6 Ideas For Christmas Decor From Leftovers And Scraps
For anyone who is keeping a tight rein on spending this holiday season, here are some Christmas decor ideas you can make from scraps and leftovers from previous projects.
21/11/2020
Whether you are looking to keep spending to a minimum during the holiday season, or just want to get involved in making your own Christmas decor, we offer some great ideas for using scraps and leftovers you might have left lying around from a previous project, or even to look around the home at how you can recycle what you already have into festive decorations.
1. WOOD OFFCUTS AND SCRAPS
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If you are like me, you probably have a few scraps of wood leftover from previous projects. I have a habit of keeping all my scraps until the day I find a use for them and they always come in handy in one way or another.
There are plenty of ways to use wood scraps and offcuts for Christmas decor, all you need is a little creativity and a few accessories to turn something plain into something wonderful. If you are feeling crafty or wanting to make your own Christmas decorations, your first stop will be to a craft or hobby shop for things you can use to make decorations. Or do what I do and pop onto takealot.com to see what they have that you can use. Nowadays, it's possible to buy almost anything you need online and all you have to do is to wait for it to be delivered.
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For most of the scrap wood projects we show here, you don't need fancy tools and can get by with a drill / driver or cordless screwdriver, a jigsaw and a sander. Having said that, you can do away with the sander if you are prepared to do hand sanding and build up those muscles!
IF YOU DON'T OWN ANY POWER TOOLS...
Not everyone has the funds to go out and buy power tools on a whim. That's absolutely OK. Before the introduction of power tools everything that was done today (within limits) could be done with manual tools. If you don't have a cordless screwdriver - use a conventional screwdriver. Don't have a jigsaw - use a handsaw or hacksaw. And if you don't own a sander - buy a sanding block and sandpaper sheets or a sanding sponge. The only difference is that you have to be prepared to put a bit more effort into making stuff.
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2. FABRIC SCRAPS OR OLD CLOTHES
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I don't do a lot of sewing projects but do have lots of fabric left over from various upholstery and DIY Divas workshops. If you do a lot of sewing, you will probably have plenty of fabric scraps lying around. Another way to pick up fabric on the cheap is to check out the bargain bin at fabric stores or ask them for special pricing on end-of-roll fabrics. If you don't come right here then it's time to dig through the closets and pick out some old clothes that will work just as well.
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Not a fan of fabric for your festive decorations? Get in the Christmas mood by jazzing up your clothes with festive images. I love this sweatshirt with applique Christmas trees and it would also work on t-shirts, tops and sweaters.
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3. SCRAP PAPER, CARD AND CHRISTMAS CARDS
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Many people keep the Christmas cards they receive and there are plenty of ideas for using these to make your own holiday decorations. Another idea on this is to keep cardboard food boxes, cut out shapes and cover these with colourful festive wrapping paper.
Save money of gift packaging by making your own gift bags by recycling last year's Christmas cards.
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Let the kids have some fun making their own personal creations for the Christmas tree. Card baubles or ornaments are easily made by folding the card and gluing together and there are plenty of tutorials on the web that the kids can use to make them.
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4. RECYCLE OLD CHRISTMAS TREE
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Artificial Christmas trees last a long time - but they don't last forever. Instead of tossing yours in the trash, we offer some crafty ways to upcycle your tree for new decor to celebrate the festive season. One wonderful idea that we posted today, is to use your own Christmas tree to make a wall-mounted Christmas tree to decorate the home. And we also recently posted a couple of articles on make it or fake it home decorations and festive tablecloths where you can use branches from your old tree.
You can also upcycle your old Christmas trees and turn them into decorations that can be placed in your garden, patio, or deck. You can check out festivefinds.com for more Christmas and other festive ideas.
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6. LEFTOVER TILES OR BROKEN CROCKERY
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This year is the first time that I am seeing mosaic Christmas tree ornaments and decor and I love it. It's a great way to make use of any leftover tiles you might have, as well as recycling broken crockery such as cups and plates, etc. I think I would use my air-dry clay to form the shapes and then press the mosaic pieces into the top. That would work very well for almost any design you want to create.
There are so many festive decorations that you could craft with mosaic, from coasters to chargers for dining table. You can even create gifts for family and friends.
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