9 DIY Holiday Decor Projects Using Items From Your Yard or Garden
As much as we all love to spruce up the house each season, holiday decorations can quickly drain the bank account if you don’t keep an eye on your spending. The good news is that there are plenty of DIY holiday decor projects that will help you add a festive touch to your home without spending a fortune. You can even create stunning visual displays throughout your house using just a handful of items you probably already have on hand and some natural elements from your backyard or garden.
1. Winter Wreath
There are no specific rules or guidelines for crafting your own winter wreath to add a touch of nature to the front door, interiors or windows. You can get creative with everything from fallen branches and pine needles to acorns and crimson berries to give your home that cozy, snowed-in feel. Instead of sticking to the traditional wreath shape this year, consider picking up a flat basket and some burlap from a local craft store and filling it with all your outdoor treasures.
2. Pine Needle Centerpiece
If you have a soft spot for the farmhouse aesthetic, you probably already have everything you need to make a pine needle box for your dining room table. Most of us have mason jars or repurposed glass bottles on hand. All you need to do is snip off a few branches of pine needles in assorted sizes, arrange them in the jars and place the jars in a rectangular wooden box. It really is that simple to create a warm and rustic decoration that will put a smile on your face all winter long.
3. Front Porch Greenery
We decorate with flower boxes in the summer and pumpkins and straw bales in the fall, so why not keep the trend going in winter too? It’s easy enough to decorate your front door with a traditional Christmas wreath. But why not take it a step farther and fill your front porch planter with branches and stems from the yard? Consider creating two twin planters and using them to flank the front door for an extra welcoming touch.
4. Tea Light Log
You probably have access to some fallen branches and tree logs right outside your home. This project is a little more hands-on, but consider harvesting some wood from the great outdoors to create your own tea light log. There are plenty of tutorials available online to turn discarded branches into a tea light holder that is guaranteed to wow all your holiday guests.
5. Design a Vignette
Whether you want to call it a vignette or a centerpiece, this is an easy project that can be completed in a single afternoon. Like most do-it-yourself decor, there really are no rules to this. You can use everything from miniature boxwoods and Christmas tree branches to acorns or pinecones to create a stunning visual display for your dining room table, bookshelves, fireplace mantle or coffee table. Kick things up a notch by incorporating fun and festive pieces like candlestick holders and snow globes.
6. Miniature Christmas Trees
There are so many creative ways to use pine needles during the holiday season. Even if you don’t live in close proximity to the woods, you can harvest these branches from your own Christmas tree and no one would ever be the wiser. All you need to do is create a small bouquet of pine tree needles, wrap them up in burlap and tie it with twine to create your own miniature version of a Christmas tree. If you want the trees to be a little more stable, consider sticking the pine needles into a foam base before wrapping it up in burlap.
7. Sprig-Filled Ornaments
Have you ever made your own Christmas ornaments? It may not be as hard as you think. If you want to re-create this seasonal look in your home this year, all you need to do is fill empty ornament bulbs with clippings from pine trees, eucalyptus branches or other greenery that lasts a long time and thread the tops of the bulbs with twine, ribbon or yarn. Alternatively, if you don’t want to hang them on your tree, you can leave off the ribbon and pile them into a clear vase as a stunning and unique centerpiece for your table.
8. Sweater Wreath
If anything screams comforting at Christmas time, it’s the soft knit fabric of an oversized sweater. But what do you do with those that are starting to show a little too much wear and tear from years of use? You create a sweater wreath, of course. While this isn’t an inherently nature-themed decoration activity, you can easily add fresh pinecones or holly berries to give it that natural touch.
9. Fill the Fireplace
There’s something so welcoming about having a stack of firewood in the house or on the front porch on cold winter days. This might just be the easiest decoration tip of all time, but it’s one that packs a punch. If you have a faux fireplace, this is the perfect opportunity to fill it with firewood logs to create that cozy winter ambiance. Or you might want to simply fill a small planter with chopped wood and set it outside the front door to add a pop of winter cheer to the porch.