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'O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely are your banches ...' and so are these divine homemade decorations. Keep your kids active and creative with these simple holiday craft ideas. Have them experience making their own contribution to the day and watch how proud they are when they see their projects on display!  Remember - busy little elves are happy little elves.

Decorations can be made from organic, recycled and scrap materials. Choose a theme. Try organic popcorn, dough, cinnamon sticks, bows, gingerbread, holly, seasonal berries, pine cones, gumnuts, painted eggshells and even dried indian corn.

 After Christmas, store decorations.

Christmas Tree Ornaments

Use eggs, stars, moons, suns and other shapes, to make stars etc....
Draw a simple shape, or cut a shape from a magazine or old recycled card and use this as a silhouette to trace around. Cut the shape out of cardboard and paint with eco-friendly paint or cover with foil or re-use gift wrap. Shapes can include: suns, moons, stars, hearts, snowmen, angels, Santas, candles, bells, bauble shapes, gingerbread house, animal shapes, teddy bears, birds, candy canes, etc. Cut angels, peace doves or snowflakes out of scrap white paper (e.g. envelopes).

Artificial snow spray can be made from environmentally damaging components, plus there's added waste of the can. A more earth-friendly imitation snow effect can be achieved by sprinkling baking soda on your tree.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Make stars from wool felt, cardboard covered with foil or painted with silver or gold or even  raffia. Have silver stars and gold stars. Or try blue and gold. Have big and small ones so it looks like the tree is covered with a constellation of stars.

 Hang stars from the windows at different levels, and using different size stars. For decorations also use candles, or candles and a few stars with soft greenery.

Try different color and texture combinations, such as having a variety of golds with textures, or those with ruby, deep blue and green finishes, or stars with a bit of a pastel tone. Another idea is to cut out the centre of the stars so that they are only silhouettes. Have them in gold, cream, silver, or any other color schemes. These will look more delicate on your tree.

On the tree hang cardboard stars and suns, eggs or bows painted gold, bronze, or copper. Put one or two with garlands of greenery and arrangements of greenery, pears, apricots and other gold fruit on the table, or around candles. Hang stockings and for trim on the stockings use scraps of lace, painted gold trim if desired.

Paint old sandpaper or textured cardboard for textured stars. Even torn and damaged cardboard creates an interesting textured effect when painted.

Christmas Tree Baubles

Use an old tennis ball. Wrap it in colourful twine. Add some holly and you have a beautiful bauble that is completely unique to you.

You can also fashion your own baubles out of foam balls and odd scraps of material or cord.

Use eggs. Have hard boiled organic eggs for breakfast. Neatly slice off the top either close to the top or half way, depending upon your design. Do not crack the eggshells. Clean out the egg shells of all remnant egg and very carefully wash the shells in soapy water. Allow them to dry. Once the egg is dry stick the shell together with a strip of tape (such as, masking tape - the tape needs to be able to be painted over).

Alternatively, pierce an uncooked egg at the top and bottom to remove the contents (use this for cooking) and rinse the shell in soapy hot water to clean it.

Then either paint the egg with eco-friendly craft paint or glue on pictures, etc (this will also help harden the eggshell). Thread wire from the bottom to the top of the egg, leaving 4cm at both ends. At the bottom tie the wire through a bead to anchor it and cut off any extra wire. At the top thread the wire through a bead, tie it, and then make a loop of the wire. Add decorations if desired, using paint or crayons, or even sequins or beads, etc. (if you want long lasting, heirloom eggs, check out  "Faberge"eggs, and make versions for yourself!) To store eggs use an egg carton. For unique, small eggs use quail eggs.

Grandma Novelty Decorations

Look in old sewing boxes to find cotton spools. Wrap them in tartan ribbon or recycled colourful paper. Thread together as indicated in the photo to make stunning, yet simple Christmas tree hanging decorations.

An alternative is to find old costume jewellery. Decorate, paint or insert Christmas images from recycled paper. Old gift cards and wrapping paper can be turned into tree adornments with some clever cutting and string.

Origame Decorations

Make origame decorations out of scrap paper, either white or coloured. Note: if this sounds difficult, just stick to only making one shape (such as birds), and have a treefull of them – either in the same colour or in different colours. There are many craft books on origami available, including at the local libraries, so just choose a simple design and make it out of the paper you have collected.

Bows

Make bows out of old material, ribbon, anything. Do you have an old formal dress or shiny shirt that would make lovely bows? (Even a petticoat, or old curtains?) Otherwise check thrift shops.

Keep a sturdy shoe box for ribbons and bows - it is such a shame to throw such pretty garnishes away, especially when you can use them for any celebrations.

Take the pictures down from your walls, wrap them up like a gift and put them back.It then looks like you have presents dancing merrily across the interior of your home.Wrap the front door with wide ribbon, to look like a gift.

Christmas Stockings

Make stockings out of spare material or your old and wearing out clothes. An old top can have a new life as a Christmas stocking, as can old cushion covers - or any old scraps of material. (Material can be painted if it’s the wrong color).

Sew the stockings with bright, thick cotton or wool (e.g. from an old jumper). To decorate the stocking cut out a shape or design from material and sew or staple it to the stocking.

Add buttons, scraps of material or ribbon, etc, to make a design. (e.g. cut a Christmas tree shape from green material and put sequins or coloured small buttons on it for baubles; or some green material and two red buttons can become holly. Or a square of material with ribbons and a bow is a gift. Hint: plain white buttons can be colored with markers.)

