Ten Tips for Making Your Own Homemade Christmas Decorations

Christmas decorations don't have to be purchased from the store to be beautiful. Prior to Victorian times, all the decorations in one's home were hand made. Looking at portraits painted from the times and at old photographs, they were certainly beautiful.

They don't have to be expensive, either. And one doesn't have to be a crafting expert to create heirloom quality homemade Christmas decorations.

Here are 10 tips to help your creative juices flow, and make this Christmas a holiday to remember:

Use Materials You Already Have

A craft box, sewing box, jewelry box and more can be a source of materials for your homemade Christmas decorations. Hair ribbons and any salvaged ribbons from gifts given during the year will work, too. Many homes have a button box or jar filled with different sizes and colors of buttons. Break out the family photo album for even more materials to work with. Don't leave out the pantry in the kitchen. Old Christmas cards work too.

Decide What Kind Of Decorations To Make

Make a list of areas you want to decorate: tree, the house interior or exterior, make decorations to give as gifts, etc. Measure the areas and record the measurements. Ask yourself some questions: Do my decorations have to fit the scale of the area, or will I make them and figure that out later? Either way is fine. It's not set in stone. Making the list will help you decide if you have enough on hand or need to purchase additional materials.

Picture Ornaments Make Great Heirloom Gifts

Using old pictures to make homemade Christmas decorations has been around for generations. Make sure you have a copy of the picture so the original isn't lost forever. There are copy centers that have the ability to copy an old picture onto fabric so a quilt or special t-shirt or family sweatshirt can be made.

Don't Leave Out the Great Outdoors

Pine branches, called boughs have been used for centuries as decorations for Christmas. Since the needles don't last long, cut them at the last minute and hang them just before guests arrive.

Use an old, interesting leafless branch as a homemade Christmas decoration. Mount it in a vase filled with colored stones or dry sand, spray paint the branch or leave it plain. Hang Christmas ornaments or cards from it.

As a child, my mother would take us out and look for large pinecones. These were spray painted gold or silver, then penny candies (more than a penny nowadays) were inserted into every possible place. These were displayed on the mantle until Christmas day when we each got one.

Use Old Fabrics or Clothes

Old Christmas sheets, worn out holiday towels, tablecloths, and colorful cast off clothing can be cut into strips and made into homemade Christmas decorations, ornaments, quilts, table runners, tree skirts and even gift bags.

Look in Magazines and Online for Ideas

If you weren't born with the "crafting gene," don't despair. Look in newspaper inserts, magazines, TV shows, movies and online for ideas. Make something similar or something totally your own design from the inspiration. Old Christmas postcards are a great source of inspiration.

Don't Try to Match the "Store Bought" Look

Forget about how glitzy or expensive or "perfect" looking anything from a store portrays. Homemade Christmas decorations are prized and treasured because they don't look like anything mass produced. I have never seen anything like the pine cones mentioned above in any store, ever. Yet they are one of my favorite decorations.

Keep Children and Pets in Mind

Popcorn and bead strings, dried fruits, brightly colored candies and homemade Christmas decorations made from dough are very tempting looking to small children and pets. They are sometimes sprayed with preservatives or glitter paint and should never be eaten. Keep the children and pets in mind when using these types of ornaments. Have a separate bowl that the children can eat from, and let them know munching from the tree is off limits until Christmas day when the adults will hand out edibles hung in the tree- like candy canes.

Turn Making the Decorations Into a Party or Family Night

Don't do it all by yourself. Get the family together and make an evening out of it. Or more than one evening leading up to Christmas. If you're single, get friends together and make homemade Christmas decorations. Perhaps you have friends who've never had the opportunity to make their own.

Have Fun

Keep one rule in mind when designing and creating your own homemade Christmas decorations: Have Fun. Never let it seem like work. It's fun to look at something when it's finished and years later realize "I did that." Or take out that precious handmade Christmas decoration made just for you by a friend or a child.

Memories aren't purchased- they're made. Handmade. Create some home made Christmas memories this year.