It’s the time of year when we think of decorating for the winter holidays. Perhaps that’s a favorite of yours, adding Christmas crafts from the garden. Perhaps you want to get the kids involved or maybe it’s something you enjoy doing on your own. Either way, here are some ideas you can try out this year.
Natural Christmas Crafts
Making nature crafts for Christmas can be as simple or complicated as you wish. Using items from the garden or landscape may require early preparation, like hanging flowers from summer blooming shrubs to dry. Others can be accomplished immediately with items you’ve just taken. Either way, natural Christmas decorations add a personal touch to holiday decorating.
Christmas Crafts from the Garden
The following list of decorations includes things you can easily design and make yourself. Substitute or change to your own ideas to make them more unique. Afterall, these are your personal decoration designs.
Wreaths
Use birch trees or smaller limbs from any tree that has recently fallen or been taken down. Cut into small to medium size rounds about 2 inches (5 cm.) thick. You may shellac or paint any color you choose. For a more natural look, leave them untreated. Place in a circle and attach them together on the back with a drill. Add a hanger on the back and ornamentation on the front, such as holly sprigs or red and silver Christmas balls.
For a more traditional wreath, add seasonal evergreen leaves on a grapevine wreath you’ve put together from the backyard. If you don’t have grapevine handy, wreath bases are available online at reasonable prices or you can make them from wire.
Pinecones can also be used in a wreath with a wire or grapevine base. Attach cones to the wire, after adding lights. Add greenery, ornaments, and other decorations after attaching the cones. Melted crayons can be used to color the edges.
Pinecone Décor
Create star-topped cones. Clean pinecones as needed, don’t soak them. Tips may be sprayed with white paint or dipped in glitter after spraying lightly with adhesive. Anchor each into a container or insert device for hanging into the top.
Decorate further with sprigs of greenery or succulent cuttings between leaves. Your method of decoration will vary with the size of the cone.
Lightly decorated cones are an integral part of a Christmas centerpiece for either an indoor or outdoor table. Coordinate the cones with other elements of the centerpiece. Spray paint a larger cone green and put it in a silver plant container for a DIY Christmas tree. Hot glue gumdrops under leaf edges and hang as a tree decoration.
Dried Citrus Slices
Dried fruit slices are favorites, it seems, for attaching to wreaths and other garden Christmas crafts. Their citrusy aroma is a pleasant surprise when combined with the fragrance of evergreens like pine and cedar. Dry sliced citrus in the oven on a low temperature for a few hours, or place outside lightly covered when the sun shines and temperatures are warm.
You’ll be amazed at the additions you think of when you begin crafting these simple ornaments. Take advantage of them.