The holidays provide an ideal opportunity to delve into some creative fun. Whether one’s objective is to make one-of-a-kind gifts or to craft handmade decorations, it all starts with an idea ― a spark of imagination. One way to get the creative juices flowing is to purposely scout for inspiration. By which I mean, explore a variety of sources, both online and in real life, to observe possibilities and seek out fresh ideas.
Perhaps the most obvious place to start inspiration scouting is on Pinterest. There are, for instance, countless ideas for handmade Christmas ornaments available there. In fact, I’ve pinned and shared several ideas myself over the years. Here’s a recap of some of my previous offerings.
This bunch of leather holly leaves and berries were shared in my previous blog post All-in on Leathercraft.
Another leather ornament ― this one a pretty red snowflake ― was featured in Red Leather Snowflake Ornament – DIY Tutorial.
Here’s another version of a snowflake ― also featured in a DIY tutorial blog post. See previous blog post Curly Copper Snowflake – DIY Tutorial.
Wooden diamonds and beads played a secondary role in the blog post Diamonds and Beads Wooden Wreath.
This trio of paper ornaments was shared in the Handmade Ornaments for the Holidays blog post.
As enticing as it may be to scout for inspiration online, it’s even more intriguing in real life. Holiday craft markets, such as the one I featured in my last blog post Happiness is Handmade provide a wealth of fresh ideas. Here’s an example from Hyde Expressions ― a cute leather ornament shaped like a cow’s head complete with a little cowbell.
A few years ago, I dipped into my treasure trove of holiday decorations for a blog post about Handmade Ornaments for the Holidays. Most of these ornaments, like the crocheted nativity figurine called out below, were purchased at craft markets and fairs.
More recently, I’ve been delighted to discover some great ideas for handmade ornaments in my local thrift stores. Apparently, I’m right on trend with this approach! The new trend, which experts have dubbed “Thriftmas”, recognizes a movement towards shopping secondhand for Christmas gifts and décor.
This little cork horse, for instance, was a Thriftmas purchase I made for one dollar earlier this year. It could add a touch of whimsy to any Christmas tree but I suspect it would be most appreciated by children.
A close look reveals it needs only a few materials and would be quite straightforward to make. I think it would also be quite fun to personalize with different colors and styles of yarn, ribbon and decorative elements.
Next up, is a simple, but elegant, silk thread tassel. This Thriftmas purchase cost less than a dollar. I can picture a grouping of these elegant, silky tassels sprinkled over a Christmas tree.
Choosing the right thread – in colour and texture – would be the key to making these tassels. There are dozens of videos and tutorials available online showing how to make a tassel. I shared one version in Step 12 – Make Tassels of my previous blog post DIY Personalized Fabric-Covered Journal Tutorial Part 2.
A few finishing touches, such as dressing it up with color-coordinated beads, topping the tassel with a bead cap, and inserting bead spacers, can transform a simple tassel into a pretty, seasonal decoration.
On my most recent Thriftmas jaunt, I found a couple of treasures buried in the bagged décor section.
This quilted star ball ornament caught my eye. It’s a classic handmade Christmas ornament!
The complex folded fabric design appears to be rather difficult. But a quick online search reveals its quite doable. The trick seems to be accurately cutting fabric squares and then folding and assembling them precisely.
To recap, one way to get the creative juices flowing is to scout for inspiration from online sources such as Pinterest and real-life sources such as craft markets and thrift stores.
More Info
Previous blog posts mentioned in this blog post include:
. All-in on Leathercraft
. Red Leather Snowflake Ornament – DIY Tutorial
. Curly Copper Snowflake – DIY Tutorial
. Diamonds and Beads Wooden Wreath
. Handmade Ornaments for the Holidays
. Happiness is Handmade
. DIY Personalized Fabric-Covered Journal Tutorial Part 2.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Consider scouting for inspiration to get the creative juices flowing.
2. Thriftmas is a trend towards shopping secondhand for Christmas gifts and décor.
3. Thrift stores can be a surprising source of inspiration.
Comments are closed.