3 Cheap DIY Holiday Decorations

Genius Projects for Under $6 (Best Budget Ideas I Actually Tried)

The numbers first: three handmade decorations for $5.75 total, taking roughly four to five hours, most of it spent waiting for the oven.

Every November I promise myself I won’t buy new holiday decorations. Every November I end up in a shop, holding a plastic garland I don’t even like. This year I changed the order: before spending anything, I searched the drawers, the closet, and the recycling bin for what I already owned.

That search turned into three projects: dried orange slices with cinnamon, a paper star garland, and a no-sew fabric wreath. Here’s what each one really cost, how long it took, and what went wrong along the way.

At a Glance

Project	Cost	Time	Difficulty
Dried orange and cinnamon garland	$3.25	About 3 hours (15 minutes of hands-on work)	Easy, but needs patience
Paper star garland	$0.00	About 1 hour 15 minutes	Easy
No-sew fabric wreath	$2.50	About 50 minutes	Easy
Total	$5.75

1. Dried Orange Slices With Cinnamon ($3.25)

What I bought: four oranges ($2.00) and a small bag of cinnamon sticks ($1.25). I already had baking paper, a knife, and twine.

How I made them:

1. Slice the oranges about a quarter inch thick.
2. Pat each slice with a paper towel to remove the juice.
3. Lay them on a paper-lined baking tray.
4. Bake at 200°F (about 95°C) for two and a half hours, flipping once at the one-hour mark.
5. Thread the finished slices onto twine with cinnamon sticks between them.

What went wrong: my first batch was sliced too thin. The edges turned brown and brittle before the centers dried. The second batch, cut thicker, came out translucent and glowing, which is exactly the look I wanted. I hung the strand across the window.

The bonus: the scent lasted about a week, and I loved it more than I expected.

2. Paper Star Garland ($0.00)

What I used: pages from an old paperback with a broken spine, a pencil, scissors, a needle, and thread. I also used a cereal box for the template.

How I made them:

1. Draw one star on cardboard and cut it out as a template.
2. Trace twelve stars onto the book pages and cut them out.
3. Fold each star in half down the center and glue two halves together along the fold, so each one stands slightly open instead of lying flat.
4. Sew the stars onto a long thread, about four inches apart.

What went wrong: a glue stick wrinkled the paper on the first few stars, and the halves came apart overnight. A thin line of regular white school glue held much better.

The result: hung over the bookshelf, the old print gives the garland a warm, slightly vintage look I couldn’t have bought.

3. No-Sew Fabric Wreath ($2.50)

What I bought: a small roll of deep red ribbon. Everything else came from the closet: a wire coat hanger, a worn cotton sheet, and an old green scarf.

How I made it:

1. Bend the hanger into a circle and twist the hook into a small loop for hanging.
2. Cut the sheet and scarf into strips about one inch wide and eight inches long.
3. Tie each strip onto the wire with a simple knot, pushing the strips close together so they bunch up. It took roughly 80 strips to fill the circle.
4. Finish with a red ribbon bow.

What went wrong: it looked flat and sparse at first, so I added another 20 strips, mixing the cream and green fabric unevenly. The uneven mix looks better than a perfect pattern would. The wreath is soft and a little messy, which suits a lived-in home.

The Full Cost Breakdown

Item	Cost
Oranges	$2.00
Cinnamon sticks	$1.25
Red ribbon	$2.50
Paper stars	$0.00
Fabric strips and coat hanger	$0.00
Total	$5.75

What I’d Do Differently

• Dry the oranges lower and longer. Even the second batch had a few darker spots.
• Use wider ribbon on the wreath. The thin one disappears against the fabric.
• Make a longer star garland. Twelve stars barely cover one shelf.

Your Questions, Answered

These answers are general guidance, not part of my own experiment.

What’s the cheapest holiday decoration to start with?
The paper star garland. It cost nothing for me and took an evening.

How thick should I cut orange slices?
About a quarter inch. My too-thin slices browned and turned brittle at the edges before the centers dried.

How long do dried orange slices last?
It depends on how fully they dry and how humid your home is. Store leftovers somewhere dry, and discard any that smell off or show mold.

Can I eat the dried orange slices?
Treat them as decoration only.

Can I dry orange slices without an oven?
Methods like a dehydrator or air-drying exist, but I only tested the oven, so check instructions for those.

What paper works best for the stars?
I used pages from an old paperback. Any lightweight paper should work, and old book pages give a vintage look.

Why did my paper glue fail?
For me, a glue stick wrinkled the paper and came apart overnight, while a thin line of white school glue held.

What if my fabric wreath looks thin?
Add more strips. Mixing colors unevenly gives a more natural look than a perfect pattern.

What can I use instead of a coat hanger?
I only used a hanger, so test a sturdy alternative before committing to it.

Is it safe to hang paper or fabric decorations near candles?
Keep paper, fabric, and dried fruit well away from flames and heat sources. Battery candles are a safer choice nearby.

Can I scale this up?
Yes. Make a longer star garland, add more orange strands, or build a second wreath using more scrap fabric.

Final Thoughts

None of these decorations is perfect, but together they made my room feel ready for the season for less than the price of one store-bought garland. The biggest surprise was how much I enjoyed using up things that were already sitting in drawers. If you want to try one, start with the stars: they cost nothing and can be finished in an evening.