I’ve been a Scrooge for the past 8 years…
I have a good reason, though. Remember how we’ve lived in basically half a house for the past 8 years? Yup. That’s why. We could squeeze into the house decently well during most of the year, but adding a Christmas tree plus all the decorations to the mix was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I would hold off on putting up my ONE box of decorations until the last minute, and then take them down the day after Christmas. I just. couldn’t. take. it. It was decoration suffocation, y’all.
When I found myself suddenly in the mood to decorate after Thanksgiving for the first time EVER in my adult life, I almost didn’t know what to do with myself…
So I loaded my happy little self into the car and drove to town with the intention of stocking up on some fancy-shmancy decorations, considering my collection is rather meager.
Annnnnnd I came home with an empty car… Nada. Zilch. Zip. (Ok, I did come home with a pillow and a little wooden tree, but that was IT).
I have nothing against glitter and reindeer and Santas with sparkly beards, but they just aren’t ME. I like natural, and rustic, and vintage.
So what’s a homesteading gal to do?
Grab some tree trimmings from the backyard, tin cans, Epsom salts, and make her own. That’s what.
I had an absolute BLAST last Saturday gathering what most people would considering trash and making decorations from it… I’m loving my decorated house for the first time ever, and the best part? It’s totally me. 🙂
Rustic Homemade Christmas Decorations
Real Greenery
I’m sorry, but I just can’t hack the fake greenery that looks like a green Hawaiian Lei. Thankfully, even though we live on the high plains with few trees, we do have an old juniper in the backyard in need of some trimming. Perfection.
I trimmed a few of the branches from the bottom, arranged them in a line (overlapped a bit), and tied the branches together with a bit of string. Floral wire would have been ideal, but I didn’t have that hanging around, and was too impatient to wait until I went back to town. Thankfully, you can’t see the string at all. (And even if you could, who cares?)
I also took a few of the leftover branches and placed them strategically around my “displays” for an added touch.
You can also make your own wreaths with real greenery. I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s on my list.
Dried Orange Slices
When I first saw dried oranges used as Christmas decor, I knew that was gonna have to happen, STAT. I hung mine through out my garland, but you can also use them as ornaments for your tree.
How to Dry Orange Slices:
- Cut oranges into 1/4″ slices
- Place directly on your oven rack and bake at the lowest temperature possible for several hours, or until dry. (My oven goes down to about 180 degrees). Alternatively, you can use your dehydrator.
- Poke a hole in the middle and tie a circle of string through it.
Frosted Mason Jars
Tutorials abound for frosty-looking mason jars, but many of them call for items I don’t normally have hanging around (Mod Podge, special paint, fake snow, etc) and you guessed it– I was too impatient to wait until I could drive to the craft store.
So glue and Epsom salt it was.
I made a glue/water mixture of 3:1 (Three parts glue to 1 part water. I just used regular Elmer’s school glue) and then painted it on the mason jars.
After that, I sprinkled/rolled the glue-covered jars in Epsom salt and let them dry. You can add a tea light inside if you wish.
I think they look pretty darn awesome, if do I say so myself. They do shed a bit, but hey– I’m willing to put up with that in exchange for their mason jar awesomeness.
Tin Can Luminaries
“Honey, why are there tin cans full of water in the freezer?”
“They’re Christmas decorations…”
“*silence*”
After ten years of marriage, Prairie Husband doesn’t even question my craziness anymore… I’m so glad we’ve finally made it to this point.
Anyway, I’m loving these DIY tin can luminaries. Here’s how to make them:
DIY Tin Can Luminaries
- Wash and remove labels from tin cans of your choice.
- Fill them with water, and place into the freezer until they are frozen solid
- Map out a design on graph paper. I made a starburst-style design, but you can make shapes, letters, etc.
- Tape the graph paper over the frozen can, and use a nail and hammer to carefully punch out the holes. The ice keeps the can from bending as you punch.
