DIY Christmas decorations – 21 quick ideas for a homemade Christmas

Looking for inspiration for DIY Christmas decorations? We love the idea of creating unique decorations that you can bring out every year and feel all the fuzzy nostalgia. 

So we have rounded up some simple DIY decs that don't take ages – and you don't need an entire craft cupboard to create them, either. For lots more Christmas decoration ideas, head over to our full feature.

We've got metallic stars, macramé trees, marble baubles and of course, the iconic wreath in our round up of DIY Christmas decor ideas.

DIY Christmas decorations and festive homemade ideas

There's nothing lovelier than homemade decorations for Christmas, and our selection of 21 crafty ideas is perfect if you fancy getting creative. 

So get cosy in front of the fire with a glass of mulled wine, a mince pie or two and some fabulous art materials. 

1. Make a button bauble Christmas decoration

See how to make stylish and festive DIY Christmas decorations that will look great hanging on your Christmas tree or around the home. We used old buttons in this craft which takes just minutes.

2. Upcycle an old bauble with a marble effect

If you have changed your decorating scheme since last Christmas, or just have baubles lying around that don't match, you will be pleased to know you can easily upcycle Christmas decorations to give them a new look. This pretty marble effect is bang on trend and can be finished in minutes with the help of a couple of cans of spray paint.

3. Make a Christmas wreath for your door

You can use any seasonal foliage for your wreath. Add color with berries and oranges, and texture with a few pine cones. We've picked our favorite Christmas wreaths so you don't have to search far and wide. 

You will need:

• Sphagnum moss
• Eucalyptus cinerea
• Skimmia japonica
• Crab apples
• Rosemary
• Dried orange slices
• 10 inch wire wreath frame
• Mossing wire

Step-by-step:

1. Bind generous handfuls of moss on to the wire wreath frame with missing wire. To do this, fasten one end of the reel of the wire to the ring and wrap around the moss in a circular fashion, keeping it taut, and adding handfuls of moss until well covered. 

2. Add seasonal foliage (Georgia used Eucalyptus cinerea and Skimmia japonica, but you can use holly or other greenery), by pushing the ends deep into the moss base, working to roughly a 45 degree angle. Use a variety of materials to create an interesting and textured wreath; Georgia added crap apples for color and rosemary for scent and texture. 

3. Insert additional items, such as orange slices or pine cones on a wire. Before adding the oranges, bundle them together into threes with wire.

4. Finish off the wreath with a generous bow. To make this, first tie the ribbon and then affix with wire. 

4. Create a mercury-effect tealight holder with a jam jar

Whether you need something to up your table setting game, or a few tealight holders to safely give a hearth a candlelit glow, these mercury effect jars will do the trick. They are so easy and this is a great way to make old jam jars a little bit more festive.

5. Make a tree ornament out of ribbon for your mantelpiece

You only need a twig, spool, ribbon and some PVA glue to make this small decoration. Pop it on a shelf, or make a whole forest to style up your windowsills.

6. Forage for items to makeover with paint

You can make beautiful and unique DIY Christmas decorations with items that you find outside with this simple how-to. 

From branches to pine cones, holly leaves and conkers, collect items from the great outdoors and give them a bit of sparkle with some metallic paint. They are a great addition to your Christmas tree decor idea or can be attached to a homemade wreath or garland.

You will need:

• Holly leaves
• Pine cones
• Tins of paint (show are Striking, Sophistication and Dazzle by Crown Paints)
• Ribbon and florist's wire

Step-by-step:

1. Make sure anything you collect to paint is free from dirt and nice and dry.

2. Tie a ribbon around the stalk if painting a leaf or secure wire around the top of pine cones – you will hold this for dipping.

3. Dip the item into the paint and hang somewhere to dry.

7. Create a hanging DIY advent calendar with ribbon and mini-bags full of joy

So simple and so effective. Pick up some brown paper bags from a craft store or Amazon and then hang them using ribbons and strings. Use stickers to add the numbers, or a chalk pen to add patterns. 

You could hang the advent calendar anywhere too but we think it would look so cute in a hallway so the kids can just grab their bag as they leave for school.

For loads more DIY advent calendar ideas check out our full gallery. 

8. Or fill these fabulous DIY advent calendar boxes with goodies

This genius idea will be a hit amongst children and adults alike. Make up these Fill You Own Snowflake Advent Calendar boxes that come with number stickers and silver twine. 

Fill them full of sweets, mementoes and small gifts for a truly magical build up to Christmas Day. You can place them on your mantel, a console table or hang them from your tree.

9. Reinvent a placemat with chalkboard paint

If your placemats are letting your table decorating idea down why not upcycle them before rushing out to buy more? 

Painting them with chalkboard paint will give them a fresh new look and they can be used for place names so your guests know where they are sitting.

10. Print your own wrapping paper 

Better for the environment and just looks very cute, printing your own Christmas wrapping could be a weekend project with the family. Get some simple brown paper and either a store bought stamp or you could go old school and make one from a potato. 

It doesn't matter if it's not super neat, the more homemade the better we say.

11. If in doubt, paper decorations

The easiest DIY Christmas decoration out there. You know how it goes. Get your piece of paper, fold it up and just get chopping into it. Ok, maybe it's a bit more technical than that, here are some step by steps: 

1.  Start with a square piece of paper, fold it in half diagonally and then fold it in half again to create a smaller triangle.

2. Then you want to fold the triangle into three. You can do this by taking one corner of the triangle and fold it into the middle, then take the other corner and fold it over the top.

