Decorating your home for the festive season is a perfect opportunity to get creative and try some do-it-yourself crafts. Not only will this be a fun activity for you (and the kids), but it will make sure your décor is completely unique and something no one else has. Here are some ideas:

Pinecone picture frame ornament
This a cute, rustic way to display photos. Go outside to take a picture of a pinecone or snowman, then print and glue to some cardstock. Get a pinecone from a nearby forest or your local craft store and use small floral clippers to remove the scales. Then glue the scales to the cardstock create a frame. Glue on a looped ribbon to the back of the cardstock hang on your tree.

Personalized wrapping paper
Instead of buying giftwrap at the store, create your own with a few simple things you already have on hand. Start with brown craft or butcher paper. Make stamps out of potatoes by cutting a spud in half, firmly pressing into it with a holiday cookie cutter (like a Christmas tree), and then cutting around the cutter to ensure the shape protrudes. Finally, dip in paint and stamp all over the paper for a handmade look.

Ornament vases for place settings
Give your holiday table a crafty aesthetic by transforming clear, round, shatterproof ornaments into mini vases. Simply remove the metal caps and use a hot glue gun to fasten a wood round to the curved bottom for the base. Put a sprig of holly or single poinsettia leaf inside each vase and fill with water, then set on top of the plate at each place setting.

Beautiful family photographs
Pictures of your family are a fun and easy way to decorate, and they’re super affordable if you take them yourself or enlist a friend to help. Take beautiful, natural images by choosing a location that’s familiar, whether it’s home or a favourite park. Dress in comfortable outfits that are friends, not twins – such as all in white or all in cardigans. Then just have fun and cut loose — the best photos are candid and organic.

Be sure you have the right equipment for the job by using a tripod with your camera or smartphone. For example, Manfrotto tripods reduce camera movement and improve picture quality, so you can shoot pictures that truly capture your family.
Find a huge selection of tripod options and more at henrys.com.