- Run hot water over the can until the ice falls out.
- Dry the can and paint with spray paint.
- Add a tea light and enjoy!
Christmas Tree From Book Pages
I fell in LOVE with this idea the moment I found it on Pinterest and knew I had to make one. Here are the directions I followed.
Pine Cones
Yup– these were free from my backyard, too. And bonus– the Prairie Kids gathered them for me.
I also love the idea of bleaching pine cones, but haven’t tried it yet.
Log Pedestals
Thankfully, these were just right outside my door in our firewood pile. I did cut a few of them down so I could have a variety of heights, but it still doesn’t get much easier than this. Use your log pedestals to display candles, jars, votives, pinecones, or other decor.
A Bucket of Stuff
That’s my not-so-elegant way to describe my front deck decoration, but I actually do think it’s pretty darn charming. I used an old metal pail, and arranged logs, pinecones, and leftover juniper trimmings in it. It looks even better when covered in snow.
So there you have it. I’m still tweaking and creating a bit, so I imagine my rustic homemade Christmas set-up will continue to morph, but I’m loving what I have so far. Its quaint, yet elegant. Natural, yet still noticeable. And it suits me just fine. 🙂
Other Rustic Homemade Christmas Ideas for your Homestead:
- Make a popcorn & cranberry garland
- Make wood slice ornaments or gift tags
- Burlap. Burlap everywhere! Runners, stockings, you name it.
- Make a Christmas tree from pallets
- Wrap gifts with brown paper and string
What are your favorite rustic DIY decorations? Tell me about them in the comments!
Sounds so creative and homey. Of course, since our move to Florida the idea of a white Christmas is out. I won’t decorate as we are up to the nose in a major remodel but being close to our daughter makes for a very happy time. Thanks for all the ideas. Have a most wonderful Christmas time on the prairie with your dear family.
I COMPLETELY understand not decorating in the midst of a remodel! 😉 Glad you are near family, tho! Merry Christmas!
I absolutely love this! We did something similar this year if you want to read about it it’s here. http://www.theprairieapothecarycompany.com/old-fashioned-christmas/
Jill, can you make the soy candles then use the glue and epsom salton the outside of the jar?
We use old book pages to cover ornaments (balls) and also have cut out stars from old books to hang on the tree.
Oh yes– that sounds perfect! 🙂
At our house all the gifts from Santa were wrapped in the classified section of newspaper with a red bow.
Funny, I just wrote a post so similar about Christmas decor causing me to feel panicky….so much stuff! I like rustic and simple, thankfully that’s also cheap if not free!
yes, yes, yes! We are definitely on the same page. 🙂
If wood is your main heat I’m surprised you don’t have a boiler system. Those logs would not have to be cut down. Btw thats a nice log splitter.
Just curious how you dry out your wood and things so the bugs and their eggs don’t hatch or crawl around? I unfortunately learned with a bowl of acorns at about the 3 week mark. I had little white worms crawling everywhere. I’ve tried putting in ziploc bags and deep freezing works sometimes. I’ve also tried vinegar/ water mix and low temperature heating in the oven with the pinecones. Any other ideas?
I honestly haven’t had much trouble with that… At least not yet. Probably b/c it’s below zero here in WY and all the bugs were dead by the time I brought the stuff into the house. 🙂
HaHa! Same exact thing happened here! My kids brought in some acorns they had gathered.
3 days later we had white worms all over the coffee trunk (table) and on the floor around it…
eeeewwww.
-Candi
Yuck!
Please acorns, pinecones, nuts etc. on a cookie sheet and bake in a very slow oven for a half hour. No more bugs.
Put your acorns in the freezer for a day or two, it will kill any worms that are in them. Then you can display them.
This is great I love the simplicity. I started scaling back when the kids grew up, like you I just couldn’t stand all the overload – I agree very suffocating. We’re getting ready to sell and move into even smaller living arrangements – suffocation surfaced again this season which meant I went simple with natural greens too. It just feels right. Love the orange slices I may have to try that. Keeping the season beautiful and real is where the heart shines..
