Save Money by DIYing Your Holiday Decor With These Easy Craft Ideas (2024)

Nestle a DIY fire starter beneath dry logs in your fireplace or fire pit, then light the wick to enjoy a warming winter aroma. These are easy to recreate once you gather your kindling — think: small pinecones, evergreen twigs, dried citrus peel, cinnamon sticks and coffee beans.

• Place cupcake liners in a baking tray. Melt wax pellets in a heatproof bowl in the microwave. Stir every 30 seconds until the wax is melted and completely clear.
• Dip the wick bottoms into the wax and place one in each muffin cup. Fill cups halfway with kindling.
• Pour wax over the kindling until 2/3 of the way full. Allow the wax to set for a few minutes, then add more kindling to the top.
• Allow the wax to fully set for an hour before handling.

Would you believe that these adorable drum ornaments are crafted from old toilet paper rolls? With a bit of paint, tape and ribbon, the once paper rolls are completely unrecognizable.

• Cut down a toilet paper roll with scissors to about 1.5" - 2" tall. Paint the outside of the roll with acrylic paint and let completely dry.
• Cut out two circles the size of the opening of the roll out of craft paper and attach using a thin line of hot glue to secure.
• Add details onto the side of the drum making a criss-cross pattern with washi tape or attach ribbon with hot glue.
• Attach a strip of washi tape, ribbon or craft paper onto the top and bottom of the ‘drum’ to create a clean, straight line.
• Add a loop of ribbon with a dot of hot glue onto the side to hang.

SHOP WASHI TAPE

Before you throw out your wine or beverage bottles, consider this striking candle holder craft — plus, it's beginner-friendly.

• Place evergreens into bottles and fill with water. Optional to add a few fresh cranberries for a pop of color.
• Rub sticky candle wax to the bottom of a taper candle and place in the bottle opening. (If your candle doesn’t fit into the opening, carve away excess wax until it fits securely).
• Replace the water every few days to keep greens looking fresh.

Gather pantry items like popcorn, dried fruits, bay leaves or candy and turn it into a one-of-a-kind holiday garland. Once the holidays are over, remove the monofilament/ribbon and pop in your nearest compost bin.

• Thread a needle and sturdy monofilament through leftover pantry items.
• Or, loop decorative ribbon around pretzels and dried pasta for an unexpected twist. Hint: Paint the pasta metallic gold for extra shine.

Forgo traditional baubles for these elegant swans, which will look beautiful hanging from the Christmas tree. To create:

• Paint a mini pinecone white and let it dry completely.
• Roll the end of a white pipe cleaner around itself to make a little head for your swan. Cut the pipe cleaner about 1” below the head and attach to one end of the pinecone with a dot of hot glue to create your swan's neck and head.
• Cut a small triangle out of your gold craft paper and attach it to the side of the pipe cleaner head to make your beak.
• Cut out two small wing shapes out of felt and hot glue them onto the side of the pinecone to make your wings.
• Add on a looped piece of string to the swan to create an ornament.

SHOP MINI PINECONES

Transform a simple pine wreath by adding bundles of faux and dried foliage and flowers. The best part? When the season changes, you can replace bundles of winter foliage for spring florals.

• Lay the bundles on your evergreen wreath and wrap wire around to secure. Follow the direction of the evergreens and overlap bundles to hide any visible wires.
• Create a bow using decorative ribbon and secure it using wire.

SHOP WREATH

With only a few supplies and about five minutes, you can turn a mason jar into a beautiful centerpiece. This blogger uses Mod Podge and kosher salt to create the "snow," then adds decorative touches like twine, evergreen sprigs, pinecones and berries. Hint: Find jars at your local dollar store or reuse old candle or tomato sauce jars.

Find the tutorial at A Piece of Rainbow »

Made from air dry clay, this modern Christmas village will look beautiful displayed on a mantel, shelf or console table this winter. Simply roll out the clay using a rolling pin, cut out your shapes using an X-Acto craft knife and allow the structures to air dry over night at room temperature.

Find the tutorial at Alice and Lois »

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Print out an adorable photo of your pet or hilarious picture of a family member to craft a one-of-a-kind ornament you'll love displaying year after year. To start, you'll need a classic bauble.

