Let's make New Year’s decorations by hand! A collection of ideas you can create with everyday materials.
As the New Year approaches, are you thinking about brightening up your space with handmade New Year’s decorations? Store-bought pieces are lovely, but decorations you craft yourself carry a special warmth and sense of attachment.
In this article, we’ll share easy, DIY New Year’s decoration ideas you can try using familiar materials.
From yarn and felt to origami paper, you can create a wide variety of projects with items that are easy to find.
Try making them with your children, or finish them with your own favorite designs for decorations full of originality.
How about preparing for the New Year with heartfelt, handmade items?
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Let's Handcraft New Year's Decorations! A Collection of Ideas Using Everyday Materials (91–100)
Hagoita (decorative battledore)
This is a stylish hagoita arrangement that blends Japanese and Western elements.
The look changes dramatically depending on the fabric you choose, so you can really showcase your original sense of style.
You can get almost everything you need—wood glue, string, paste—at a 100-yen shop.
Adorn it with your favorite flowers, like chrysanthemums or hydrangeas, let the colors shine, and then finish with a quick spritz of gold glitter spray.
That instantly adds an eye-catching accent.
It’s great not only for New Year’s, but also as a gift for a Japanese-style wedding or for Hinamatsuri, which is a nice bonus!
Shimenawa decoration made from colored construction paper
Let’s introduce an idea for a shimenawa decoration using colored construction paper.
First, prepare red construction paper.
Fold it like an accordion, pinch the center and secure it with masking tape to create a bow shape.
Next, make a second one the same way, then offset it by about 5 cm and stick them together.
With that, the base is almost complete.
After that, use a glue gun to attach a store-bought shimenawa, and decorate it with items like white weeping plum blossoms.
Of course, you can change the color of the paper and the flowers as you like.
Kokedama-style arrangement
There are actually quite a few celebrities who grow moss—comedian Tanaka from Ungirls, Nogizaka46’s Marika Itō, and actor Masato Sakai are all moss enthusiasts.
So how about arranging a moss ball (kokedama) with a New Year’s vibe and displaying it on your dining table or in the living room? Even a touch of greenery indoors will surely make for a soothing, enriching New Year.
The base for the kokedama can be a chrysanthemum-shaped moss ball sold at 100-yen shops.
Then just insert senryo (Sarcandra) or seasonal flowers.
Adding small New Year-themed ornaments would also set the mood nicely.
It’s easy, so give it a try!
kagami mochi (traditional Japanese New Year rice cake decoration)
Kagami mochi is an essential New Year’s decoration in Japan.
The classic style features stacked rice cakes topped with a mandarin, and its cute appearance is part of the charm.
Here’s a simple craft inspired by that adorable kagami mochi.
Since it doesn’t use any food, you’ll have more options for where to display it.
Make the sanpō (the ceremonial stand) by layering washi paper over a base of thick cardstock, and create the mochi by sewing chirimen fabric together to wrap around thick cardstock.
A key tip is to cleverly hide the chirimen seams to make the mochi look soft.
Kadomatsu
Seeing kadomatsu displayed at the front entrance feels like a New Year’s staple, but space and other constraints can make it hard to put up a full-sized one.
In that case, a palm-sized, DIY kadomatsu is a great option—you can place it at the entrance or anywhere inside your home.
First, wrap jute twine around a cylindrical snack box to create a bucket-like base.
For the bamboo—the main feature of a kadomatsu—use straws.
Wrap paper around the straws, pull the straws out, and then cut the ends diagonally to form the bamboo.
The key is to vary the colors of the layered paper to better mimic the look of a bamboo cross-section.
Finish by decorating around it, and you’ll have a miniature kadomatsu ready to display.
origami crane mobile
How about a lovely Japanese-style mobile made with natural tree branches you find in parks or along paths and origami paper with chiyogami patterns? You’ll need four origami cranes, a tree branch, a needle and thread, a glue gun, and scissors.
Chiyogami-style origami paper is widely available at 100-yen shops and similar stores, so choosing your patterns can be exciting.
If you don’t have a glue gun, you can substitute tape or small stickers.
Almost everyone has folded an origami crane at least once.
It’s one of Japan’s cultural arts we can proudly share with the world, so it’s fun to recall how and try folding one again.
crane hanging decoration
How about brightening up your room for the New Year with handmade, original wall decorations? All you need are colorful origami papers and some thread.
There are plenty of ideas for what to fold—yakko kites, paper cranes, fans, and cute plum blossoms.
Once you make lots of motifs, connect them evenly with kite string or fishing line and hang them from above.
Your New Year’s hanging ornament, swaying gently, is complete.
Let’s make plenty of auspicious New Year decorations and have fun decorating your room.