Amen, Carole!
Love your decorating! Many of the things you did are what I do too. I have a pail on my front porch with birch logs, greens and pine cones, and an old wood nail keg with greens and winter berry branches. I also made those tin can luminaries years ago, but we could never figure out how to punch the holes without denting the can. Filling it with water and freezing is brilliant! I can’t use real greens by my wood stove mantel due to fire hazard, but I found some that are pretty realistic looking, along with little birch pedestals with pint mason jar candle holders filled with an inch of epsom salt to look like snow. Lots of pine cones in my decorating too. I frosted some with glue and epsom salt. My coffee table has an old galvanized oil pan with greens, pine cones, an antique oil lamp and a cast iron deer. I’ve got to try making the dried orange slices.
Sounds like we are kindred spirits when it comes to decorating, Shelley!
I brought home large branches from dead but standing aspen trees that grow near here. I used my husband’s chopsaw and made round discs from the branches. Then used an alphabet stencil and outlined the letters “Merry Christmas” with a magic marker and filled in the outline. Strung the letters together with string and made a swag to hang in a window or over fireplace. I also took aspen branches of the same diameter and cut them in different lengths, kept one end of each branch flat and the other end beveled. Stood them inside my firewood box and filled in spaces with live pine greenery and pinecones gathered from a nearby forest and called it an outdoor decoration. It sort of resembled large candles.
Liked this a lot. I made a coffee table ornament out of what others might think is trash. My husband loves to eat an orange every evening and he peels them in beautiful sections…hmmm…so, I let them dry, put them in what is usually a fruit bowl, add some cinnamon sticks and whole cloves, plus a couple of battery-operated votives (so the whole thing doesn’t burst into flames from real candles)and there you go. It made my whole living room smell great, which was an extra bonus. Merry Christmas!
That sounds amazing– and I bet it does smell wonderful!
These ideas are amazing!! I have a bit of the glittery stuff but want to add more rustic charm to my christmas decor. Thanks!
Awesome Jill! I’ve enjoyed every email you’ve sent. Thank you for sharing such helpful, fun tips and information. You’re blessing me along the way.
Thank YOU for being a reader Birdie! xoxo
I’m trying the natural Christmas decor with a splash of Sweden in our farmhouse this year. I’m also blessed with naturally shed deer antlers my kids found out in our fields! Loving it!!
Yes– I love decorating with sheds!
Thanks Jill! Always enjoy your tips! I’m in San Francisco, in a typical Marina home, climb 13 steps to get to the front door. We get our real Christmas tree at the Middle School fundraiser. When they trimmed the bottom, I asked if I could take the trimmings! Sure! So I created my own ‘garland’ along the handrail up the 13 steps! Tied a big red bow at the top and not only is it festive, but smells great too!
Wahoo! Love it!
Hey Jill,
Luv the luminaries … y’all don’t have drill bits out there on the prairie? Of course, here in Vermont we generally use the 12-gauge to punch holes in things, you know when the battery is down on the Makita. Come to think of it, a friend of mine was wiring his house with one stud left to bore out when the drill quit. His 12 -gauge on full choke at six inches did the trick … and once the sheet rock was up – nobody knew.
With all that running around, you might hope you saved enough of the magnesium sulfate to soak the dogs in some hot water.
Merry Christmas.
Well…. we actually have a ridiculous amount of drill bits, but I was too lazy to go out to the shop and rummage around and find them… So an easy-to-find hammer and nail it was…. But you have a point…. 😉
Love those orange slices! I have a feeling that’s going to be happening here at our house this weekend… 😉
Feathers also make nice rustic decorations. Use fine-guage wire, such as copper beading wire or twist tie wire that has lost its paper sheathing. Wrap one end of the wire around near the shaft end of the feather or feather cluster and fashion the other end of the wire into an ornament hook.
