‘Tis the season of festivities, generosity and celebrations! It’s so easy to get swept up in the excitement. But if you want to minimise waste, keep Christmas costs down or embrace a uniquely Australian Christmas, check out these DIY Christmas decorations!
Eco-friendly and inspired by Australian bushcraft, they’ll make a difference to your décor, wallet and eco-footprint this festive season.
DIY Christmas decorations: wreaths
DIY native bush wreaths and garlands
Deck the halls with boughs of banksia this year with a native wreath or garland! This brilliant DIY tutorial shows how to weave it all together. Then, keep scrolling for tips on what kind of foliage and flowers to use.
Foliage
With your greenery, explore different leaf and feature types, such as:
- Flowering gums, with firework-like blooms
- Wattles
- Grevillea
- Red Ironbark
- Weeping Bottlebrush
- Purple fountain grass
Extras
For additional details, use gumnuts or berries, such as those found on the Hill’s Weeping Fig or Riberry tree. Or add white accents such as aniseed myrtle, tea tree and silver croton.
DIY Christmas decorations: décor
Christmas tree alternatives
Sick of the fake pine tree that moults all over the living room floor? Then, explore these 20 eco-friendly, DIY Christmas tree ideas!
DIY Christmas decorations: ornaments
Nature baubles
Turn a trip to the park or beach into a treasure hunt! Glue or screw a bauble hanger onto foraged gum nuts, banksia seed pods or pine cones. Or fill a plastic bauble with shells, eucalyptus leaves or driftwood. Check out the tutorial.
DIY wire ornaments
Choose a metal that best complements your Christmas theme and morph them into whatever shapes you wish with some wire benders.
Copper and brass ornaments look incredible against almost every colour of the tree, whilst gold and silver always look good.
Glass bulb planters
Bulb terrariums are versatile, as you can fill them with any plant or clipping you desire.
These mini bulb planters are perfect for air plants, but if you’re worried about them breaking, opt for a less fragile alternative using wire or woven baskets.
Stick snowflakes
This tutorial shows you how to create beautiful rustic snowflakes out of the sticks in your yard that you would sweep up and probably throw away.
Another excellent craft exercise is creating paper snowflakes.
Eco-friendly gifting
Consider that every purchase you make is an investment for the future. If every dollar you spend is financial support, whom do you want to support most? As floods, fires and droughts have ravaged our sunburnt country over recent years; you can support rural Australian businesses that have been most affected. Buy From The Bush is a curated website for rural small businesses across Australia, filled with handmade, artisan pieces. By supporting these businesses, you’re gifting twice. Once to the recipient of the gift and again to the small Aussie business fighting to survive.
We hope you found inspiration from these DIY Christmas decorations and have fun making your creations and spending time with loved ones this holiday season.