• Hot glue a pipe cleaner around the ornament. Add little legs by folding the pipe cleaner to shape. Add on another set of legs and tail by cutting small bits of pipe cleaner to the one you have wrapped around the ornament by twisting it or adding a small dot of hot glue to secure.
• Add your printed out face on top and any other small decorations with a small dot of hot glue.
• Hot glue a string to hang.

Before you dispose of your old light bulbs, we've got a genius upcycling craft idea for you: rustic twine pears. All you need are a roll of twine, hot glue gun and pair of scissors — plus a small twig and piece of paper to act as the stem and leaf. Once you've gathered your supplies, do the following:

• Add a dot of hot glue to the large side of the light bulb. Attach twine and begin to coil around the entire lightbulb, adding more hot glue as you go.
• Trim away any excess twine. Fill in any gaps with more glue and twine.
• Glue a twig for the stem and a crescent-shaped piece of paper for the leaf.

SHOP TWINE

Bright and beautiful, this winter floral wreath is the perfect way to greet your guests. Follow this blogger's tutorial for paper poinsettias (hint: they're made from crepe paper), then assemble your flowers of various sizes and shades into a wreath form — securing with hot glue as you go.

See the tutorial at The House That Lars Built »

If you've recently wallpapered your interior and have a bit of leftover material, we've got the perfect craft for you — elegant ornaments made from small strips of wallpaper.

• Cut wallpaper into nine .5" x 10" strips. Poke 3 holes in each strip (middle, top and bottom).
• Thread a wooden bead onto a 10" piece of floral wire and wrap the wire around itself to secure.
• Add paper strips onto the wire through the center hole. Thread each end of the bottom strip onto the wire. Move clockwise repeating with each strip until all ends are on the wire.
• Add on another wooden bead and make a loop of wire and wrap it around itself to secure. Tie a ribbon on top to hang.

Buying stockings can get expensive, especially when you've got a growing family — why not make your own? Even amateur sewers can tackle these adorable stockings, which are made from soft felt. For decoration, this blogger adds yarn pom poms and small felt balls.

Find the tutorial at Tell Love and Party »

Swap traditional glass baubles for striking fringe ornaments, like this red display exuding a 1920s flapper aesthetic. Pick up tinsel fringe ribbon and a cord for hanging, break out the hot glue and follow these simple steps:

• Start at the bottom of the ornament and hot glue a small circle of tinsel fringe ribbon around the base.
• Continue to glue rings of the ribbon above the previous ring so the ribbon slightly overlaps and there are no gaps.
• Swap the ornament hook for a gold ribbon or cord.

SHOP TINSEL RIBBON

This oversized candy cane pillow will turn your house into a Christmas Candylane — and it takes only an hour to make if you own a sewing machine. Pick up red and white felt to create the classic stripe design, then fill the entire thing with fiber fill.

See the tutorial at Lovely Indeed »

Introduce color into your holiday decor with a collection of rainbow Christmas trees (these ones are made from cardstock). They rest on a gold painted wood base for an elegant touch.

See the tutorial at Love the Day »

Thanks to our easy-to-follow patterns, you don't need to be an expert crafter to recreate these whimsical paper snowflakes. Choose from various shapes and styles to add visual appeal to your windows, mantel or doorway. The best part? An all-white display looks great all winter, even after Christmas season is over.

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Download the pattern »

If you look closely, you'll notice these adorable gnomes are actually made from eos lip balms. This blogger used small wooden balls for the head, then cuts out felt shapes for the hats, mittens and scarves. Hint: You can mix and match lip balm lids for a multicolored look.

See the tutorial at Tatertots and Jello »

SHOP EOS LIP BALMS

Boho rustic is still a trending home style for 2023, and this gold bell garland is a gorgeous accent for the Christmas tree. It's made from a mix vintage rustic bells and mini brass bells, strung together with satin cord. For added detail, use a white paint pen to draw intricate patterns on each bell (including plenty of snowflakes).

See the tutorial at Made in a Day »

This gorgeous Christmas wreath proves we're never too old to play with popsicle sticks. To get started, you'll need about 40-50 small and 20-30 large craft sticks — either buy them green or paint them at least three different shades of the classic holiday hue. Glue the sticks to a 12" foam wreath, overlapping and mixing the shades of green as you go.

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