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Home crafting and DIY decorating is a given at Christmas. It’s the ideal time to show off your craft skills or try your hand at making something completely new and if you’re looking to add that special handmade touch to your Christmas decorations look no further!
We’ve got two easy DIY projects for your try – our Festive foliage wreath tutorial and bespoke Lantern making kits – that are quick and cheap to make and look super professional. Both would even make fantastic gifts, meaning you can kill two birds with one stone. In fact, they are so easy the kids can join in too!
Festive foliage wreath
Recent research shows that the being in nature is good for us – and this is where this DIY project starts – outside! To make a festive wreath with natural foliage you’ll need to head to a park, your local nature reserve or take some secateurs out when you’re walking the dog. If you can’t forage for foliage then your local florist or even large supermarket should have everything you need. You could even make your base from our 3 metre mini garland and then add to this natural elements.
Any of the following lush evergreens are perfect to get started on your wreath; ivy, pine or spruce branches, eucalyptus, holly, laurel, fir, cypress and you can even add rosemary or lavender for a scented aroma.
Bring on the bling!
Added extras such as ribbon, pine cones, dried orange segments, cinnamon sticks and Christmas baubles all work well. Raid your Christmas decorations box for sparkly decorations or ask the kids to make some sparkly stars from glittery cardboard. If you’re feeling you need extravagance add a few peacock feathers to your evergreens for an exclusive luxury feel.
We love how creative these wreaths are, using embellishments with a traditional twist in different colour themes.
And how about making a bow for your wreath? Here’s three step by step methods from Wikihow on making bow especially for wreaths. Use method 3 with our Hessian fabrics to give your bow a textured natural feel.
How to make your wreath
To form the base of your wreath you’ll need a Dannells Lampshade making ring available in sizes from 10 cm to 70 cm diameter and dependent on how big the space for the wreath is, you can pick your prefered size. You’ll also need scissors or secateurs and floristry tape or wire.
Firstly, layout your ring on a table and create a hanging loop from either string wire or ribbon at the top of your ring (it’s best to do this first, before you get busy with the foliage!) Then position your foliage where you’d like it – take time to play with the arrangements, looking at the contrast between the leaf sizes and textures. Start by securing the base foliage with the wire and/or floristry tape making sure each piece is fixed in place before moving onto the next.
Once you have the ring covered, add your extras, such as baubles, pine cones and other decorative bits and pieces, using the wire or tape and voila – you’re done making a gorgeous bespoke wreath to adorn your home!
Holiday lanterns making kits
After hunting down your festive foliage for your first Dannells DIY decorating project, it’s time to get cosy inside and our easy to make lantern making kits are the ideal way to dot soft glowing festive light around your home, especially when made up in your favourite Christmas fabric.
Our lantern making kits contain not one, but four lanterns and come either with or without battery operated tealights, which are safe to use anywhere the home.
Needing just 35 x 15 cm of fabric, they’re a great way of using up smaller pieces of fabric and can be made using equipment that you’ll already have at home. Check out our blog post on the Top 5 household tools for making lampshades for more ideas on equipment you can use from around the house.
To help you on your way to making your festive lanterns take a look at out our video below. Our expert demonstrator, Sam shares her tips and tricks for making up a Lantern Making Kit and you can watch as you make!
Once you get started a lantern can be made in under 10 minutes making it a super quick make and very satisfying! And what’s more the lantern making kits can made to go with everything from your tree decorations to your table setting for the big day – all they need is a touch of festive imagination!