Fabulous idea!
I love your taste in decorations! Everything looked beautiful!
Thanks May! 🙂
Thanks for the inspiration, Jill! I used the clear lights and gold ribbon I already had and drapped strings of raffia on the branches like rustic icicles. It turned out gorgeous, rustic, and free!
oooh… that sounds beautiful!
Love this, right up my street. ? Thank you for sharing.
I have shared your post on my FB page Green & Folk
Appologies…. the question mark is supposed to be a green heart and not a question mark at all!
Thanks for sharing Sally Ann!
These are all SO my style! Love them and sure will try a bunch! Thanks Jill!!
Oooh, I love the orange slices! And the tin can luminaries–I’m filing that away as a fun homeschool handicraft idea for my older guys… Funnily enough, we also decorate outside with fresh cut greenery and pine cones in metal pails. I like how you added firewood. Thanks for the ideas!
I found this post last year and was able to do some of them. I like to have LOTS of Christmas decorations and plan to kick it up a notch this year!
The dried orange slices were my favorite thing to make when I lived in Florida amongst the citrus groves.
Now that I live at the foothills of the mountains in southern Montana, I’m enjoying getting to decorate with pine cones, fresh fir branches, & antler sheds!! I’m also saving my empty DoTerra bottles for a future decorating project. Thanks for all the wonderful ideas, Jill!! Merry Christmas!
We did the same thing last year. And when it’s time to put the decorations away they can just go to the compost pile or like your wooden pedestals they can be burned for warmth. Nothing to pack up to put in the attic or storage. No more plastic, artificial and made in China decorations for us! Made LOCALLY and in the USA!
Jill, your decorations are absolutely lovely, but my REAL comment is about the 1/2 picture showing on the wall in one of the first pictures. It says RED ROSE at the top and looks like it has a cow underneath. I have an old Red Rose glass milk bottle. When I was a kid in N Ga (still am?), in a VERY small town, my Mom strained our cows milk into city bottles we acquired somewhere. I think it was easier to get the cream off it from them or something. Anyway, your pic is the first time I ever saw Red Rose mentioned anywhere else.
My son cut out our last name initial from a scarp board and I wrapped it in burlap and added a left over ribbon I saved from a previous present. Voila!
I also took branches from our red cedars and wrapped a piece of burlap sash around the top in a bow… the house smells great and it’s not as messy as a big tree ?
A fun idea for the kids is to take pine cones, put a small smear of Elmer’s on the open pine cone “petals” and sprinkle glitter on the glued areas. My kids loved this project and we made a tabletop pine cone forest with them, sitting on top of a snowy area (angel hair). Festive and glittery when the lights would bring out the sparkles.
In Michigan, we have beautiful white birch trees. They make pretty log pedestals like yours. A few skinny branches, cut into 5 equal lengths, can be fashioned into a star; I use grapevine “twine” (from the wild grapevines on our property) to tie the intersections of the branch legs together, but any string will do. Makes a really pretty star when I add things like a sprig of greens or holly, dried baby’s breath or lavender, a strand of twinkle lights, ribbon, etc. I keep a grapevine star hanging from a beam above the fireplace mantel year-round. (I use fishing line to hang stuff like this.)
More… Using super-fluffy yarn, I crocheted runners that look better than fake snow to cover the mantel and sofa table; other decorations are placed on top of this “snow.” I wash and re-use them every year. I used to make cookie ornaments for the tree, along with cranberry & popcorn garlands. After Cmas, we put the tree out back and watched the birds eat from it for a couple weeks.