3. Cut the top off at an angle.

4. Then it's time for the chopping into it part to create the shapes in your decoration. Use scissors to cut out whatever shapes you fancy. 

5.  Gently open it out and just wait for the ooooh and ahhhhs. 

12. Add seasonal berries and nuts to vases 

‘There are many easy ways to create a stylish Christmas tablescape at home using ordinary things you have stored away inside your cupboard.' 

'Glass jars filled with handfuls of fresh cranberries, red roses and greenery from the garden will make a stunning centrepiece and give a sense of comfort by bringing a little bit of nature to your table.'

'These will look gorgeous on your table with some ivy trailing and nutmeg scattered around the plates.’ advises Sharon Ozbek, co-founder of Mila-London

13. Give your kitchen some Christmas love 

Sprinkle some DIY festive cheer in your kitchen – after all, it’s the heart of Christmas and where all the food magic happens.

Hang stars or baubles from your shelving, weave fairy lights in and around stacked tableware and place sprigs of eucalyptus along the middle of your table with cute brush trees interspersed with more fairy lights – you can never have too many, honest. 

14. Make your own paper and wooden decs to hang on your tree

If you’ve always fancied getting creative at Christmas instead of spending $$ on decorations, then why not invest in a kit so you can make your own? 

Whether you use paper or paint wooden shapes and add ribbon or string for hanging, there’s something wonderful about seeing your own creations at this festive time of year.

15. Create these charming punch needle decorations

This increasingly popular craft is easier than it looks and the result is these delightful decorations that feature ‘joy’, mistletoe and this super cute fluffy snowman. 

Great for beginners, these festive decorations are made using different punch needle stitches. You can follow a step-by-step on Hobbycraft's website if you want to get crafty for your tree. 

16. Handy on the sewing machine? Make your own stockings for the mantle

Synonymous with Christmas, stockings are a must-have especially for little ones. Use a simple shape that’s large enough for you to fill it with the classic stocking gifts – clementines, nuts, sweets, and mini toys. 

‘Save leftover fabric from projects throughout the year to make DIY stockings and sacks for Christmas. They’ll make great little gifts on their own, but of course, they work best filled with lots of lovely treats,’ says Annie Sloan, color expert at Annie Sloan. 

We love Coral + Co’s templates, there’s a great selection and you can really get creative with your designs. 

17. A fresh garland is the ideal way to bring nature in

There’s nothing nicer than the scent of spruce and eucalyptus. Christmas garlands are so versatile too, you can use them on mantels, around the staircase, down the middle of your table, as a swag across a fireplace, or on the tops of doorways.

Tie them with red and green ribbon and you can add in extras too like baubles and pine cones for a truly festive feel. Find out how to make a Christmas garland with your easy step-by-step. 

18. Love macramé? Check out these on-trend Christmas trees

Macramé has been a big trend recently and one we’ve loved, so when we discovered these fabulous Christmas trees we jumped at the chance to have a go ourselves. 

Only using two knots – phew – these trees are easy to make and can be hung from your tree or mantle. You could also string them together to make a garland. Discover how to make yours on Hobbycraft's wesbite. 

19. Pull the other one – with homemade crackers! (And a little dried fruit on the side)

Not only do we use crackers as a table decoration, but they look great nestled into the branches of your tree too: 

‘The perfect nostalgic family activity for a rainy Sunday, painted crackers are easy, economical and highly personal,’ says Annie Sloan, color expert at Annie Sloan.

We also love the dried fruit hanging decs here too, they’re easy to make – thinly slice oranges and limes up, pop on some cloves and place them on a baking tray on sheets of greaseproof paper. 

Have your oven on the lowest temperature it will go and leave them for around 2 hours, then, turn over the slices and bake for a further 2 hours until they are dry. You can use string to tie them together, add in some pine cones and cinnamon sticks and hang them up. 

20. An advent window branch design for a modern approach

We don’t all love the classic elements of Christmas, or it might be you want to carry on a festive theme elsewhere in the house but don’t want to invest in more trees. Either way, this simple idea is easy to create and lots of fun.

‘Christmas offers a great chance to celebrate diversity and community, so why not show your colors with a beautifully inclusive advent window tree? Creating a window display will add a decorative touch to the inside of your home, whilst brightening up the outside view for the local community and neighbours,’ says Nadia McCowan Hill, resident style advisor at Wayfair.

All you need is a good sized, sturdy branch and some paint in a favourite color. Then, place it in a vase, you may need to add some stones to the bottom to weigh it down, and add your decorations.  

21. Twinkle Twinkle little star…

A Christmas icon, the star is one of the key parts of the festive season. This DIY kit by Paper Street Dolls lets you create your own 3D star garland in gold, silver and copper. You’ll find pearlised sheets of paper, copper wire and full instructions with templates. What are you waiting for – ready, steady, craft!

How can I add the DIY Christmas decorative touch to my table? 

Decorating your Christmas table can be done easily if you love a spot of DIY creating:

‘Don’t be afraid to experiment with foliage textures: pair pine and eucalyptus with delicately painted ceramics, some ivy trailing across the middle and traditional Christmas nuts scattered around for the final touches,’ says Sharon Ozbek, co-founder of Mila-London

What Christmas decorations can I make? 

The world really is your oyster! There’s garlands galore, wreaths, festive bunches, painted baubles, macramé trees and paper shapes to name but a few. 

Whatever your crafty skill level, there’s something for everyone and the joy from creating your own decorations can’t be beaten. If it feels overwhelming then consider a super simple idea like tying colored ribbons on your tree’s branches or just having a tree full of fairy lights.