The best days for sharing moments with children and family are undoubtedly during the Christmas season. The heart of every festive family home is a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with lights, tinsel and garlands that always find a place on it. However, if you would like to make your own Christmas decorations from recycling, we have put together some great ideas for you in this article.
Craft ideas for Christmas decorations made from recycled materials
You can combine Christmas traditions with recycling by creating your own adorable tree decorations. Kids will love the tradition of decorating Christmas trees even more when they can choose handmade ornaments themselves. So if you're looking for inspiring craft ideas that go beyond the standard baubles and colorful candy canes, you've come to the right place.
Snowflakes decorated with beads
First, we'll tell you how you can make an easy snowflake yourself using pipe cleaners and beads. This is also a very simple craft for children that makes a beautiful recycled Christmas decoration. With this you can make any tree shine.
Materials:
- old or used pipe cleaners or wire
- Pliers (if necessary)
- Plastic beads or beads (color of your choice)
Directions:
- Simply cut the desired amount of pipe cleaner or wire (preferably silver) in half.
- Then twist three of them together in the middle to create the shape of a snowflake.
- Then fill each tip with beads or beads.
- Finally, twist about 1 centimeter on each tip to hold the beads in place.
- Additionally, you can tie a velvet ribbon to one of the folded ends to hang the snowflake on the tree.
Christmas decorations made from recycled clothes
Children grow quickly and you can make use of their outgrown shirts or sweaters by repurposing them for Christmas decorations. These recycled clothes can help you keep your old things innice decoration for Christmasto convert. All you have to do is cut out patterns and give your children a range of options to let their creativity shine.
Materials:
- old wool sweaters or other suitable items of clothing
- Permanent markers
- cookie cutters
- Fabric scissors
- adhesive
- Rhinestones or paint
- thin bow, ribbon or twine for hanging
Directions:
- First, mark the desired shapes on the fabric using the marker as a template.
- First, cut out the pieces using scissors or cookie cutters, making sure all of them are cut with the marker.
- Pull out a whole bunch of clothes and cut them out at once. This saves you time and allows you to make optimal use of the material.
- Now comes the fun part. Simply decorate as you wish with your little ones. Leave only the top part of the decorative elements free so that you can tie them later for hanging.
- Glue rhinestones or draw with paint to create beautiful figures.
Christmas trees made from recycled paper
If you're on a budget, you can't go wrong with this craft. It's cheap and kid friendly. Parents know this combination is hard to come by. So here is an easy DIY Christmas project made from recycled paper that you can do with your kids. If you also have old stickers, ribbons or bows at home, the whole thing will be even more sustainable.
Materials:
- green and brown waste paper or craft paper
- Stickers for jewelry
- Bow, ribbon or string for hanging
- Scissors
- tape
Directions:
- There really isn't much explanation needed. Cut and glue your colored pieces of paper and stick them with the stickers of your choice.
- Add a loop for hanging and let your kids draw or glitter on it. Decorate the Christmas tree with it or decorate your home.
Christmas tree made from old bows or fabric
These recycled Christmas decorations are also fun and suitable for all ages. The creations are suitable as gifts for family and friends. Learn how to mimic the inviting branches of a Christmas tree using shades of green and brown ribbon.
Materials:
- straight wooden sticks or cinnamon sticks
- bows or fabric cut into strips
- Hot glue gun
- cord
- Scissors
Directions:
- After gathering supplies, you can show the children how to tie the ribbon or cinnamon stick together. Wide bands tied in individual loose knots provide the best coverage.
- For best results, bundle the bands tightly together. The fabric bends and overlaps slightly. Gently pull the pieces into position until you are satisfied with their placement. You can use about 13 to 16 strips for each ornament.
- Use sharp scissors to cut the ribbon scraps into the shape of a Christmas tree. If desired, use a match to melt the edges of the ribbons together to prevent the ribbon from fraying.
- Hot glue or tie a string to the top of the branch. If desired, you can add a wooden star, a yellow button or a simple star to the created Christmas tree.
Colorful Christmas decorations made from aluminum foil
The aluminum foil makes for fun, shiny and, above all, inexpensive Christmas decorations made from recycling. Your kids will love coloring the shapes to their heart's content with felt-tip pens and dutifully hanging them on the Christmas tree to admire the decorations throughout the season.
Materials:
- Aluminum foil
- Permanent markers or other pens for drawing with caps
- Felt or foam pad
- Ribbon or loop for hanging
Directions:
- Start by cutting your foil into Christmas shapes. You can also use cookie cutters to mark the appropriate figures on the surface. Gingerbread men, Christmas trees, stars, snowflakes, bells, etc. can be cut out of this.
- First place the desired cut-out shape on the support and start drawing the motifs with a cap. This creates a nice embossing while allowing the foam to give slightly under the aluminum foil. It's easy to emboss your shapes and designs directly onto the ornament.
- You can flip the ornament over and emboss it in the opposite direction too! This gives a very cool 3D effect, but just be careful not to go to the other side where you've already embossed.
- Color the embossings with the colorful pens.
- Punch a hole at the top and tie your ribbon.
