If your mantle, Christmas tree or front door could use some last-minute sprucing, why not choose organic decorations for a low-waste holiday? Check out these five compostable decorations for your tree, and deck the halls with something a little greener.
Photo: Linda Dawkins/Natural Suburbia
Ditch those store-bought ornaments for alternatives made from farmer's market produce. Fruit-based ornaments are great places to start (trust us, they're hard to mess up). If you plan to compost your ornament, stick to thread that is 100 percent plant-based (like cotton). And toss the whole thing into your pile after the holidays.
Dreamed up by crafty mom and
Natural Suburbia blogger Linda Dawkins, these pretty ornaments double as air fresheners - emitting sweet scents of orange and cinnamon. "Our home has this beautiful fragrance wafting through it," Dawkins says. "It is heavenly."
Simply dry your oranges in the oven and add other organic ingredients like cinnamon sticks, acorns and pinecones. With a little help from Dawkins'
tutorial, this craft will only take about 20 minutes.
Photo: Carrie/The Vintage Wren
In addition to being compostable, cheap and easy to make, homemade garlands are great holiday memory-making crafts. Gather the family around the table, and start stringing popcorn and cranberries together for a little old-school cheer.
Follow this simple
tutorial from
The Vintage Wren blogger Carrie, and turn day-old popcorn into a holiday pick-me-up that looks great on the tree, mantle or holiday dinner table.
After the holidays, toss your garlands in the compost pile. Or take Carrie's suggestion, and hang them on outdoor trees for birds and squirrels to snack on during the chilly winter months.
Photo: Gail/That Artist Woman
Orange pomanders make perfect last-minute decorations: eye-catching, fragrant and easy to assemble on the fly. Pick up some oranges and fresh cloves on your next trip to the farmer's market, and you could have a new set of decorations in less than 20 minutes.
As outlined in this step-by-step
tutorial from
That Artist Woman blogger Gail, simply attach the cloves to your orange using toothpicks. Choose to cover your orange completely, or use your creative flair to craft festive designs. Stay away from frilled cocktail toothpicks for an easily compostable ornament.
And don't toss these babies right after the holidays! If you completely cover your orange with cloves, your pomander will last longer and may dry out completely, Gail says. So, these yuletide decorations can be used as all-natural air fresheners for months to come. Once the scent is spent, toss the whole thing in the compost pile.
For another naturally fruity decoration, try this cute and cheery
cranberry heart from mom, artist and
Maya Made blogger Maya. You'll need metal wire for this project. So, be careful with young crafters (wire edges can be sharp!).
Simply thread your cranberries onto the wire and bend to create a fun and festive shape. Stick to Maya's heart design or craft your own holiday creations, like stars, snowmen and candy canes. Just remember to remove the wire before composting!
Photo: Flickr/anjuli_ayer
Dough ornaments have taunted children for generations. They look good enough to eat but, sadly, most of them aren't. This year, create a dough-based decoration that's as tasty as it is attractive.
Dreamed up by foodie and
A Smart Mouth blogger Anjuli Ayer, these
gingerbread stained glass cookies will sparkle under your holiday lights and double as a yummy dessert. Since gingerbread is a dry cookie, you can still eat it even after it's been hanging on the tree for a few days. If it has been more than four days, composting is probably your best bet.
Marisa Rich
posted on December 23rd, 2011 at 12:52 am