Make Cute Christmas Tree Ornaments from Wrapping Paper

By Gail Kavanagh

Christmas wrapping paper comes in so many beautiful designs today, it seems almost a shame to use it for wrapping paper alone when it will only be torn up and thrown away on Christmas morning.

So why not use some of your favorite designs to create beautiful ornaments for your Christmas tree? Then everyone can enjoy the designs as much as you do. Here are instructions for some simple paper ornaments that will brighten up your tree and make good use of the wrapping paper.

Pretty Fans

Cut a section 4 inches high by 8 inches wide from your wrapping paper. Pleat it finely to make a fan. Wrap a small piece of glittery Christmas tape around one end of the pleated paper to hold it closed. Cut a 2 inch length of sparkling Christmas ribbon and fold it to make a loop. Tape the free ends to the taped end of the pleated paper to make a hanging loop. Open out the other end of the pleated paper to form the fan, and paint a thin line of craft glue along the edge. Dip this in glitter powder for extra sparkle.

Paper Bauble

Take eight squares of wrapping paper about 3x3 inches, and place them squarely on top of each other, with the design facing up toward you and the reverse side underneath. Fold the bundle of papers down the middle, with the design on the inside, so you have a rectangle that resembles a small book. Cut out a heart shape or circle, starting at the top of the fold and finishing at the bottom. You should now have eight separate hearts or circles with a fold in the middle.

Crease each shape sharply down the fold, making sure the design is on the inside. Lay one of the shapes flat on your workspace, design side down, and put glue or craft paste on one side of the fold only. Take another shape and match half of it to the glued half of the first shape. Make sure that only the reverse sides of the wrapping paper shapes are glued together, with the design on the outside. Fold the other half of the second shape back and glue another shape in place. Continue until all the shapes are used up and you have only the last half and the original half left to glue. Paint a line of craft glue down the center fold and lay on a piece of Christmas ribbon folded to form a loop at the top of the shape. Finally glue the last two white halves together. Your shape should now open out into a bauble. Paint a thin line of craft glue along all the edges and dip in glitter for extra sparkle.

Mini Christmas Parcels

Tiny Christmas parcels look delightful on the Christmas tree, but they are also a magnet for children, who are very disappointed to find that the wrapping paper hides only polystyrene cubes. It's more fun to make mini parcels that can be opened to reveal small candies or trinkets like those find in Christmas crackers. You will need small gift boxes like ring boxes to make your mini parcels.

Using a metal pointed craft tool or skewer, drive it through the center of the lid and the bottom of the box to make two small holes. Put tiny candies or trinkets into the box, but make sure you don't fill the boxes. The contents should less than half fill the box. Wrap neatly with paper glued in place, and poke the skewer through the holes in the top and bottom of the box again so you can see the holes. Now take a length of Christmas glitter tie or thin ribbon and poke the tip of the skewer or craft tool into the fabric halfway along the length. Lay the Christmas box on its sides and push the ribbon through the holes in the bottom of the box and out through the top of the lids, using the skewer or craft tool as a guide. Tie a knot in the free ends of the ribbon at the bottom of the box so it won't pull through. Pull out the rest of the ribbon through the hole in the top of the parcel to form a hanging loop.

© Doityourself.com 2006

Cute Cheap or Free Christmas Ornaments You Can Make Yourself

Ideas for Creative DIY Decorations for the Holidays, Even on a Tiny Budget

Take ordinary objects and turn them into customized Christmas tree decorations, like these ideas from your Guide to Interior Decorating.

• Colored Glass Balls
  Embellish standard colored holiday balls with a variety of special touches. For example, spray ornaments with glitter paints or frosty coatings, glue on glitter or craft store jewels, attach braids or ribbons, or use stickers, craft paints, or ribbons to add personality.

• Snowflake Tree
  Remember the folded paper snowflakes you made in elementary school? Revisit the past and create these simple, yet sweet, decorations with your kids. Make them large, medium, and small, and then iron flat. Leave them pristine white or embellish with clear or silver glitter. On your tree, add some cotton batting to the branches for a snowy effect.

• Glittered
  Use paint brushes to paint glue onto the ornament in a pattern or the letters of a name, then sprinkle with ultra-fine glitter. Let dry completely before using. Or, dot glue onto an ornament with a round pencil eraser and add glitter for a dotted look.

