handmade christmas decorations

Here at Dip & Doze, we love rituals that help us slow down and enjoy life’s little pleasures. Making handmade Christmas decorations is one of them.

As our brand is rooted in a love of Scandinavian design and way of life, we’ve taken inspiration from our Nordic neighbours who are known for decorating with natural foliage and candlelight during the festive season. One of the easiest ways to bring the season into your home is through foliage. Here are our favourite Scandinavian inspired DIY’s for you to create a cosy, festive atmosphere in your home.

dried orange garland

You’ll need string, oranges and optional cinnamon sticks and foliage.

Heat your oven to 110ºc. Next, thinly slice your oranges and pat them dry with a paper towel. Mix together some sugar and your favourite smelling spices (such as pumpkin spice) and sprinkle over your orange slices. This will fill your home with a wonderful Christmas smell! Place them in the centre of the oven, either on a baking rack or directly on the shelf in your oven. Bake for 2-3 hours and turn occasionally to keep your orange slices flat. Poke little holes through the sides of the oranges and string them up, tying occasional cinnamon sticks and foliage in between the oranges if you’re going for this version. Now all you need to do is decide where best to hang it. The possibilities are infinite!

hanging wreath

Hands up if Christmas wreaths are your favourite decoration? US too! And It’s super easy to create your own minimal wreath.

Simply use an embroidery hoop or purchase a metal wreath frame. You’ll also need some branches of your choice such as eucalyptus, olive or whatever you can forage. Use floral wire to attach the branches to the wire—halfway around the hoop, all the way around the hoop or create a beautiful asymmetric look, you’re the creative director!

table wreath

You’ll need a form of grapevine wreath (you can make your own, or buy online), pine greens, twine, floral wire, Christmas tree candle clips and candles. Start by tying your pieces of pine to the grapevine wreath and continue until the whole wreath is covered. Finally, attach the candle clips to the grapevine wreath and add your candles. The perfect finishing touch to your dining room table.

hanging candle wreath

Who else loves filling their home with candles during the darker months? Choose a metal wreath frame with a candle holder to add an even cosier feel to your room.Use floral wire to attach two branches to the frame, placing them opposite each other.

eucalyptus garland

(image by homey oh my)

You’ll need eucalyptus (the image above is seeded eucalyptus —seed or unseeded both look equally as beautiful, or you can mix both types together), cord or string, floral wire and wire cutters.

Start by cutting up the eucalyptus into similar length pieces. Then, starting at one end, attach the individual stems of eucalyptus to the string by wrapping the floral wire around each main stem. If you’d like a slightly thicker garland, simply attach multiple stems together. Continue along the string with all of your stems, slightly overlapping each one. Voila!

A little tip: With all wreath rings, simply remove your foliage at the end of Christmas season and you can re-use it again year after year.

(Header image by svenja traumzuhause)