There’s no need to splash the cash on decorations this Christmas when you can make eco-friendly alternatives for free, discovers Gayle.
With just over three weeks to go, I no longer screw my face up in disgust when anyone mentions the Big Day.
However, I don’t know about you, lovely readers, but Christmas 2022 is not going to be a lavish, splash the cash, sort of affair for me. There’s been enough heavy spending on essentials like electricity, oil, vet bills… the list goes on.
I’m not going all-out Scrooge – I do intend putting up a tree this week, festooning it with decorations, and maybe watching the film Elf for about the 100th time.
I’m vaguely hopeful that my festive stash in the attic will be partially intact but the truth is… I’ve heard a lot of mice scuttling about up there. And mice like to gnaw and nibble stuff.
Free eco-friendly alternatives
Every shop under the sun sells decorations, of course, but why spend money when you can make stylish, eco-friendly alternatives for just a few pennies, or even for free?
I headed along to a drop-in workshop at Nest Creative Spaces in Blairgowrie to find out how to do exactly that.
Sessions are free, it’s warm and cosy inside, and you might even get a cup of tea or coffee.
The woman at the helm is Nest founder and director Tracie Dick, and she’s all about promoting environmentally-friendly, sustainable crafting.
Tracie started running eco-Christmas workshops after being inspired by Marrianne Mall’s book, The Eco-Christmas Craft Book, which showcases 30 festive projects that “don’t hurt the planet”.
Gorgeous nick-nacks
Sessions at Nest are around two hours, during which you’ll learn how to make all sorts of gorgeous trinkets and nick-nacks using corks, cardboard, string, beads, buttons, yarn and even plastic milk bottles.
“So, what do you fancy making?” Tracie asks, showing me a range of possibilities.
“You could try one of these wee Christmas trees, maybe, or how about a snowman lolly stick?”
Other eye-catching options include shiny stars which you can hang from the ceiling – made from knitting needles and wrapped in wool.
Or you can have a bash at making fairies and angels out of plastic milk bottles, paper baubles, or hanging displays made from bottle tops filled with festive scenes.
This Perthshire haven really is a magpie’s dream!
Christmas tree decoration
I’m keen to make a yarn-wrapped cardboard tree, and Tracie is happy to guide me through the steps.
We start with two triangle-shaped pieces of cardboard, and glue them together, with a cocktail stick shoved up the middle acting as the tree trunk.
Then it’s a case of gently wrapping a ball of green sparkly yarn round the cardboard a few times, being sure to fill in any gaps. It’s pretty simple.
There are all sorts of beads and sequins I could choose to decorate it with but I opt for a simple gold star at the top.
Meanwhile, the base of the tree is made using old cork gin bottle tops, and there’s no shortage of these!
Snowman creation
I’m well impressed with my efforts and my eyes light up when Tracie asks if I want to make a snowman lolly stick.
I’d spotted a few of the jolly fellows and was keen to create one with his own, wonky, personality.
Turns out this is super-easy. Basically, you wrap a craft lolly stick in yarn, white in this case, twirl a colourful, fluffy pipe-cleaner round the top for a hat, and twist it so you can hang it from your tree.
You then stick on a pair of googly eyes, draw on an orange carrot nose and black mouth with felt-tip pens, glue on a ribbon for a scarf, and some beads or gems for bcoat buttons. And… ta-dah!
Just need your imagination
The opportunities here are endless – all you need is a bit of imagination.
“We’ve got loads of remnants and recycled bits and bobs here, so there’s no need for people to spend lots of money on decorations,” says Tracie.
“It’s amazing how creative you can be with a few milk bottle tops, some cardboard, corks and beads.
“We’re all about re-using, recycling and reimagining – protecting the environment. We try to re-use as much material as possible. About 99% would otherwise be sent to landfill.
“The drop-ins hopefully give people ideas so they can go away and create on their own.
“You can get a lot of pleasure from hanging up a Christmas creation you’ve made yourself and seeing it catch the light, especially when you know it’s not going to damage the planet, and was more or less free.
We’ve got loads of remnants and recycled bits and bobs here, so there’s no need for people to spend lots of money on decorations.”
TRACIE DICK
“It’s about letting your imagination run wild. You can make reindeer out of cork, wreaths from jute, aperture cards from wire and beads… there’s no limit.”
- A free, drop-in eco-Christmas decoration craft session runs from 12 noon to 2pm on December 17.
- A wreath-making workshop (£35) runs on December 7 at 6pm. There’s a wire and bead decorations workshop (£6.50) on December 13 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. For information on these and other workshops, and to book, see the Nest Facebook page or the Nest Creative Spaces website
- Nest’s vision is to support local makers and encourage creativity in the community while driving initiatives that help the environment, boost mental health, reduce social isolation and teach new skills.
- Nest relies on volunteers and donations – and is always on the hunt for volunteers! Fancy volunteering for a few hours a week? Email nestcreativespaces@gmail.com
Conversation