• Romantic Tree
  Do you have a collection of grandma’s doilies or lace hankies sitting unused in a box somewhere? Dig them out and make little sachet-style ornaments. Simply fill the centers with a handful of batting and tie up gently with little satin ribbons that can loop over tree branches. Next, look in the bargain bin at the fabric store for bolts of lace edging that might be used as a tree garland or tied around packages. Finally, underscore the romantic theme with craft store wooden hearts that can be painted red and attached to the tree with velvet ribbon bows.

• Anyone for Tea Tree
  Get out an unused silver or china tea set and attach the cups to their saucers using dabs of tacky wax or white floral clay. A ribbon or a wire through the teacup handle will allow you to hang the cups on a Christmas tree. Next, nestle and hang silver creamers or sugar bowls, tongs, spoons, or even teapots into sturdy branches. Finish up by hanging pretty tea bags still in their colorful wrappers.

• Peppermint Candy Tree
  Warehouse stores make it easy (and cheap) to buy candy in bulk. Create a peppermint tree extravaganza using candy canes as ornaments and gluing together the cellophane wrappers (end-to-end) of wrapped peppermint balls for a unique garland. Flat wooden shapes can also be used as a backing for hot-glued candy decorations such as red hots, peppermint sticks, or mint disks. Keep these longer by spraying them with a clear sealer so humidity won’t affect the candy.

• Origami
  Fold origami shapes for your tree and hang with loops of thin gold cording. Choose paper colors and shapes in a theme, or go wild and make each one unique. Or, try making larger and smaller versions of the same fold for a harmonious overall look.

• Toy Trees
  Tiny toys look wonderful on a Christmas tree. Mix them up using an assortment of toys from your own kids, from garage sales, or thrift stores. For a collected look, go with one theme such as dolls, bears, or trucks. Wire heavier items to the sturdiest branches, then hang lightweight items by colorful ribbons or raffia loops. Not enough to cover the tree? Fill in with plain glass balls, garlands, or bows. This is also a fun idea for a small tree in a child's room.

Read on for more ideas for DIY Christmas ornaments.

All About Christmas Decorating Themes

~ Coral Nafie

Tips For Stress Free Girl's Bedroom Design

By Lee Dobbins

Whenever you make the decision to redecorate a room, it can take days and weeks before you actually decide on the color and a design you're happy with. Decorating a girl's bedroom, however, opens up even more problems, especially if the girl in question is a teenager. Thankfully, there are a lot of ways that you can make the often-thankless task of girls bedroom design easier.

If you're the parent of a young girl, then the first thing you should do is discuss her ideas. Although it's your house, it is her bedroom after all, and she still needs to feel comfortable in what is essentially her haven. So if she likes a lot of cuddly toys, incorporate soft cushions into the final bedroom design. Work the color scheme around her favorite posters, whether it's of bands or celebrities, so that you have an all-encompassing mix of your choice and hers.

It's also a great idea to work with what she already has in her bedroom. Remember, this room is the equivalent of a comfort room for the girl, so any new bedroom design should try having a happy mix of the old and the new. Simply spruce up existing furniture with little touches here and there. If she has a favorite dresser or desk, for instance, use of stencils to transfer various shapes onto the frame can make a huge difference in appearance. A little board for writing notes or simply doodling on can be a good personalized addition.

ONe thing you need to be careful about with girls bedroom design is when the girl is slightly older. Like anyone, a girl will change her mind as to what she likes one moment to the next, especially if she's approaching her teenage years. That fairy-themed design that you initially helped her make may not seem as cute and adorable now that she's turning into a young woman, so make sure that any design you settle on for a girl's bedroom is reasonably future-proof.

A good approach is to make the room fairly neutral, and then changes can be made along the way. Making any design temporary or easily changeable is relatively easy, yet can still add a touch of style to the overall feel. Rugs are a good way of filling a room yet are also easy to remove should they need to be. Drapes and furniture throws are another excellent method of changing the look of a girl's bedroom, but their very design also means they can be changed quickly and effortlessly for a different look altogether.

At the end of the day, as with any room, redecorating a girl's bedroom can be a strenuous and time-consuming project. However, with just a little forward planning and discussion of ideas, girls bedroom design can be a pleasant task for both parent and daughter.

Lee Dobbins writes for Look4Decor - Home Decorating Style where you can learn how to decorate your home and get more bedroom decorating tips.

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