Christmas doesn’t have to be all about spending big! How about a little homemade charm with your decorations this year?
December often brings a financial and environmental strain. Christmas trees, wrapping paper, decorations. It all adds up both financially and also for the environment. So why not make some of your own Christmas decorations and put your DIY skills to use during the most expensive and unsustainable time of year?
Here is an easy 'Christmas tree' that you can build using some cheap products found at your local hardware store. The end result can be as big or as small as you like (therefore not taking up valuable space in your lounge room!) and can be easily packed away for next year!
It's as simple as buying a sheet of MDF, some plumber's pipe in a variety of sizes, spray paint and a few Christmas baubles in your chosen colour scheme.
Step 1
Firstly, paint your MDF backing board. Buying a good quality spray paint will make the job easier and improve the look of the end result. Rustoleum is self-priming, and comes in a variety of metallics and on-trend colours. It is readily and affordably available at Bunnings Warehouse. We have chosen basic matte black and white for the background. It is quite easy to just paint a block colour, however we have chosen to mask the board up and paint stripes to give our finished piece a little more dimension. Start by painting the entire board white and then mask and paint black over the top. Remove the masking tape before the paint dries!
Step 2
Cut the plumber’s pipe into pieces with a small handsaw, and spray paint with whatever colours you have chosen. Metallic gold and silver work really well here, but you can also use sea mist green, which pays homage to Christmas foliage beautifully.
Step 3
Using a hot glue gun (also available at hardware stores), adhere the piping to the backing board in the shape of a tree and fill some of the pieces with Christmas baubles. You can go crazy with the colours or keep it totally neutral! We are still scarred over letting children trim the Christmas tree in years gone by, so stuck with a neutral palette.
Step 4
Finish with your favourite decorations. For fun and a bit of extra colour, we added a deep burgundy velvet ribbon. You could also add small LED lights, or other trimmings to your tree. You could hang it on a wall, lean it on the mantle, or stand it in the corner of your room, ready to lay gifts at its base!
It's that simple. Easy, sustainable, DIY Christmas. Happy festive season!
How are you celebrating Christmas this year?
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