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)
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.
Tsumami-zaiku
At first glance, traditional Japanese accessories can seem intimidating to make by hand.
Among them, however, there’s one craft that’s actually quite approachable: tsumami-zaiku.
Tsumami-zaiku is a form of traditional Japanese craftsmanship whose history is said to date back to the Edo period.
Where might you have seen it? A common example is the lavish floral ornaments on the hairpins worn by maiko (apprentice geisha).
Does that help you picture it? Tsumami-zaiku uses chirimen crepe fabric to create three-dimensional decorations.
The result is adorably plump, and even with the same floral motif, it brings out a charm you could never achieve with materials like dried flowers.
Straw-craft style turtle ornament
Turtles are creatures that symbolize longevity, and incorporating them into New Year’s decorations conveys a wish for a healthy year ahead.
In this craft, we create a turtle motif—evoking longevity—using paper cord, achieving a soft, straw-work-like feel.
The steps are simple: braid and bundle the paper cord, then shape it with wire.
Start by forming the shell, then build out the rounded overall form.
The braiding method, how you combine the pieces, and the decorations you add after the main body is complete are all important points for bringing out the turtle’s character.
In conclusion
I introduced DIY ideas for New Year’s decorations made with familiar materials. Why not create a lovely New Year’s ornament that carries your wishes for the year ahead by getting creative with the arrangement of parts and color choices? The warmth unique to handmade items will brighten the start of the new year.