Crafty Christmas decorations

How would you like to spend an evening or two cosied up with your loved ones, working together on making this Christmas one to remember? Sounds like a journey back to the simple pleasures of Christmas past?

Here’s our guide to creating fabulous homemade decorations for the festive season! You’ll be amazed what some of our favourite bloggers have come up with.

Table decorations

A table centrepiece brings the wow factor to any Christmas dinner party. We think you’ll love Glasgow blogger Sandra’s simple but effective approach: She buys a bag of pine cones and fake Christmas tree branches and uses them to create an elegant festive arrangement in a bowl.

Place a lighted candle at the centre, Sandra says, and you’ll have a decorative piece that’s as gorgeous as it is simple. We couldn’t agree more.

Name cards put the perfect finish to your festive table. We think you’ll love blogger Megan’s approach. She writes name tags for each of her guests and places them inside clear baubles tied with a length of red ribbon (see below, left). What a festive solution!

As you can see below, luggage tags tied to Christmas tree fronds also make a classy name card for party guests. Easier still, why not use sprigs of rosemary instead - or even pine cones!

These Santa hat chair covers (below) are sure to put a smile on your guests’ faces before anyone even sits down for dinner. Creator Ashley calls her chair covers “Bah-humbug repellents.”

Fancy having a go at making them yourself? Do check out Ashley’s site, Make It & Love It. There you’ll find an easy to follow tutorial as well as a host of inspirational DIY, craft and fancy dress ideas.

Nativity scene

The Telegraph’s Andrew M Brown says: “The best Nativity stable is the one you build yourself” But we think it’s even better when all the family joins in to create something truly personal and unique. Andrew Brown’s boasts a cheetah and Hereford Bull! What will you put in your stable?

One idea might be to take a look at this excellent site: Activity Village. Its founder, Lindsay Small created it all the way back in 2000 as a resource to help busy parents keep little ones busy colouring, sticking and making. Kids will love having a go at making her Nativity. All you need is paper cups, polystyrene balls and oodles of imagination!

Finished making your festive masterpiece? Just be careful where you choose to display it. Sue K from the Cookinglight forum cautions against placing your brand new nativity scene under the tree - especially if you have dogs: “My bassets would be chewing on Joseph and Mary in no time flat!”

Hanging decorations

A Christmas garland or wreath makes a stunning addition to your festive decorations. And the best thing is, not only are they easy to make but they often look even better than shop bought alternatives.

Take blogger Katie Pinner’s red and white crochet Xmas squares featured in the tweet below. Strung along the fireplace like festive snowflakes, we think you’ll agree they look stunning.

For another super simple option, why not take a look at media blogger Saskia Alice’s garland pictured below? It’s made from loops cut from free wallpaper samples - now that is clever!

Tree decorations

We think you’ll agree, the White House’s Christmas trees are out of this world. Feeling inspired? Let’s look at how you can create a Christmas tree with the wow factor.

Amy AKA the Crunchy Domestic Goddess has a bright idea. She makes fab tree ornaments from recycled light bulbs - check out this yuletide penguin design. Complete with instructions for how to make it, we think you’ll agree it’s p-p-p-perfect!

But if you don’t have time - there are always the kids. For blogger Rosemarie Pileski nothing beats homemade Christmas ornaments that children come home from school with. Not only do you get to admire your little ones’ adorable handiwork, you also get more time to do something else!

Christmas decorations at dotcomgiftshop

Those of you without a crafty bone in your body can find gorgeous Christmas decorations here at dotcomgiftshop. Here's just a small sample of what we offer: