The Sunday Mail
THE holidays are here! It is time for family, time for friends, time for good food and time for shopping. If once this time of the year inspired people to relax at home around the fire, today it puts people into a frenzy of consuming, consuming and… yep, consuming more. It is not your fault, it is just the way it goes in our culture.
So yes, you may have to buy some gifts for your family, friends, and colleagues, but do you really have to buy new Christmas decorations every year? Of course, you can buy them once and then reuse the same ones over and over again.
But if you are bored of the routine or just feeling creative, why not create some of your own decorations? And by using recycled materials, not only will you save money, you will break the crazy consumeristic cycle as well. If you need some ideas to get started, here are some easy decorations and crafts anyone can make at home.
Ball-shaped ornaments from junk mail
Do you get tons of junk mail? Did you buy too many Christmas cards and have nothing to do with them? Do not throw them away! All this paper can be used to make impressive Christmas garlands and decorations.
To make this specific decoration, all you have to do is cut your spare paper cards into circles, fold them, glue them, and tie everything with a string. It really is as easy as it sounds.
Recycled Christmas garlands
If the first project seems too complicated for young children, this one is going to be perfect. There is no extra folding and gluing involved – just cut pretty pieces of paper and tape them onto a string. That is all there is to it. You can use any paper for this, from unused Christmas cards to junk mail and magazines.
Using an old keyboard you no longer need to make Christmas ornaments is one of the most original ideas out there, and if you decide to make one, your tree is bound to get some extra attention. All it takes to make keyboard ornaments are some keyboard keys and a little bit of creativity. Even if you just tie them in strings that make up words, you have already done something special.
Light bulb ornaments
Do not throw away burnt out light bulbs! Cover them with glitter or paint, and hang them on your tree instead of those expensive store-bought ornaments. This one is really easy and requires no more than simple creativity and whatever supplies you have at hand.
Coffee filter Christmas tree
Feeling especially creative? Gather up some coffee filters you do not need and make a tiny Christmas tree. As long as you have the filters, a foam cone or something else for the tree itself and something flat for the base, the rest is really up to you. Paint the filters or leave them white, glue anything you find around as ornaments, and find the perfect tree top to suit your little tree.
Scrabble ornaments
Scrabble makes a great gift. This means you may have more than one box of the game lying away in the cupboard. Scrabble pieces also tend to get lost, which means you may have incomplete sets you feel bad about throwing away.
The solution? Scrabble Christmas ornaments! To make these you are going to need some Scrabble letters and trays, as well as some tools such as a saw and a hot glue gun. If you have these tools available, making these ornaments should not take you more than an hour.
Cork wreath
Corks are a great thing to save if you like recycling and crafts. Aside from reindeer, you can also make other ornaments out of them, and of course, this wreath. All you need is a Styrofoam wreath, a glue gun, and of course, corks! makeuseof.com
