Homemade Christmas decoration ideas

We’ve put together some simple DIY Christmas decorations to make your home merry and bright this festive season.

String light lanterns

A simple display piece that will get your home feeling warm and cosy ready for the festive season. All you need to do is throw some string lights inside a lantern, place them by the fireplace and you automatically get the campfire experience without venturing out into the cold!

DIY jingle bell runner table decorations

Not only will this runner look incredibly festive, but it will also sound like Christmas if you use red jingle bells and the "berries!" Cut holly leaves from dark and light green card and use a bone folder or wooden skewer to indent veins in leaves, then trace indents with a green coloured pencil. Run down the centre of the table and lay red jingle bells throughout.

Bauble ornaments

Baubles don't just look good on trees — they actually make for a lovely festive centrepiece, tucked neatly into a bowl full of holly leaves.

Tartan Stockings

Give tattered plaid blankets and shirts new lives by transforming them into stockings! With this simple step by step sewing pattern and photo tutorial, learn how to turn your old clothes into a Christmas stocking with a free crochet cuff pattern. How to make an up-cycled Christmas Stocking with crochet top using left over yarn and an old plaid shirt - Dora Does

DIY Citrus Garland

Homemade ornaments are always more sentimental, and a homemade Christmas garland will really put the finishing touches on your home. Plus, this one will leave your home smelling just as festive as it looks!

Make the Garland:

You'll need navel and blood oranges, parchment paper, two cookie sheets, jute or natural twine, a skewer or nail, and decorative hooks.

• Preheat oven to 250°F.
• Cut oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch slices (four oranges make a six-foot garland).
• Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Pat orange slices dry with paper towels and place them on cookie sheets in a single layer.
• Bake for approximately 3 hours or until dry. (To ensure the slices dry flat, turn them over at the midway mark.) Remove from oven.
• Using a skewer or nail, poke two holes into the top of each orange slice.
• Thread twine through each hole, evenly spacing the oranges on the garland. Tie off each end with a loop and hang from hooks.

Collect seasonal pinecones

Sometimes, simplicity is key, and this effortless display is as easy as it is charming. Take your favourite candles, add a handful of pinecones and one or two choice baubles, or ornaments to fit in with your colour scheme. Place on a mantelpiece in your living room or a console table in your hall for relaxed and elegant festive style.

Fashion a captivating centrepiece for the table

An impressive centrepiece needed cost the earth. Repurpose your cake stands to stack them on the table to add height and drama to the table. Dress with leftover baubles and add dried fruit for a cheap decorative touch – plus they will help to add a festive scent to proceedings.