Recycled Christmas decorations – our favourite ideas

Wondering how to make your festive season that bit greener by making recycled Christmas decorations?

There are lots of ways to make them reusing waste paper, scrap fabric, or random other things from around the home and garden – and they’re certainly not all just for kids.

Here are some of our favourites:

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10 Responses to “Recycled Christmas decorations – our favourite ideas”


  1. aliceg says:

    i saw a great decoration on a blog yesterday. It was a wreath made from fresh bayleaves, which dry out over the christmas period and can be used for cooking afterwards. It looked so pretty.

  2. anna says:

    I made christmas floppies a few years ago.
    I simply used a gold paint spray on old floppy disks – then hung them where ever needed, around desk at work and on xmas tree etc.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/zisa/2212308035/

    For gift wrappers, this year one of my ideas is to use Korean newspapers. We picked some from one of our favorite restaurants, and for the non-speakers (like me) the text just looks awesome.

  3. bookstorebabe says:

    A friend’s mom had a tiny tree on her kitchen counter-she had hung cookie cutters on it! Was very cute, one could add other kitcheny things, like tiny spoons.
    And plastic toys and small stuffed animals are cheery.
    Really, if you can tie a ribbon around it, it’s an ornament. :)

    Hmm, speaking of ribbon-make bows. Or use scrap fabric and make bows. Make a lot, put them all over a tree to fill in space and look pretty.

  4. pc disposal says:

    Sweet wrappers can be easily converted into shiny christmas decorations

  5. pc disposal says:

    How about painting a broken lightbulb and using it as a chrismas decoration. The shape and weight are right, it would just need a little disguising.

  6. Karmae says:

    We used to carefully crack walnuts, leave a message inside, glue them shut with a string loop for hanging and decorate them. The messages could be read years later for inspiration or laughs. We also made nests, cradles and baskets out of cracked nuts as well.

  7. Some of my favorite Christmas projects include jewelry making and ornament making from paper beads.

    http://feliciafollum.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-beads.html – paper beads and Christmas earrings

    http://sckrlgn.blogspot.com/search/label/Christmas – some other Christmas DIY projects (including an ornament from paper beads)

  8. Pat Cole says:

    You have some great ideas- I can’t wait to get started on a couple of them. Money may be tight but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a festive Christmas. The whole family can get involved and have some family time.
    I particularly like the button wreath.

  9. Aaliyah Moore says:

    Awesome I got amazing ideas for my kids to make thanks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  10. amelia says:

    I tried the walnut idea! it worked! my 14 kids absolutely loved it! unfortunately we forgot about my eldest son Charles’ nut allergy. he died on Christmas day. he was only sixteen :(. Merry Christmas to you all. Miss you Charles xo



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