And more from our family…
We live on a lake, so we add beach sand in the bottom of decorated paper bags to make our luminaries, but I like your re-usable tin can luminary idea! Also there are these pretty red twig trees, as well as (non-poisonous) sumac bushes, that grow along the roadways here, which make pretty additions to garlands/tree. The sumac berries can be used to dye cloth for lots of uses, such as book and greeting card covers, decoupage base over all kinds of objects…
And still more… I have a recipe for a dough that looks like gingerbread, but is actually a ton of cinnamon and glue. After rolling it out (a real pain, I admit), I used star and heart cookie cutters to create “cookie” shapes with a small hole at the top of each. After letting these dry for several days, I strung them with red ribbon to create a delicious-smelling garland to hang across a window or doorway, alternating “cookies” with jingle bells. (Can’t eat these!) This garland can be used for years by simply adding cinnamon essential oil to refresh the scent on the “cookies” each year. I crochet cute animal door knob covers for a few doors on the main floor. I have lots more ideas, but I don’t want to wear out my welcome! Merry Christmas!
Love your decorations! I recycle my fall pumpkin display into snowmen with homemade accessories(painted Styrofoam cups for hats, painted faces,twigs for arms). Great fun!
Love it all! It’s beautiful! I am not for glittery santa’s either.
Awesome breath of fresh inspiration. Thanks!
Hi Jill, I’ve been meaning to tell you how much I enjoy your e-mails & read every one of them! The only one I skipped in this one is the winter clothing, lol, as I’m in S.D.& how well I know about layering in the winters bitter cold & wind!
Loved your decorating ideas & going to put them to use for this Christmas season.
Keep up the good work & I wish you & your family a very Merry Christmas & a Happy & healthy New Year!! God Bless.
Thank you for the inspiration! For the first time ever I LOVE how my house is decorated for Christmas! We are in the Wyoming prairie with no juniper in the backyard, but at the local tree lot they let me have as many tree trimmings as I wanted free of charge:)
Ornaments from Vermont woodpile: White birch bark peeled from firewood and dried/pressed flat under books or bricks, like pressing flowers. Can soak it first if very curly & press between thick newspaper layers- a sheet of grocery sack next to bark keeps newsprint ink off. Cut shapes (trace cookie cutters etc or make templates of cereal box) with old fingernail scissors (kids), or utility knife on scrap board. Seal with mod podge or white glue watered down a bit, especially edges to hold the layers together. Hole in top with darning needle or quilting pin (on the board). Hang with fishing line.
Charming on tree or wherever! Gave to extended family & they loved them! Daughter strung they together and did “garlands” on window glass with suction cups.
Agggh! I wanted to some how post a photo for you. The past couple of years, I have started making wood slice ornaments by taking some cedar slices, gluing our Christmas card photo to it and stappeling a ribbon to the back (the wood was too dry and I was afraid that if I drilled a hole, the wood would split.
We can’t have a real tree in our house, but out year round decorations include owl feathers, deer sheds, sticks, and rocks that my husband and boys have collected – acorns are no longer allowed in the house….terrible experience.
Our living room side table lamps and gallon size mason jars filled with leaves, sticks, rocks, and feathers that the boys have collected and topped with a mason jar lamp attachment and burlap lap shade.
I love the orange slices idea.
Jill,
This is so cute and homey feeling! I love it .
I also have been like you with the “ no decorating for the seasons/holidays “ and am now starting to finally kick into the decorating seasonal gear. Thank you for the cute rustic/frugal ideas !!
-Cherelle
http://www.TheInspiredPrairie.com
Hi Jill,
I love your ideas, myself and my children love to make home made Christmas decorations every year that a simple and don’t cost to much. This year I have made a rag wreath and used recycled jars and put lights in them. I am going to try your tin can decoration. Thank you I always enjoy reading your email every week and your ideas.
Grape vines woven in a circle make a nice wreath, either plain or with pine cones, milkweed pods, acorns (if used outside) and other things stuck on them. The vines need to be trimmed back anyway, if they are going to produce grapes next year.
If you are feeling more ambitious, I have seen deer made of small log sections and branches. If you search for something like “log reindeer”, you can find lots of variations on Pinterest.
