Fabulous DIY Christmas Décor Upcycled or Free

Fabulous DIY Christmas Décor Upcycled or Free.
It’s 2020 and it’s a Covid Christmas.
The Challenge: use the extra time to create decorations
from items left over from Christmases past.

 

Kim & Ink uses recycled and/or responsibly produced papers for our handmade greeting cards.

So our holiday décor doesn’t stray from our “stewardship” principles.

We decorate minimally, and very seldom buy anything new.

No, our house doesn’t qualify for Houzz, but it’s cozy and we get enough compliments to make the efforts worthwhile.

Although, the only real thing that matters is if we like it, right?

Always decorate to please yourself, not others.
They don’t live in your house 24/7!

 

First, Christmas décor inspo:

We found a few photos to show how we can change “high-end” to “home-made.”

Our theme for this post will lead to DIY poinsettias, so they feature in our inspiration pics.

 

Upcycle a garland or wreath from past Christmases with handmade poinsettias.

 

 

Dig out the scented pinecones that no longer have scent,
and upcycle them with silver and/or white paint.
I don’t feel all the silver in the photo, but some touches
would be amazing. Or, in my case, gold.
We love gold at kimenink.

 

Only one family lives in the White House, and most of us will
never see the inside anytime, never mind at Christmas.
These snowflakes were mostly handmade by DC schoolchildren.
So? If the White House uses handmade, why don’t we?
Cut some snowflakes and glitz them up, then hang a few
above your kitchen table or another vignette area.

 

Fabulous DIY Poinsettias

Our source du jour for today’s project is coffee filters.

Yep, raid your beverage bar and grab the package of flimsy, frilled paper you use every day and then trash with the used coffee grounds.

You will be amazed at the high-end look of coffee filter poinsettias adorning your last year’s wreath!

Our flowers were cut with a die rolled through a Cuttlebug. We used this die.

 

 

 

 

 

What you need for our fabulous DIY Christmas décor poinsettias:

1. 1. Tim Holtz Tattered Poinsettia die set by Sizzix
   2. Coffee filters
   3. Water spray bottle
   4. Watercolor paints, mixing cups, small spray bottles (like clean travel-size hair spray bottles.)
   5. Liquid pearls by Ranger if you want sheen on the poinsettia petals.
   6. Gold Diamond Dotz
   7. Tacky glue

 

How we made our poinsettias:

1. 1. We stacked 5 to 7 coffee filters together, then sandwiched them for the Cuttlebug with the dies.
   2. For 15 poinsettias, we cut 15 of each size of die, then an additional 15 of the largest size for a layer of leaves.
   3. Spread the “leaf” layers on a waterproof surface in a single layer.
   4. Spray the cut outs with water until quite saturated.
   5. Mix a strong green watercolor mix in a mixing cup. Pour into a small spray bottle. Add a squirt or two of shimmer paint (such as Liquid Pearls). Shake well. Saturate the leaf cuts with the paint spray.
   6. Let the leaf cuts dry, then pick up and set aside.
   7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 with all the flower cuts and your color choice of red/pink paint spray.
   8. When all the petals are painted and dry, set up a gluing station. Stack and glue the flowers: green layer on the bottom, large pink layer, then consecutive sizes, to the smallest.
   9. Glue Diamond Dotz for the poinsettia centers.

 

 

Handy Tips:

• • The watercolor paint will darken as it seeps to the outer edges of the petals, creating lovely color variations on the dried petals. You may want to experiment with the color depth and water saturation of the petals to get the end result you desire. My petals got too saturated with water, and the color dissipated too much. I had to re-wet them and add more color.
  • I sprayed the petals on my formica top table, and wiped the color off with a wet paper towel and a little Chlorox clean up. What I really wish I would have used is a new piece of drop cloth. The design left from spraying the petals is beautiful, and the drop cloth could have become a Christmas pillow cover or table runner.

 

Have fun creating Christmas décor
for an upcycled, stay-at-home Holiday!