Most of my green Christmas decorations revolve around natural
materials, reducing what I buy and reusing things I already have in a
different way.
Stuffed Felt Stars
Because lord knows I always have a ton of felt lying around. These are super easy--just like making a little pillow. Easy to do all by hand. You don't even have to turn it inside out, just use a pretty contrasting embroidery floss. You can make other stuffed felt objects too--fruit, mini stockings, snowflakes. Look at these gorgeous Ice Skating felt ornaments from Posie Gets Cozy. She sells the kits in the months leading up to the holidays! Below is Huck's special Huckleberry ornament.
Stuffed Felt Stars
Because lord knows I always have a ton of felt lying around. These are super easy--just like making a little pillow. Easy to do all by hand. You don't even have to turn it inside out, just use a pretty contrasting embroidery floss. You can make other stuffed felt objects too--fruit, mini stockings, snowflakes. Look at these gorgeous Ice Skating felt ornaments from Posie Gets Cozy. She sells the kits in the months leading up to the holidays! Below is Huck's special Huckleberry ornament.
Pinecones
Just collect a bunch when they drop in the late fall and hang them from string or ribbon. You can also buy bags of pinecones at craft stores and make a project of painting them or decorating them with glue and glitter.
Just collect a bunch when they drop in the late fall and hang them from string or ribbon. You can also buy bags of pinecones at craft stores and make a project of painting them or decorating them with glue and glitter.
Straw Snowflakes
I bought mine last year at a craft fair but this is basically what they look like. I think it's a Scandinavian thing but I'm not sure. It just occurred to me that you could make lots of things from straw. Maybe you've got some leftover from Halloween decorations. Try making little men or donkeys maybe?
Mittens & Socks
String up a pair of too small child's knit mittens or baby booties. Little hats work too. If you knit, even better! Make some especially for the tree in holiday colors. I also found some fabulous Mini Sock Monkeys one year at an after Christmas sale.
Jingle Bells
For about $1.99 you can buy a bag of 3 large brass jingle bells. String 2 together on some pretty ribbon, tie a knot to keep them together. Then leave a big enough open circle that they can be hung on the tree and tie a bow at the top. We made lots of these and hung them near the bottom. They were a fun toy I didn't mind Huck taking off the tree to play with.
Cookie Cutters
Just pull them out of the drawer, string them on some ribbon and hang them on the tree. I especially love the way the copper ones look with the lights glinting off them.
Candy Canes & Gingerbread Cookies
If I'm not mistaken, the original Christmas tree tradition (Germanic maybe?) was all about decorating with food.
Animals
You can have a fun holiday project out of making Oragami animals. I had some little painted wooden animals from years ago, but Casey's Wood has cutouts you can paint yourself or have the kids paint them. Casey's also has cutouts of Christmas trees and snowmen.
Garland & Tinsel
Now, I didn't do this but I love the idea. SouleMama made this wonderful knitted garland and her children made a simple twisted one out of yarn. Sarah over at The Small Object made a really fun fabric garland chain. I wish I had time to try one of these but I guess I have to leave something for next year. Of course, there's always that perrennial evergreen, popcorn and cranberries. In the past I've just alternated one cranberry and one piece of popcorn but the other day at my bank, I saw that they had done sequences of 6 and 6 each and it was gorgeous. I didn't know popcorn and cranberries could look so classy.
I bought mine last year at a craft fair but this is basically what they look like. I think it's a Scandinavian thing but I'm not sure. It just occurred to me that you could make lots of things from straw. Maybe you've got some leftover from Halloween decorations. Try making little men or donkeys maybe?
Mittens & Socks
String up a pair of too small child's knit mittens or baby booties. Little hats work too. If you knit, even better! Make some especially for the tree in holiday colors. I also found some fabulous Mini Sock Monkeys one year at an after Christmas sale.
Jingle Bells
For about $1.99 you can buy a bag of 3 large brass jingle bells. String 2 together on some pretty ribbon, tie a knot to keep them together. Then leave a big enough open circle that they can be hung on the tree and tie a bow at the top. We made lots of these and hung them near the bottom. They were a fun toy I didn't mind Huck taking off the tree to play with.
Cookie Cutters
Just pull them out of the drawer, string them on some ribbon and hang them on the tree. I especially love the way the copper ones look with the lights glinting off them.
Candy Canes & Gingerbread Cookies
If I'm not mistaken, the original Christmas tree tradition (Germanic maybe?) was all about decorating with food.
Animals
You can have a fun holiday project out of making Oragami animals. I had some little painted wooden animals from years ago, but Casey's Wood has cutouts you can paint yourself or have the kids paint them. Casey's also has cutouts of Christmas trees and snowmen.
Garland & Tinsel
Now, I didn't do this but I love the idea. SouleMama made this wonderful knitted garland and her children made a simple twisted one out of yarn. Sarah over at The Small Object made a really fun fabric garland chain. I wish I had time to try one of these but I guess I have to leave something for next year. Of course, there's always that perrennial evergreen, popcorn and cranberries. In the past I've just alternated one cranberry and one piece of popcorn but the other day at my bank, I saw that they had done sequences of 6 and 6 each and it was gorgeous. I didn't know popcorn and cranberries could look so classy.
