Add Festive Flair With These 7 DIY Holiday Home Décor Ideas

With skyrocketing inflation, shopping for holiday decorations can be expensive. But that doesn’t have to keep you from enjoying festive holiday home décor to brighten the winter months.

 

There are plenty of inexpensive ways to decorate your home for the holidays for a fraction of what you would spend for decorations online or at a big-box store.

 

We’ve gathered seven DIY holiday home décor ideas that are easy and fun for the whole family to create.

“I like to cut branches off our evergreen tree or trimmings from our Christmas tree to decorate throughout our home,” says Lindsey Mahoney, founder of the DIY blog Building Bluebird. For example, you can place smaller trimmings of evergreen around a glass urn that holds a candle on a small table.

 

“I create seasonal arrangements on our front porch using larger evergreen branches, red twigs and dried hydrangea clippings,” Mahoney says. “I also tuck evergreen branches into the garland wrapping our staircase to fill it out and add dimension.”

 

No evergreen trees or bushes in your yard? Check with local holiday tree sellers or home improvement stores that sell live trees for evergreen trimming cast-offs.

 

Adding ambience with a DIY centerpiece for your dining table, mantle or coffee table is a holiday décor favorite of Jen Stark, founder of gardening and home improvement blog Happy DIY Home.

 

“They’re so easy. You can incorporate as much or as little as you want,” Stark says. “Generally, I use evergreen boughs, lights, candles, pine cones and maybe a festive ribbon.”

 

Stark likes to first place items in the space she’s decorating to get a feel for how they look. You can try using a curving design, with bowls of pine cones in curves next to boughs to tie everything together.

 

“The candles, if I choose to use them, are right in the middle of the design on an elevated surface, so there is no fire risk,” Stark says. “I finish by tying a few small bows and attaching them at various points along the boughs.”

4. DIY “Bleached” Pine Cones

• Pine cones. You may find these from evergreen trees at local parks (unless the park is protected, as in a nature preserve); in your yard if you have evergreens; or during a neighborhood walk.
• Non-toxic acrylic or craft paint. Instead of using a pure white paint, A Touch of Rainbow recommends using an off-white shade.
• Container for mixing paint and dipping pine cones.
• Protective rubber or latex gloves.

1. Clean dirt and debris from the pine cones with a toothbrush. If you prefer, you could wash the cones instead. But keep in mind that pine cones may close up temporarily when wet and will take time to dry.
2. Mix one part water to one or two parts paint to create a whitewash.
3. Wearing gloves, dip each cone in the paint mixture, rotating the cone so that all the nooks and crevices are covered. Let the paint drip off for ten to twenty seconds when you lift out the cone.
4. Set painted cones on a sheet of plastic to dry.

5. Pine Cone Trees with the Kids

1. Dip the cones in green paint (after brushing off debris).
2. Once they dry, add glitter or glue colorful pom poms in the crevices to make miniature holiday trees with “lights.”
3. Mix plaster of Paris with water to make a snow-topped stand, then stick the “tree” in when the plaster is almost dry.

These mini holiday trees from The Design Twins home décor blog will add a seasonal touch to your tabletop or mantle display.

 

Supplies you’ll need:

 

Here’s how to get started:

 

Set one or two trees in vignettes around the house, or make a mini-forest display with multiple trees of various sizes, textures and colors. For the mini-forest display, use a box, tray or another container to define the space. Then create a forest floor with faux snow, fur, moss, peppermint pieces or evergreen trimmings—either real or artificial.

7. More Mess-Free Holiday Décor Ideas

1. Decorate with evergreen and other scented candles. Try scents like cinnamon and citrus, or essential oils inspired by nature like sandalwood, lavender or frankincense.
2. Lighten the mood with string lights. Place lights on window frames, along the ceiling and wall and hang battery operated string lights on lamps and other small objects. There’s no need to put your lights away after New Year’s Eve, either. Keep them up until spring to brighten winter days.
3. Add colorful pillows and throws. Cozy up the home with holiday colors and themes on comfy couch and chair pillows for the sofa. For variety, use pillows with different textures such as faux fur, bulky corduroy, fleece or flannel.

Now that you have a few ideas for DIY holiday décor, it’s time to stock up on the craft supplies, lights, candles, pillows and throws. Then call your friends, gather the kids, put on some holiday music and make a day of creating holiday décor.

 

Disclaimer: The Hartford does not endorse or have associations with any of the products and/or services referenced. This article is for informational purposes only.