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Affordable Crafts for the Festive Season

Decorating the home for the festive season can be expensive if you buy everything, but these festive crafts are affordable and easy to make.

24/11/2023

 

 

 

 

Almost everyone loves decorating their home for the festive season but buying decor and accessories has become an expensive exercise. Why waste money when you can make your own festive decorations at a fraction of the price. All the projects we show below are super-easy to do. All the projects here are done using craft products from Viva Decor and they ship worldwide if you are interested in buying anything from their range.

 

 

Decorated Candles for the Festive Season

Having candles around the home is the norm for almost every South African home and decorating a few of these for the festive season and using a Candle Wax Pen from Viva Decor makes it a very easy project and they ship goods worldwide. If you do not have a candle wax pen, you can always use a Sharpie pen to achieve the same effect. You will also need acrylic craft paint, painter's tape and stencils unless you plan to do this project freehand.

 

 

Step 1 - Prepare the Candles

The candles need to be prepared beforehand to ensure that the pen or paint will adhere to the surface. Use a kitchen towel to repeatedly wipe the candle so that the surface is as clean as possible.

 

 

 

 

Step 2 - Freehand or Stencil Designs

Keep an eye out for festive stencils that can be used over and over again for various festive projects. If you can't find stencils, you have the option to go online to find suitable designs that can be printed out and used as a template for your projects.

 

 

 

 

Step 3 - Write or Paint

Sharpie pens can be used to write on candles but their paint pens are far better. Both are available in a selection of colours, including metallic.

 

 

 

 

You can use acrylic craft paint to add designs to your candles but do use a craft paint that does not have a runny consistency as this will not work on the wax surface - the paint needs to be fairly thick. Oil-based enamels are excellent for use on wax candles so perhaps think about purchasing a few craft enamel pots and keeping them for your projects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glass Votive for Festive Decor

Purchase inexpensive glass votive holders and transform these with Viva Decor Frost Effect Paint. You can also use ModPodge or clear acrylic sealer to achieve the same effect or you can use Rust-Oleum Frosted Glass Spray.

 

 

 

 

Step 1 - Use painter's tape or stickers

Stickers are available in all types of designs at craft and hobby stores or you can use painter's tape that you cut to outline the shape you want for your candle votive.

 

 

 

 

Step 2 - Apply the paint

If you are using frosted paint, ModPodge or clear acrylic sealer dab this over the designs and onto the glass. A piece of sponge serves as a fantastic applicator and you can recycle old kitchen sponges for the job. If you are using a frosted glass spray, protect the work surface and apply the spray from a distance of around 30cm. Too close and the finish will run or drip. It is better to apply lighter coats until the item is covered.

 

 

 

 

Step 3 - Remove the tape or stickers

To finish the project, use a toothpick or tweezers to remove the tape or sticks once the painted finish is dry.

 

 

 

 

Don't know about you but the stickers look so good I would probably leave them there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charger Plates with a Festive Touch

Charger plates are the base plates that are used for dressing up the dining table for a special event or occasion. While charge plates are relatively inexpensive they are also pretty basic in design. Using charger plates for a holiday table is a wonderful way to dress up the table and you can decorate charger plates with fabric to fit any event.

 

 

 

 

To make your own festive charger plates all you need is a piece of fabric, ModPodge or clear acrylic sealer and a paintbrush. Cut the fabric so that it fits onto the top of the plate, apply ModPodge liberally over the plate and then press the fabric down into the plate, starting at the centre and working towards the edge to remove any trapped air bubbles. Cut away the excess fabric. I prefer to add a few more coats of ModPodge or clear sealer over the fabric to make it more durable.

 

 

 

 

If finished with 4 to 5 coats of ModPodge or clear sealer, you will be able to wipe the charger plates to clean and use them again and again.

 

 

 

 

 

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