A gift really is as good as its wrapping paper. Buying and storing tons of wrapping paper every year can be a hassle. Plus, once you have your gifts ready to give, they all look exactly the same when your wrapping paper is cut from the same tube. See also: 15 fun wrapping papers that will make your holiday gifts stand out Step up your holiday gift-giving with something a little more personal. With so many beautiful and inexpensive ways to wrap presents, your friends and family will definitely want to save every scrap. DIY Wrapping Paper IdeasIt's that time of year again, and as usual, I've overestimated the amount of holiday decor I think I have stashed away in the closet. It happens every year, and since moving across the country from my family, I've developed a few tricks to decorate on a dime using crafty DIY Christmas decoration ideas from around the web. Even though it may feel like I have a truckload of holiday swag, once I turn on my favorite Ella Fitzgerald Christmas record and open up the crates, I inevitably find nothing but a tangled mess of string lights.

There's a certain magic to creating holiday crafts that harkens back to the delightful December days in grade school when teachers would all but give up on instructions, and organize craft stations where we would make photo ornaments, paper-loop garlands, and plaster handprints carved with the year, all to memorialize our tiny size and early artistic potential. home and decor kitchen islandThe memories are filled with that holiday magic. diy wall decorations for partyWhen I look for DIY holiday crafts in my adulthood, I'm looking for crafts that require minimal trips to a small number of stores, don't cost an arm and a leg, and are a cut above your average snowmen made out of cotton balls. exterior paint colors brown

Here are 10 excellent DIY projects for inspiring the decking of your halls. This advent calendar from The Merrythought is adorable and interactive. home decorating ideas cornerI remember when I was little, I looked forward to opening the tiny windows of our advent calendar to see the illustrations inside, but this homemade calendar takes the 25-day countdown to the next level, with activities like building gingerbread houses, making a snowman, and finally, leaving cookies for Santa.paint exterior steel door Speaking of rosemary, lots of grocery stores are now selling rosemary bushes shaped like Christmas trees. outdoor holiday decorations clearanceIt's the perfect apartment-sized substitute for the traditional pine or fir tree, and for people who travel for the holidays, it's a great method for not skimping on the festivities, because nothing is more depressing than coming home from a holiday trip to a six-foot-tall brown tree spewing needles all over your floor.

The Kitchn has further rap on the subject of rosemary trees. Gingerbread cookie tree ornaments are awesome — especially if you don't have any dogs. The Kitchn has a recipe for cookies with the perfect crispness for hanging on the tree. Of course, don't forget to poke holes in your cookies before baking them, otherwise you'll have to eat them all first thing. If you're throwing a holiday party, these little trees made from ice cream cones and popcorn are too cute. Riffing on the tradition of popcorn garland on trees, these edible displays are the perfect welcome, as the "glue" is just caramel. Find out how to put these together at Kitchen Confidante. People apparently still send Christmas cards, which is both amazing to me and incredibly pleasant when you're on the receiving end. Show off the holiday cheer you've received from loved ones with this ridiculously simple plywood display from The Merrythought. It sure beats those weird laminate displays that look like shoe organizers, to say the least.

They're made from styrofoam balls, twisted paper or fabric, and string. These are perfect for the holiday enthusiast who is decorating on a dime. Plus, they look like something that you could find at World Market for $34.99. Head on over to Offbeat & Inspired for the details. These simple wreaths are made by twisting flexible branches and adorning them with supplementary greenery. I love the simplicity, and how these wreaths really bring the outside in. Check out the how-to over at The Merrythought. Looking for more holiday cheer? Check out Bustle on YouTube. Images: Offbeat & Inspired; Here are some easy and entertaining activities for the upcoming Christmas season. Paper plates are a versatile material that can be colored with all kinds of paints, glued on, folded or cut with scissors. Just perfect for a large group of endlessly creative kids. 1. For Santa or a dwarf staple together as shown 2 paper plates, some white paper napkins and some cotton wool. 2.Christmas angels made of paper plates and pipe-cleaners.

More ideas like this… 3. 2 paper plates were stapled together to make this snowman. Decorate with paper wire to add the fashionable scarf. 4. Tissue and paper plate Christmas candles. 5. One paper plate, some tissue paper and crayons… 6. A giant snowball (composed of 12 paper plates) Read full article…. Category: christmas, holidays, paper toys Tags: angels, candlestick, cardboard plates, Christmas, Christmas tree, Christmas wreath, Santa, snowman25 ideas for decorating clear glass ornaments I keep seeing all these great ideas for decorating and/or filling clear glass ornaments (on Pinterest, of course!), so I decided to compile a big list of all my favorites. Just click on the picture to take you to the tutorial by the original creator. This is so rustic, and I love the tiny little pine cones: Here’s a simpler version, but equally gorgeous (I think this might be a spring of rosemary): And since I’m on a rustic theme, isn’t this cute?

A little bit of holly, faux snow, and some tiny wooden blocks, and you’ve got yet another variation: An ornament filled with pearls… very elegant. You could even fill an ornament with cheap dollar store beaded necklaces! Or mini gift bows! I think this is my favorite idea of all… put your kid’s Christmas list inside an ornament and you’ve got a keepsake forever. How awesome will that be years from now? Here’s a couple of different ideas for using fake snow. This one is simply a paper tree cut out, glittered, and surrounded by snow: A tiny bottle brush tree sitting in snow:. A snow filled ornament, with a simple piece of ribbon wrapped around the outside:Just some snow, easy painted face, and a baby sock for a hat: I hope you can stand all this cuteness, ’cause here’s another one. A melted snowman inside the ornament. How about rolling up a bunch of strips of paper? Solid red paper strips made into a Santa belly ornament:

I have seen paper strips cut from books inside glass ornaments before, but this is different; the book pages are punched into snowflake shapes: I would have never thought rolls of yarn and rope would look so great in an ornament: How about filling an ornament with jingle bells? I also found a few ideas for great wedding keepsakes. This one is filled with dried petals from a bridal bouquet: And this one is filled with strips cut out from a wedding invitation (This would be a FABULOUS gift idea for the newlyweds!): (I found this picture on Pinterest but the link was broken, and unfortunately, I couldn’t find where it came from…) Prepare to be wowed. Peacock feathers inside glass ornaments, and hung in a cluster together. And here are a couple of ornaments I’ve come up with in the past: Seashells and sand inside an ornament makes a great vacation keepsake: Fill an ornament with holly berries: Or if you’re a Barbie fanatic like me, fill an ornament with Barbie shoes!