My daughter is convinced I’m a scrooge because decorating for holidays just isn’t my thing! I love putting up the tree with light, but everything else? Not so much! However, these ideas are much more homey and I love the tin can light idea. Maybe we’ll go search the woods for some stuff 🙂
Yes! You should do it. I get it that decorating can quickly become overwhelming, though. The tree is my favorite part, too, tough! 🙂
In an odd year date I make my Christmas wreath for my husband who is a hunter. I am in Maine so use fir tree tips to weave into a wreath shape on wire. I arrange turkey feather all around the greens in the wreath and use a flannel wire looking bow on the side. I must admit I thought people are going to think I am crazy doing this, but the two I make one for each French door inside the house look so pretty. Oh, in the even years I create wreaths for me but they are never the same. One year it was snow flake theme, and last year I did small bunches of lavender sprigs to use in the wreaths. Love the more “mother earth” look to decorating as well. Merry Christmas!
I love it!! It sounds pretty. 🙂
One of my favorite decorations growing up was a three taper candle holder my dad made for my mom. He used the bottom foot and a half of their first Christmas tree, laid it on its side, and left a few inches of the branches that had been sawn off to keep it stabilized. He drilled three holes in a line into the top big enough to fit taper candles. He did end up putting wood preservative on it after that first year, but it became our Christmas table centerpiece every year afterwards. Sometimes my mom would add extra natural embellishments, but it was perfect 🙂
Oh my goodness, I love this so much! There’s nothing like homemade!
Thanks for the reminder to not stress and keep it simple. Though we enjoy getting out the ornaments each year,,, this year I have my mom’s piano here now and wanted to do something across the top, and something new on the deck. You have inspired me. We have evergreens outsdide that grow way too low to the ground and I have been wanting to prune them. I think this is a good reason to do so.. 🙂 Thanks so much!
I love that! Sometimes we need the reminder to slow down and keep it simple! 🙂
And you can do the same with apple slices. Soak a few minutes in lemon juice, or even vinegar, before drying if you want to keep them whiter. Or just let them discolor naturally. Your preference. Probably could even dye with food coloring if you liked. Poke a hole for the string tie before you dry them. I imagine you could use pears and kiwis, although I haven’t tried it.
You can make ginger bread men and women from brown felt, burlap or even brown paper bags. Find a pattern, or design your own. Decorate with buttons, rickrack, ribbon. Make different sizes and use as ornaments, garlands, etc. Happy Natural Christmas!
Good Morning Jill ! Well, we had our First Snow Fall and It was a HUGE One !!! 16″ of Snow in 24 hours. Quite Special here in NE Ohio ! As a Result, one Huge pine branch broke off one of our white pines and is hanging there staring at me every time I look out my kitchen window ! (I look often for the deer that come to visit) Well, now I know what to do with it, if I can get to it before hubby loads it into the outdoor wood burner !!! :} I love the grapevine stars that someone mentioned and the dried orange. I’ve wanted to make a 4′ grapevine Christmas tree…And the log slices…I got a wood burning kit last Christmas…I have so many ideas !!! I better get busy…Merry Christmas to You and your Prairie Family ! You, too, Kayla ! :}
With a to year old under foot and a living room that is already full of furniture and a play pen, a Christmas tree was not going to work for us this year. However we strung garlands around out room and hung white lights and simple red and gold balls mixed with our favorite ornaments. I am a quilter so I am making a set of three patchwork Christmas stockings, a table runner for our sofa table, and a matching pillow cover for a throw pillow – all in vintage looking fabrics. The hubby also made me two of those “farmhouse lanterns” that have been so popular the last few years and we put some electric candles in them to be safe for the kiddos. The nice thing is that it all works with what we already have going on. Simple, no clashing, and it is all us.
Loved this decorating post. I don’t do the holidays but I love to decorate for the different seasons. I’m definitely going to try some of your ideas. Thank you