Stocking ideas: Red and green stockings; patchwork stockings made from scraps of material (including made from scraps of rich material such as velvet or silk, etc); lace painted gold and put on a white or any other coloured stocking; plain white stockings sewn around the edges with thick red wool from an old jumper, etc, and with a simple decoration added to the front (even a picture from a card).Hessian looks great decorated. Get ideas from the shops – and you can always paint the material to suit.

Material, including scraps, can become Christmas stockings or Christmas bon bons / crackers.

Jigsaw Decoration

Popsicle sticks, glue, jigsaw puzzle pieces, child's picture, light weight cardboard, ribbon Glue popsicle sticks together to form a triangle. Glue the puzzle pieces onto the triangle to make a frame. Glue the picture behind the frame, and then glue the cardboard behind the picture. Add a ribbon for hanging.

Wreath Decoration

Use green non-toxic eco friendly paint to colour seven pieces of paper towel or toilet paper tubes. When the paint is dry, thread a pipe cleaner through all the tubes and twist to secure them together. Cut out a red  bow and glue it to the wreath. Thread a piece of red ribbon through the tube on top and tie to make the hanger for the decoration or wreath.

Pine Cone Decoration

Gather pine cones (they don't have to be large).

Dip in melted candle wax - preferably  use soy based wax, beeswax or natural-based candles / recycle the children's beeswax crayons - melt in oven. Cones can also be painted by hand by using a gold burnish or splatter them with white paint to create a frosted appearance.

When the cones are dry, tie a beautiful ribbon around the top (ones that still have a bit of stem attached at the top work best), and you have a very unique tree decoration.

Keep some without ribbon for table decorations.

Candy Cane Decoration

Using beads thread onto a pipe-cleaner. Use two red beads then two white beads.Thread the beads so they nest together.When you like the length bend the pipe-cleaner to hold and cut. Bend the length to make a candy cane shape that will hang on the tree.

Popcorn Decoration

Here's a twist on a traditional Christmas trim. Instead of stringing popcorn on string for your tree. String it onto medium-gauge wire and bend the wire into shapes such as bells, hearts, or stars. Add a ribbon to the top!

Pipe Cleaner Decoration You need pipe cleaners and  even beads. Take the colorful pipe cleaners and create shapes to wrap around the Christmas tree or to hang from branches. Ideas are only limited by your imagination.

Combine with beads - use thread and make stars, diamonds, angels, etc.

Paper Tree Decoration

Cut out 4 triangle tree shapes. Fold each one in middle. Glue together. Add sequins or holes punched from coloured paper for decorations. Cut out circles or heart or shapes and do the same as the tree for different decorations.

Bear Decoration

Precut bear shape from any old cardboard - cereal boxes, cards etc. Make hole punches all around and allow the children to sew in and out of the holes with  ribbon. Glue a pocket on the front of their bear and add a message in the pocket. One big bear hug. Just for you. Merry Christmas Love _______". We added a ribbon string for hanging. Also used old Christmas wrap cut into heart shapes to decorate the pocket etc.

Gingerbread Decoration

This will delight children, and give you unique heirloom decorations. Decorate the tree with gingerbread decorations made from cardboard. Add individual touches to the tree using gingerbread designs of your favourite items. E.g. gingerbread footballs, golf balls, tennis balls & tennis rackets, a bird, cat or dog, etc - you name it - what is their favourite toy/game.

Turn it into gingerbread decorations. Cut the shapes out of cardboard and paint with thick paint so they look like gingerbread. Have gingerbread Santas, stockings, snowmen, birds, etc. Have a gingerbread Christmas Tree on the table or mantelpiece. However, children may want to eat the cardboard decorations, so also provide some cooked gingerbread baubles that can be pulled out when guests arrive or on Christmas day.

Cinnamon and Salt Dough

Keep the designs simple and not too thick, so they won't dry out - they can be painted and varnished with eco-friendly varnish.

Salt Dough

2 cups plain flour

1 cup salt

1 cup water

Mix the dry ingredients then slowly add the water until you have a firm dough. Knead for 5 - 10 minutes. Bake decorations 165C (325F) depending on the thickness, can take up to 90 minutes.

Roll out the salt dough and cut gingerbread men in all diffferent sizes, bake slowly to dry out- if kept dry they last indefinitely. As they are quite light in colour, tint with a mix of PVA glue and Raw Sienna acrylic paint. You can sprinkle with aromatic spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. You can make squiggly lines with paint and hot glue bow ties. Cut holes in the raw dough to thread cord or cotton through for hangers, or glue these to the back when hardened.

Cinnamon Dough

1 1/2 cups ground cinnamon or mixed spice

1 cup apple sauce

1/2 cup glue

Mix all the ingredients until a firm dough. Knead for 5 minutes, cover with wrap, stand for 30 minutes. Roll and make shapes with Christmas cookie cutters. Put on a cooling rack covered with gauze and let dry, turning occasionally.

Cinnamon Stick Bunches

4 cinnamon sticks per bunch
A few small pine twigs
Small (unbreakable) Fair-trade / recycled Christmas decoration
Red ribbon
wire

Bundle the cinnamon sticks in the centre with the twigs and decoration.
Wind wire around to secure.  
Tie a bow of red ribbon around the bunch.
Hang on tree, also great for table place settings.

Our Christmas - A few willow branches for the Christmas tree decorated with gold and red bows, baubles and LED fairy lights, don't forget to turn off fairy lights! Bowls of gumnuts and pine-cones (dipped in melted old beeswax crayons), fresh flowers, candles and fruit scattered throughout the home, a big ribbon going horizontal and vertical on the front door to look like a parcel wrapped, and a wreath made from twigs in the garden and dried apples, big hessian bows with raffia and ribbons tied on our trees and bushes in the yard, with solar rope Christmas lights.