Upcycled Holiday Wreaths and Garlands

Why do people keep tossing perfectly good fabric scraps just to buy plastic wreaths that look like they’re made of melted soda bottles? I don’t get it. If you want something that doesn’t reek of chemicals, upcycle. It’s not that hard.

Making Wreaths From Fabric Scraps

I can’t throw out fabric. It’s a problem. So now there’s a bin of flannel bits and failed pajama projects under my bed. The folks at A Piece Of Rainbow swear you can just wrap scraps around a bent wire hanger, ugly side out, and it’ll look “charming.” I mean, sure, just hide the worst parts at the back.

Forget buying ribbon. I cut up old sheets or pillowcases and knot them in. Call it “texture” if anyone asks. Biggest mistake? Trying to make it too perfect. Messy is better. Nobody’s inspecting your glue dots. Some textile expert once told me cotton blends keep wreaths from getting musty in storage, but honestly, I never remember to pack them up anyway.

Creating Garlands With Recycled Materials

Is it innovation or laziness to use whatever’s headed for the recycling bin? Sandwich bags, coffee filters, cardboard mailers—twist them up and call it a garland. AllFreeChristmasCrafts has a rabbit hole of ideas. Punch circles, string with whatever yarn you dig up, cram in some foil wrappers, and call it “vintage.”

Fancy glue? Nope. I use a staple gun or bobby pins. The bloggers always want you to buy something. Gracious Garlands brags about their fresh greenery, but I keep spotting Amazon boxes taped behind the leaves. Upcycled garlands hang fine on curtain rods or bookshelves. Until my cat chews them to bits. Every. Single. Time.

Reimagining Holiday Trees for Everyday Use

My kitchen counter is always buried under half-finished crafts, and I’m over the fake pine forest routine. Turns out, you can ditch the classic tree and just stack random stuff into something festive. Newspapers, books, whatever’s around—sometimes it looks cool, sometimes it’s a mess. If it saves me from dragging a plastic tree out of storage, I’m in.

Book Trees and Newspaper Christmas Trees

My bookshelf? Looks like a green tornado hit it. Nobody’s reading encyclopedias, so why not pile them into a spiral? Tallest books on the bottom, and you’ve got a tree. Just hope nobody tries to grab a book mid-December. Did you know the National Retail Federation says spending on holiday décor keeps climbing? Not in this house. I drape string lights on my book pile and call it “conversation piece.”

Newspaper trees? Not any messier than a real pine, and at least you know where the recycling went. I fold broadsheets into cones, stack them, and sometimes slap on headlines about snow or old toys for a nostalgia hit. Forget symmetry. My uncle called it “avant-garde” (translation: it’s a mess, but nobody argues). Only downside—newsprint on the carpet. Influencers never mention that.

Minimalist Alternatives to Traditional Christmas Trees

Tree stand? Never have one when I need it. Lately, I skip the tree. Minimalist “trees” are everywhere—wooden dowels, LED outlines on the wall, plant stands with ornaments. All the big brands sell these “tree silhouettes,” but you can make one with broom handles and string.

Honestly, this minimalist thing isn’t just a trend for people who hate clutter. Gen Z, apparently, is all about nontraditional trees: upside-down trees, geometric wood, binder clips holding it all together, or just painting a triangle on the wall. Practical, too—one friend’s neighbor ran out of room, so she nailed wire lights to the wall and called it done. (Note to self: patch nail holes in January.) No pine needles, no fake snow, just a bit of chaos you can actually manage.