. Let the paint sit for a few more hours, or another day until dried. Then feel free to use!
USE FOR: Shelf decoration, vase, Christmas gift snack or hot cocoa mix holder, Christmas gift.
Happy decorating!
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