How to Make DIY Christmas Decorations: Barbour Way of Life Guides

If you’re wondering what to do with the abundance of extra paper from your Christmas wrapping this year - look no further! We’ve joined creative blogger, Francesca Stone, to show you how you can make your own DIY Christmas Decorations using your left-over wrapping paper and packaging, perfect for decorating a room or your tree.

Fran: Christmas is my favourite time of year. I love giving gifts and treating my family and friends. But all this extra shopping brings with it extra waste. I’ve found a way to reuse the packaging and leftover wrapping paper to create beautiful Christmas decorations, so you can treat yourself at the same time.

Step 1 – Gather Your Materials

● Wrapping/parcel paper

● Scissors

● Ruler

● Bone tool

● Cotton string

● Glue stick

● Toothpick

I’ll be sharing the measurements for the small stars I make as tree decorations and the larger stars I hang on my wall. You can make your stars any size you like. Just remember to double the width of the paper to find the length you need. Any shorter and your star will stretch and tear. Longer and the pleats will be too heavy and sag toward the bottom.

Step 2 – Cut and Fold

a. To make the smaller stars cut the paper to 12cm in width and 24cm in length. For the bigger stars start with a piece of paper 60cm in width and 120cm (1m 20cm) in length.

b. Once your paper is ready you need to fold it to create the pleats. Start with one of the shorter edges closest to you. Fold this away from you to create a strip. For a small star, fold a strip around 1cm. For the larger star fold around 2.5cm. If you’re creating your own size star this step can take some trial and error. Experiment with the strip size to get the perfect pleats.

c. Turn the paper over and fold in the paper over again creating another strip. This fold should line up with the first fold giving you a neat concertina. Continue to flip the paper and fold until you reach the opposite end. Use the bone tool to press the folds down. This helps to set the creases in place and create a strong star that keeps its shape.

Step 3 – Secure the Folds

Use the bone tool again to press a line along the centre of the folded paper (going long edge to long edge). Use this crease to help you fold the two shorter edges together. Cut a piece of cord around 10cm long. Wrap this around the centre of the folded paper at the middle crease. Tie this with a secure double knot and trim the excess cord.

Step 4 – Cut the Edges

a. Using a sharp pair of scissors cut both of the shorter ends of the paper into points. You might need to do this in sections if your scissors won’t cut through all the folds in one go.

b. Open up the paper and run a glue stick along the top of the folds from the centre to the point at the edge. Fold the paper over again ensuring the two joining edges line up where they will adhere together. Press into place and leave for a few seconds to become secure. Using the glue stick a second time, run it along the exposed edge from the string tied around the centre to the edge.

Step 5 – Fan out the star and Hang on Tree

a. Fan out the star to bring the remaining two edges together. Gentle press these two sides into place and hold for a few seconds until secure.

b. To hang your stars, make a hole in the paper and thread with cord or a sewing thread. Tie a loop in the cord to create a hanging piece.

Discover more guides on our blog, or visit our Christmas campaign page for more festive fun in the run-up to Christmas.