Fed up of seeing the same old baubles on your Christmas tree every year? These eco-friendly alternatives to shop-bought baubles can be made using material you’ll find around the home.

You can get the kids involved and it always feels better to dress your tree with decorations you’ve made yourself! Here’s how it’s done…

Step 1

Cut a piece of thread or thin string about 20cm (8in) long. Then cut ten 8cm (3in) wide strips of foil, each about the same length as your thread. Use more strips of foil if you want to create fatter baubles.

Step 2

Fold the thread in half. Then scrunch the first strip of foil into a ball, around the ends of the thread. Squeeze the foil tightly around the thread so it stays put. This forms the central point of your bauble.

Step 3

Scrunch the other strips of foil around the ball one at a time, squeezing each new piece tightly around the previous one. Once you’ve wrapped the final piece around, roll it under your hand to make the surface as smooth as you can. To make a different shaped bauble just squeeze the foil into the shape you want.

Step 4

Brush the ball with clear-drying PVA glue (do it bit by bit and it won’t get messy), then press on strips of white tissue paper. Do this until the ball is covered in the tissue paper.

Step 5

When the glue is dry, glue on strips of coloured tissue paper in the same way until the ball is completely covered. The colour you use will be the base colour of your bauble.

Step 6

Decorate your bauble with sequins, stickers or glitter. For spotty baubles like those in the image above, simply glue on white paper circles that you’ve punched in a hole puncher.

Step 7

When you’ve finished decorating the bauble, brush it all over for a final time with the PVA glue. This acts like a varnish and completely seals your bauble. Once it’s dry, it’s ready to hang on your tree and you can get started on making another one!

Is your tree full of home made decorations? Share a picture on our Facebook page!