DIY Christmas Gift Wrap and decor ideas

Hi all, gosh I’m feeling all festive as I write this post, actually I got bitten by the festivity bug  a while ago, most specifically when I started the projects for this post, I can’t avoid it! With Christmas around the corner, there are so many neat tips and tricks for creating your own décor and gifts. I have been working on some amazing DIY projects that won’t cost the earth or harm it either!

As I mentioned in my post for DIY Gift wrap part 2 I had some fancy lace, ribbons, buttons and tons of fabrics from my college days (when I was at art school and much more creative!) I also raided my mum’s sewing kit where I found a whole host of lovely treasures, Hello gold ribbons and fancy buttons!  Nothing says Christmas then a bit of red and gold!

No longer do gifts have to be wrapped up in the conventional wrapping sheets, think original and think personal!  Not only will you be surprised at your creativity but these gifts look so much more special.

Gift Ribbons are so easy to make, follow the steps below and you’ll become a pro, plus you can make these with paper as well as fabric so you’llnever need to shop for them, fabulous for last minute gift giving.

You can even go a little romantic with them!

or festive!

For the middle ribbon – Cut out 9 picecs of ribbon, 3 approx 6 inches, another three 4 inches and another three 2 inche pieced (width 1 inch should be fine). Make 8 of the below and with one 2 inch fold round to go in the middle. Insert all one by one either with glue ot staples until you get a full flower.

I also made a few little decorations for the home including this ‘Christmas Branch’ which is my festive substitute for a Christmas Tree this year! It’s so easy to make, I made this with an old Elderflower drink bottle, and wine bottles would work just as well, some glue and Holographic glitter which I bought from eBay.

Instructions:

• Rub off any paper on the bottle by soaking it in hot water and it should come off quite easily.
• Make sure it’s all clean and dry before slathering on glue, I find the straight end of a card works best to smooth it even all over the bottle.
• On a newspaper evenly dust the glitter and holding the bottom and the inside of the neck to the bottle start to roll it in the glitter until it’s all covered , then let it stand overnight. The cinnamon scented branches I bought and the little bells I hung on. A little messy but very easy.

I hope this post has given you some inspiration but If you need more ideas just have a look at the gift wrapping pins on Pinterest – some of them are the most gorgeous gift wraps I have laid my eyes on! Taking inspiration from people’s creativity will help in finding your own style of DIY and gift making then you can put your own stamp on it.

Lastly Merry Christmas and all the best for 2012, make it your best year, be healthy and be happy!