Christmas

4 elegant Christmas decorating projects

Infuse your home with the festive spirit with these...

Christmas Bonbons

bonbons
Elevate the ordinary with these pretty-in-pink homemade bonbons. (Credit: Photography Cath Muscat / Styling John Mangila)

To make: Secure a snap (these can be found at most craft stores) inside a cardboard roll with tape. Insert a small but special treat – we used chocolates and cute pins. Wrap paper around the rolls, twist the ends and fasten with twine. Finish with a strip of pretty paper, secured around the centre.

Work it: Personalise each bonbon with a gift tag, attached with a length of gold ribbon, and display them in a bowl with a pile of gold baubles.

Wild Wreath

wreath
Make a simple yuletide wreath-meets-decoration special with a welcoming, personalised message. (Credit: Photography Cath Muscat / Styling John Mangila)

To make: Secure the end of a ball of plain string to a point on a timber hoop (try Spotlight for similar). Wrap the string up and over the ring in varying directions, criss-crossing through the centre until you have coverage all the way round. Finish with a double knot at the back and cut off the excess. Work foliage around the ring, securing with florist wire. To finish, tuck your chosen letters between the string lines.

Work it: Make a feature of your wreath by using a well-secured hook to hang it on the wall.

“The natural oils in eucalyptus foliage allow the wreath to look good, even as it dries ”

Imogene Abady, HB creative director

Advent Calendar

advent calendar
Transform simple envelopes into a homemade advent calendar (Credit: Photography Cath Muscat / Styling John Mangila)

To make: Take 25 envelopes of the same colour but varying sizes, and insert a treat or small toy into each one. Lay a painted board flat and arrange envelopes in a tree shape, starting at the bottom and overlapping as you move up, using 3M removable tape to fix envelopes to the board. Once your tree is complete, number each of the envelopes in the order you will remove them each day.

Work it: Be as spare or as decorative as you like; try adding ribbon, stamps, stickers and glitter – whatever appeals.

Hanging Decoration

chandelier
Devise a simple centrepiece to hang above your Christmas table. (Credit: Photography Cath Muscat / Styling John Mangila)

To make: Weave sprigs of corokia and eucalyptus through a wire wreath base and secure with florist wire. Place four metal candle holder clips (try florists or Etsy) evenly around the ring, adjust foliage to hide the clips, and insert battery-operated taper candles (try Enjoy Lighting). Secure 3 long lengths of strong twine to the frame, Then gather free ends and knot together, ensuring wreath is level. Attach to a ceiling beam with an eyelet hook.

Work it: Up the festive flair by adding battery-operated fairy lights, mini silver baubles or knots of silver ribbon or string.

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