Last minute decorating crafts
Looking for quick and easy, last minute decorating ideas? Here are some very simply projects to add a festive touch to your home...
Dress up a table
A simple natural Christmas tree dressed with baubles in shades of blue makes a fresh statement for display or as a table centrepiece.
For a more casual setting, dress branches with white or silver baubles adds a touch of glitter to a table.
A glass cloche or vase make wonderful displays when filled with colourful tree ornaments.
Pop small shrubs - in their pots - in a suitable, waterproof container and fill around with red apples.
Decorate the tree
Make your own tree decorations using Das Clay and painted in bright, festive colours. Use white Das Clay and paint with Rust-Oleum gloss spray.
There are so many ways to decorate your salt dough or clay ornaments. Paint them, glitter them or create your own designer mosaic decorations.
Stuffed felt ornaments are lovely displayed on a Christmas tree. Start a tradition by getting the whole family together - hubby excluded of course - to make felt decorations for your tree.
Adorn your home
No tree? - No problem!
Tree branches are cut at various lengths and given a coat of white spray paint for a naturally designed Christmas tree. Hang with your favourite hand made ornaments or colourful baubles.
A delicate-looking wreath that creates the magical effect of candles flickering in the snow is easy to make and surprisingly sturdy. Wreath frames are strung with twinkling lights that are nestled in frothy, doilies.
Project instructions below
Here's how:
1. Use wire - or upcycle coat hangers - to create circles for the frame. Each circle is smaller and they are attached to each other with 24-gauge wire at 8 evenly spaced points.
2. In a ventilated area, coat combined wreath form with white spray paint. Let dry.
3. Wrap wreath form with a 20-foot strand of white holiday lights (test lights beforehand), leaving the plug end unwrapped (as much as is needed to plug in).
4. Cut a finger through centre hole of each doily (from front to back) to create openings large enough to accommodate a lightbulb.
5. Beginning with largest ones, place doilies evenly around wreath, slipping a light through each hole so that bulb bases, not bulbs, rest against paper. (From time to time, hang wreath, and step back to ensure that the arrangement is balanced and attractive.)
6. Add remaining bouquet holders in descending size order. Use smallest doilies to cover centres of larger ones and to fill in any gaps. Hang near an outlet. Unplug when unattended.
Spike up your holiday decorations. A message spike is piled high with newspaper or pages from old books cut into gradually smaller pieces and sprinkled with silver and white glitter.
Visit the craft section for instructions on how to make affordable and easy wreaths.