Deck the halls in home made holly

Posted on 12 December 2011

There’s no better time to get crafty than Christmas (cosy winter eves with a mug of hot chocolate and a crochet needle indeed).

Tell us your crafty decoration ideas, or send us a photo, and you might just win yourself a pack of Montezuma Chocolate Baubles to go alongside those box string pompoms on your tree.

You can post a pic or write your tips in the comments section below, on our Facebook page or even email us at: jinglebells@abelandcole.co.uk.

Post category: Green Living, Seasonal Inspiration Share it :

{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }

Alice said,
13 Dec 2011 at 10:04: I tied some beautiful ribbon that I got on a biscuit box onto the Abel and Cole olive wood decorations. Now they not only swing in the light but I have colour co-ordinated the ribbon with my christmas lights!
Ali said,
13 Dec 2011 at 10:18: The big elastic bands on the boxes are great for making music! Very tempted to record a Christmas song played on the Able & Cole boxes.
sam golding said,
13 Dec 2011 at 10:45: I sliced apples and dried them on a skewer in the airing cupboard. I then stuck a whole star anise to the middle of each of them and threaded string through the hole where skewer had been and hung them on the tree. They look and smell amazing, very seasonal!
Jo said,
13 Dec 2011 at 10:46: I have cut felt snowflakes out and hung them from the ceiling in my hall to make it look like it is snowing.
Beeanchor said,
13 Dec 2011 at 12:43: We use the bottom branches trimmed off our Christmas tree to make a rough and rustic (not to mention alliterative) wreath. It’s titivated with the same ribbon I’ve had for the last 10 years and a few spare baubles. Maybe not the most elegant on the street, but we love it!
Amie said,
13 Dec 2011 at 12:53: I’ve not got a tree as I don’t agree with kiling a tree for the sake of a few days of frivolity, and I loathe plastic as if never rots so I don’t have a plastic one either. Instead I have used glass paints to create decorations on my windows and some festive suncatchers. I made these 4 years ago and they still look fab and the neighbours keep asking me to make them for them too!
amy said,
13 Dec 2011 at 13:00: I raided the fruit bowl and spice cupboard…. sliced, dried oranges with cinnamon sticks ‘arranged’ and artfully held together with left over red gift ribbons makes for a festive tree decoration that smells of rather lovely too!
Laura Taylor said,
13 Dec 2011 at 13:07: Dried orange slices in the oven, stringed together, old fashioned orange pomanders decorated with cloves, bundles of cinamon, tied with second hand ribbon, and a drop of orange oil, or frankincense oil, or vertiver oil, christmas present tags made from last years Christmas cards, mantlepiece garland from ivy from the garden and the cut off from the Christmas tree; Christmas is just not Christmas without all of these traditional and eco trimmings
Sarah-Ellen said,
13 Dec 2011 at 15:16: Take an old abel and cole box, cut out a snowflake template or other shape from a piece of paper as a template. Draw around the template until you have a number of snowflake shapes. Recycle the paper. Using a craft knife and a cutting board carefully cut out your snowflakes. Brush the snowflakes with PVA before dunking them with glitter. Wait for them to dry before brushing with more PVA. When the second coat is dry, take the string that was tied around the abel and cole box and create a loop to hang your snowflake by. That’s it! All done! Just remember to recycle what is left of the box. You can keep the rest of the string; It always comes in handy!
Kate H said,
13 Dec 2011 at 15:35: I made a rag wreath out of an old curtain – cut it into 6inch stripes and tied them round a florist frame and decorated them with dried oranges, cinnamon and pine cones.
C George said,
13 Dec 2011 at 16:58: You can’t beat an old-fashioned pomander made by sticking cloves into an orange until hardly any skin is visible, then leaving to dry out in an airing cupboard or similar. But one big way to cut waste is to use the same decorations year after year – I can’t believe how many people have asked “what colour scheme” I’m having this year for my decorations (answer: whatever comes out of the box in the loft!)
Michelle Gage said,
13 Dec 2011 at 18:21: If you hate cutting trees down just for Christmas, try taking the ‘top’ off a large tree! That way you aren’t killing a tree (or at least I don’t think you are!). We do this every year and it works great!
Kathryn Baker said,
13 Dec 2011 at 19:26: I have made an “edible” Christmas Tree. I have found an old branch that fell off a tree in the field behind our house and have put it into a glass vase, held in place by some newpaper and silver voile. Onto it I have put some home baked gingerbread men and stars and have added some home made dried apple rings and orange slices, all hung with beautiful ribbon, that I had left over from last years gift wrap. It looks beautiful, but means that I have to keep baking more gingerbread and adding more dred fruit, as they keep going missing!
Ilana said,
13 Dec 2011 at 20:21: We make a newspaper tree – roll pages tightly to make branches and tear strips at the end to make leaves then tie your tree together with string! Cover old boxes with magazines to make giant “presents” under the tree (you can even use your able and cole boxes and unwrap them later to reuse).
Tina Mansfield said,
13 Dec 2011 at 20:40: I have a fake christmas tree, I bought it in the sale and it has so far done 11 years, I decorate it with Pine cones and small red beads, and then all the paper decorations that my son makes from school. I think this is eco as I love trees even Christmas ones growing in the garden not cut!
Kelly said,
13 Dec 2011 at 23:07: Home made salt dough Christmas decorations, hours of fun for the little ones (and myself!) to make and then use up all the little things they collect and find while out and about walking like berries, holly etc so all original and smell gorgeous!
Fiona said,
15 Dec 2011 at 10:01: Give a new lease of life to an old cheese box and use it as a gift box – photo uploaded on facebook
Fiona said,
17 Dec 2011 at 09:00: How do I post a pic on here?
Abel & Cole said,
19 Dec 2011 at 11:10: Hello Everyone,

Thank you so much for all of your wonderful eco decoration ideas, we really enjoyed reading how inventive everyone is and we definitely got lots of inspiration.

We had to pick 10 of our favourites from our blog, Facebook and email and the two people we have chosen from the blog are:

Ali
Beeanchor

If you could both email jinglebells@abelandcole.co.uk with your account details it would be much appreciated.

Thank you again to everyone who entered. Have a wonderful Christmas.

Clare, Abel & Cole
chantal said,
25 Jan 2012 at 20:34: just ordered my first veg box,very excited!
June Bristow said,
01 Feb 2012 at 10:35: I have been eating Turkey every christmas for over 60 years and i would like to say that the one i got from you this year was the best i have ever tasted. I had 14 to sit down for christmas dinner and all said it was the best they had eaten. Thank you.