The holiday decoration aisles in stores are constantly filled with glitter, plastic, and a ton of unknown chemicals. What if there was a way you could guarantee you knew everything that went into your decorations? There is! Natural decorations are super sustainable because they can be used year after year, are zero to low waste, and are made from safe and eco-friendly ingredients/materials. Keep reading to discover our favorite ways to decorate naturally this holiday season!
Potato Stamps
Potato stamps are a great DIY for everyone! All you need is a potato, a knife/carving tool, a marker, and some non-toxic paint. Start by cutting the potato in half, then allow it to dry for 2-3 hours. This is so the moisture does not transfer over to the paper you’re stamping. Once the potato halves are dry, draw out your design on the inside of the potato. Next, start carving! You want to carve about an inch deep around your design so it is isolated from the rest of the potato. Please do this with adult supervision. Finally, choose the paint you want and paint on the potato stamp before pressing it onto your recyclable paper! Now you have a one-of-a-kind wall decoration, wrapping paper, or holiday card!
Natural Garland
Another fun DIY is making a natural garland! You can make this out of almost anything, but our favorite combination is dried oranges, pine cones, acorns, popcorn, and greenery on natural twine. To make the dried oranges, slice the orange into half-inch slices with the rim on. Place orange slices on an oven rack and pat dry with a rag or paper towel. Then, set your oven to 225F and cook for 2-3 hours flipping the slices every 30 minutes. You can do this with any fruit you want! Once the slices have cooled, you can start constructing your garland. Grab all your materials and let your creativity soar with this natural holiday decor!
Food Tie-Dye
Did you know that you can tie dye clothing with food? It’s true! The materials you need are a variety of vegetables and spices, a knife for chopping the food, natural fabric, a sauce pot, water, and a strainer! The reason you have to use natural fabric is because the natural dyes stick best to it. You can do this with socks, shirts, hats, stockings, and more! We have listed out the directions below based on whether you are using vegetables or spices.
Vegetables
The first step is to wash your produce to make sure they’re clean. Next, peel if necessary and chop into cubes before placing in your pot. Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil. The mixture should be about 1 part produce, 2 parts water. After the water boils, turn the heat down to a simmer. Let the produce cook for 1-8 hours. The longer you let your vegetables cook the brighter your clothes will be, but make sure not to burn your produce! Next, strain the vegetables from your water and compost. Take your fabric and submerged in water for 1-24 hours. Once removed, hand wash or wash on delicate and let the fabric air dry. And BAM! You have some amazing all natural holiday decor or attire.
Spices
Fill your pot with water and add your spice. We recommend doing about 4 cups of water and ¼ cup of spice. This amount is flexible depending on how dark you want your colors. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for an hour. Strain the mixture using a rag, nut milk bag, or something similar and compost spice. Add fabric to water and allow it to submerge for 30 minutes to an hour. Once removed, hand wash or wash on delicate and let the fabric air dry.
Wall Christmas Tree
Although getting a real Christmas tree is the first choice, it’s not always possible. Our next solution is doing a natural wall tree decoration! A natural wall tree decoration is using branches, ornaments, and more to make a tree shape on the wall. It’s super cute, saves space, and is a great way to be sustainable on a budget. The first step is to go on an adventure outside to find branches! You want to find a variety of sizes going from small to large. Once you have your branches, get some natural twine and start tying them together with about 5 inches in between each branch. Make sure to have a knot or loop at the top so you can hang it on the wall! After you tie everything together, go ahead and hang your tree on the wall and start decorating! We love Friendsheep Wool’s 100% cruelty free and organic ornaments, and using dried citrus slices. You can also add lights in a zigzag pattern to give your tree that extra spark. Try to use energy-efficient LED lights or get lights second-hand to be ultra sustainable!
Making holiday decorations fun, and sustainable, is easier than you think. How will you be decorating your house this holiday? Let us know in the comments below!
