Get your home Xmas ready with these budget friendly hacks

With Christmas fast approaching, you may scurry searching for home decorations. The pandemic could have affected your budget, and you are probably hunting for ways you could save some dollars.

Worry no more, we have come up with ideas on how you could repurpose your household items into a decoration in time for Santa’s visit!

Canvas Fire Place

Living in Singapore certainly does not require the use of a fireplace, but one can always imagine. Even if it does not produce heat, well if it looks like one, why not?

Materials needed:

• Black Canvas
• White permanent marker/ chalk
• String for the hanging of the canvas
• Stockings
• Loose fabric (could be off a tote bag)

Creating it:

1. On a plain black canvas, draw out a fireplace – feel free to go as bazaar as your imagination could go.
2. Glue on some fabric on the exterior of the canvas
3. Hang a few pairs of stockings
4. Piece everything up onto your wall

Recommended to be placed on: an empty wall in your living room, any cosy spots near your sofa

Mini Christmas trees

If you have toddlers at home, having a real Christmas tree could be too prickly to have around. Fret not, here’s how you could make tiny trees to live up that Christmas spirit.

Materials needed:

• Pyramid-shaped wooden blocks (we recommend purchasing them at spotlight/ Art friend)
• Pastel coloured paints, including a gold-coloured one.
• Paintbrush

Creating it:

1. Start by painting the surface of the wooden block. Tip – you would probably need to coat a few layers
2. Paint the top edge of the block with gold paint. Alternatively, you could get a gold ribbon/ colour it in with a gold marker.
3. Dap tiny dots of gold all around the tree
4. Let it dry for a bit.

Recommended to be placed in: Kids playroom, Baby nursery

Read more: 5 upcycling ideas to turn household trash into treasure 

Yarn Ornaments

A Christmas tree could have cost you quite a sum of your bank account, so here’s how you could save some dollars by making your ornaments only with the use of yarns.

Materials needed:

• Yarns of assorted colours
•  A balloon (to act as a round placement)
• White glue
• Glitter (optional)

Creating it:

1. Wrap the whole roll of yarn around the balloon.
2. After that, tighten the ends of the yarn and pop the balloon.
3. Brush some white glue all around the ornament and sprinkle glitter all around it

Recommended to be placed on: Christmas tree, window grilles, doorknobs

Snow Frosted Mason Jar

Looks fancy, but don’t feel intimidated! These jars are relatively easy to make and completed in 5 minutes.

Materials needed:

• Mason Jars / any recycled glass jars (even your empty jam jars works fine!)
• Salt
• White Glue
• Battery-powered LED fairy string lights.
• Twine

Creating it:

1. Brush white glue on the outside of the jar before sprinkling salt over it
2. Twine some natural elements (e.g. tiny artificial flowers, leaves)
3. Twirl in the fairy string lights for its final touch

Alternatively, you could only make use of candles if fairy lights are a little costly.

Recommended to be placed on: a bedside table, TV console.

Repurpose your trash cans/ vase

Spot unused trash can around? Here’s a great idea to repurpose them!

Materials needed:

• Unused trash can/ buckets
• Chalk
• Ribbons
• Fairy Lights (optional)
• A potted plant of your choice

Creating it:

1. Write the letters of your choice using chalk (free-hand or using a stencil)
2. Deco the can with a ribbon.
3. Place the potted plant into the can (ensure its tall enough to be seen out of the can)
4. Add in battery operated fairy lights (optional)

Recommended to be placed on: a TV console, near your corridor, stairs/steps in your house

Now that we have created DIY and budget-friendly hacks to spice up your homes for Christmas have as much fun with your kids making them. Let their imagination flow and enjoy the process. From our team to your family, have a Merry Christmas!

Read more: How to keep your home smell fresh all-day