14 DIY Decorations Made With Stuff You Already Have

Man, Christmas can really hit the wallet hard, can't it? Especially coming hot on the heels of Thanksgiving — and Halloween before that! We can all use a few ways to save us from that fourth trip to the store for home decor. Making things yourself can save money, and make your home a unique expression of what the holidays mean to you, rather than cookie-cutter, store-bought goods. You don't need to spend a lot of money at the craft store, either — a lot of decorations can be made with odds and ends you already have around the home!

1. Decorate your walls with presents.

Wrap plain white canvases with ribbon, or if you don't have any handy, you can also cover your current art with pretty wrapping paper before adding the ribbon. 

2. Make snowman ornaments from leftover bottle caps.

Glue three bottle caps together, paint them white and then decorate them with whatever markers and bits of paper and ribbon you have laying around from other projects. 

3. Make the most of your autumn yard clean-up.

While raking leaves and otherwise readying your home for the white months, collect the prettiest or most interesting sticks, pinecones, etc. and use them to make a gorgeous indoor display. 

4. Add sparkle to old ornaments with discarded CDs.

Cut up an old CD into irregular pieces and hot glue them into a glittery mosaic on an old ornament. Clear Christmas balls can also be filled with scrap paper or ribbon. Imagine how pretty these look with the lights reflecting off all those angles!

5. Paint smooth rocks with Christmas designs.

These would look so pretty as part of a tablescape, or even just in a glass bowl. 

6. Combine pallet wood, a few screws, and leftover ribbon to make a bold wall feature.

Pallet wood can be found for free, and everyone has a few loose screws lying around. Wrap ribbon around the screws to create a bold star. 

7. Reuse mason jar rings for a festive sign.

The secret to these: the "wood" is actually wood grain paper! How clever!

8. Turn old mason jars into snow globes.

You can make a snowman for inside, or improvise with whatever crafty materials you have on hand. 

9. Pinecones make a lovely garland.

A bit of white glue on the cones will allow any sort of fake snow or glitter to stick. String them up with ribbon or leftover string. 

10. You can also put pinecones into tiny pots to make mini Christmas trees!

Totally adorable!

11. Take it up a notch by using multiple pinecones to make a larger tree.

12. Freeze water balloons to make outdoor luminaries.

Place battery-powered tealights in the snow then set the ice balls on top. They'll glow so nicely!

13. Use thumbtacks to spell out a seasonal greeting.

You will need to use the paper template to mark where the pins should go, then remove the pins to dislodge the paper. Use the holes as a guide to put everything back. It's a few steps, but the final result is worth it. 

14. Turn your spare stemware into snowglobe candle stands.

These are so pretty! They'd look great lined up on a mantle, or as the centerpiece for Christmas dinner. 

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Have you made any DIY decorations this year?

Show us photos in the COMMENTS!