DIY Christmas Decorations: 19 Budget-Friendly Ideas for a Festive Home

Paint or decorate mason jars and place tea lights inside for a cozy, rustic look. For a snowy effect, fill the jars halfway with Epsom salts before adding a candle.

Mason jars are incredibly versatile; see how you can use them to create a summer look with our Summer Mantel Ideas.

Collect or buy pinecones and glue them onto a wreath frame. Start with the largest on the outside and work your way in with the smallest on the inside. Add Evergreen springs, berries and lights for some extra charm.

This is a great idea, especially for kids! Create hand sown or glued felt ornaments in various shapes like stars, trees or stockings for adorable xmas tree decorations.

Create a colorful pom-pom garland to drape around your tree or mantel.

Use a Pom-Pom maker or your fingers. Then, thread them with a needle or simply tie them to a long string of yarn.

Arrange a group of mason jars with Epsom salts and candles for a wonderfully ambient centerpiece. Alternatively, pile colorful ornaments on a cake stand for a quick and easy holiday home decor solution.

If you love this idea, you’ll find more inspiration in our post on Easy Thanksgiving Table Decorations for Any Aesthetic.

Repurpose old Christmas sweaters from the thrift store into cozy pillow covers for your couch.

This is a perfect way to add festive texture to your apartment Christmas decor.

For more thrifty transformation ideas, check out our guide to Last-Minute Budget-Friendly Halloween Decorations.

Wrap cinnamon sticks around plain pillar candles and secure them with twine or a ribbon for a fragrant and decorative touch. Use hot glue to ensure they stay in place.

Wood-burn holiday designs onto small wood slices is one of the simplest but unique tree ornament ideas.

For an easier approach, decoupage Christmas napkins onto the wood with Mod Podge.

Sew or create no-sew burlap stockings and embellish them with ribbon, buttons or stenciled names.

You can also personalize pre-made burlap stockings to fit your style.

This rustic, natural look is a key element of a classic holiday; get more inspiration from these Old-Fashioned Christmas Ideas.

Paint pinecones white and attach them to a string with floral wire to create a beautiful, wintry garland perfect for draping over a mantel or doorway.

Display the holiday cards you receive by hanging them on a string with wooden pegs.

This creates a meaningful and evolving holiday home decor piece that lasts the whole season.

A great reindeer ornament to make is a wine cork reindeer.

Use hot glue to add mini pom-pom noses, googly eyes, ribbon bows, and pipe cleaner antlers.

These little reindeer are the perfect companions for your elf! Discover more fun with our 14 Fun Elf on the Shelf Ideas

Transform a simple vase or tall glass with festive washi tape for a quick and modern craft. This easy project creates beautiful holiday home decor perfect for displaying tea light candles. The translucent tape glows warmly when lit, making it a brilliant apartment Christmas decor solution.

This is a great way to transition your decor from fall; for more tips, read our Fall Decor Tips for Apartment Interiors

Roll out air-dry clay and use cookie cutters to create festive shapes.

Use a candle to create a hole in the center (wiggle it to make it slightly bigger) and let the clay dry flat for a beautiful homemade holder.

Cover cardboard or foam cones vertically with festive washi tape for a quick, modern, and mess-free tree. This is a brilliant space-saving apartment Christmas decor idea.

Create ornaments or a garland from salt dough and add holiday scents like cinnamon and nutmeg.

When properly baked and sealed, these handmade DIY Christmas decorations become family treasures that last for years.

How To Make Salt Dough Ornaments

• Ingredients
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1/2 cup of salt
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • 15 – 20 drops of your chosen holiday essential oil
• Receipe
  • Combine ingredients
  • Add holiday scents like cinnamon or nutmeg
  • Knead for 5 minutes
  • Roll out and cut shapes
  • Bake at 250°F (120°C) for 2 hours.
  • Cool completely before using to decorate

The key to a great fluffy bow is wired ribbon. Bows are the easiest DIY Christmas decorations to spread around the home. Tie them on the xmas tree, banisters, or onto gifts.

[For a full tutorial, have a look at How To Mom.]

Give a thrifted evergreen wreath a fun pop of color by hot-gluing various-sized pom poms to it. For a less permanent solution, glue the pom poms to the floral wire first before attaching them to the wreath.