Enjoying Outside, Inside - Making your own Holiday Decorations using Natural Materials

Kristie Ehrhardt • December 7, 2023

Photo by GoodLifeEats.com

I love to bring the outdoors inside my home every chance I get and making Holiday decorations using natural materials is the perfect way to enjoy the outside, inside! Here are a few ideas that will definitely make Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn wondering why they didn’t think of these.


Finding sticks and twigs to make twig ornaments should be pretty easy after the few days of wind that the northern Sacramento Valley just experienced. All you need is as many sticks and twigs as you would like, a glue gun and some twine. This tutorial walks you through making them and there are plenty of places for little hands to help with designing them. Once the glue is dry you can spray paint them white or gold, add glitter or leave them natural. They are gorgeous hung on a tree, made into a garland or decorating a package!

Speaking of natural ornaments, take a peek at these great ideas borrowed from nature (and Pinterest). Using pinecones, acorns, bits of evergreen branches, dried fruit slices or even nuts to decorate your home not only looks lovely but if you don’t add paint, glitter or ribbon, they can go right into the compost bin after the Holidays.


Slices of dried oranges not only automatically make anything they’re adjacent to look festive but the smell of them is equally lovely. Try hitting a local farmer’s market at the end of the day and pick up the leftover oranges for a discount. Try using different types and sizes of oranges for color variety. Slice them thin and if you don’t have a food dehydrator, you can easily dry them in a very low oven, see how here.


Once they’re dry simply slide a thread through the top and hang on the tree or add them to greenery or a bowl of pinecones for a pop of color. They look especially glorious on a Holiday tree with the light shining through them like stained glass!

Making your own garland is not only a wonderful way to bring the outdoors inside your home but your friends and family will be astonished by your talent and creativity. Here is a very detailed article that will walk you through making one yourself using the greenery you find in your yard or nearby Christmas tree lot. Once you’re finished, you can even add any leftover pinecones, dried fruits or pet-friendly berries to fill in spaces and add more texture.


Bringing Mother Nature inside your home for the Holidays is a personal and creative way to celebrate the seasonal outdoor beauty all around us.



-Kristie Ehrhardt (kehrhardt@tuleyome.org)

Tuleyome Land Conservation Program Manager

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