Homemade Christmas

[QueenBex]

I'm probably starting way too late but anyways. I've decided to make christmas decorations and gifts etc this year.

What I need are suggestions.

The only store brought things I have are;
A plastic tree
Tinsel
Couple of shiny ornaments
Tablecloth

I have some card, lots of origami paper, ribbons, felt, tub of buttons, toy stuffing, aida, some small bits of cloth and other fabric, loads of thread. I certainly want to utilise what I have but I can get a tad more materials if needed.

Also I wondered who else is making their christmas this year?

[Eliste]

We always strung our own garlands for the tree- popcorn and cranberries! It was a lot of fun, dead easy, and it looks really nice having the white loops over the tree limbs. Usually just sat down one afternoon while mom baked cookies and did it, so its not like it takes a long time. Just lots of popcorn and string! We used frozen cranberries.

But FYI- make extra popcorn =)

[Pyper]

Wouldn't popcorn and especially cranberries go bad on a tree? They sound like they would look great for the first day or two though

It's my first christmas not at either my boyfriend or my family's places, so I'm really excited to start making decorations. Completely blank tree to decorate My current idea list is:
- Cloth baubles, sewn from 12 pentagons of nice christmassy fabrics
- tetris decorations I made a while ago
- stitched/beaded/crochet mario mushrooms in a couple of colours
- Christmas pokemon I have seen drifting around the forum

I also need ideas for decorations (made harder by avoiding the religous overtones, and the fact its summer here so snowmen seem somewhat out of place)

[Eliste]

Wouldn't popcorn and especially cranberries go bad on a tree? They sound like they would look great for the first day or two though

Nope. The popcorn was stale by the time we'd take it down (3-4 weeks later), but it never went off. The cranberries would occasionally make the popcorn on either side pink but then they'd dry up. You could do it with just the popcorn if you weren't sure about the cranberries. It was just nice to have a break amongst the white.

[arkani]

Wouldn't popcorn and especially cranberries go bad on a tree? They sound like they would look great for the first day or two though

Nope. The popcorn was stale by the time we'd take it down (3-4 weeks later), but it never went off. The cranberries would occasionally make the popcorn on either side pink but then they'd dry up. You could do it with just the popcorn if you weren't sure about the cranberries. It was just nice to have a break amongst the white.

Popcorn doesn't seem to go bad unless it gets wet,and even then, it just sorta dries up and does not much at all. Pyper, i've done it up in Cairns, and if it's going to go bad anywhere, it'll be there.
Last year I made popcorn garlands, too! I cheated though, and bought the multi coloured coated stuff. It was delicious... I mean, it looked pretty good!
I'm thinking, if I do a tree this year, to use things like Star Anise and little bits of cinnamon strung up, too, for the delicious scents.

I have to stay away from things like baubles, since the cat has figured out how to lift and pull them off the tree. Then about 3 weeks later you find a bauble motherlode where he's batted them into the corners behind things.

You could always make the paper ring garlands and hang them around, since origami paper is pretty, you could cut out snowflakes, use a bit of floss or fishing/clear thread and hang them from the roof in uneven lengths?

Ideas for decorations.. Pyper - got a pool? Put an esky next to it, go have fun. Tinsel on fans?

[emimar]

I have been trying to make cross stitch decorations for years, but I never get to finish them on time. I have lots of half-finished baubles, etc, lying around. I shall have to track them down and make an effort next year (it doesn't help when I run out of threads, and move house because everything then gets misplaced...)

Good luck in your projects. I would like to make a bunch of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek and general science fiction/fantasy items one year for the tree, but I won't have time this year to do that. Hopefully looking around this forum will give me some inspiration.

[QueenBex]

I have been trying to make cross stitch decorations for years, but I never get to finish them on time. I have lots of half-finished baubles, etc, lying around. I shall have to track them down and make an effort next year (it doesn't help when I run out of threads, and move house because everything then gets misplaced...)

Good luck in your projects. I would like to make a bunch of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek and general science fiction/fantasy items one year for the tree, but I won't have time this year to do that. Hopefully looking around this forum will give me some inspiration.

That would be awesome, next year I'm totally making a sci-fi/ fantasy Christmas

[QueenBex]

Wouldn't popcorn and especially cranberries go bad on a tree? They sound like they would look great for the first day or two though

Nope. The popcorn was stale by the time we'd take it down (3-4 weeks later), but it never went off. The cranberries would occasionally make the popcorn on either side pink but then they'd dry up. You could do it with just the popcorn if you weren't sure about the cranberries. It was just nice to have a break amongst the white.

That's a very unusual idea, I'd probably go for the eating option though

[QueenBex]

Wouldn't popcorn and especially cranberries go bad on a tree? They sound like they would look great for the first day or two though

It's my first christmas not at either my boyfriend or my family's places, so I'm really excited to start making decorations. Completely blank tree to decorate My current idea list is:
- Cloth baubles, sewn from 12 pentagons of nice christmassy fabrics
- tetris decorations I made a while ago
- stitched/beaded/crochet mario mushrooms in a couple of colours
- Christmas pokemon I have seen drifting around the forum

I also need ideas for decorations (made harder by avoiding the religous overtones, and the fact its summer here so snowmen seem somewhat out of place)

Cloth baubles are a very good idea, is there somewhere I can get a template for the pentagons?

[QueenBex]

Popcorn doesn't seem to go bad unless it gets wet,and even then, it just sorta dries up and does not much at all. Pyper, i've done it up in Cairns, and if it's going to go bad anywhere, it'll be there.
Last year I made popcorn garlands, too! I cheated though, and bought the multi coloured coated stuff. It was delicious... I mean, it looked pretty good!
I'm thinking, if I do a tree this year, to use things like Star Anise and little bits of cinnamon strung up, too, for the delicious scents.

I have to stay away from things like baubles, since the cat has figured out how to lift and pull them off the tree. Then about 3 weeks later you find a bauble motherlode where he's batted them into the corners behind things.

You could always make the paper ring garlands and hang them around, since origami paper is pretty, you could cut out snowflakes, use a bit of floss or fishing/clear thread and hang them from the roof in uneven lengths?

Ideas for decorations.. Pyper - got a pool? Put an esky next to it, go have fun. Tinsel on fans?

star anise and cinnamon is a brilliant idea, those are the smells of Christmas! I was thinking of orange scented candle or incense as well. I was going to try and find small glass bottles I can put my very good homemade mulled wine into for gifts.

Paper ring garlands I will definitely do! ooo and the snowflake idea too! Great ideas thanks!