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 make New Year’s decorations by hand! A collection of ideas using everyday materials (41–50)
Cute flower hagoita made with tsumami-zaiku
Tsumami-zaiku is a craft where you fold small square pieces of fabric with tweezers to create flowers and other shapes.
With its distinctly Japanese feel, tsumami-zaiku is perfect for traditional New Year decorations.
Displaying a hagoita adorned with tiny, delicate-looking tsumami-zaiku flowers can instantly transform your room into a charming space.
You can even make use of tsumami-zaiku kits—available at 100-yen shops—that include several types of chirimen crepe fabric.
If you attach tsumami-zaiku flowers together with mizuhiki cords to a hagoita, you can create a piece that feels even more fitting for the New Year.
Hagoita decorated in red and pink using spray techniques
Let’s make a gorgeous, elegant, and beautiful gold hagoita (decorative paddle) using spray paint.
First, color the base paddle with gold spray.
Arrange and attach artificial flowers and butterfly ornaments to the paddle in a well-balanced way.
For adhesion, try using a hot glue gun, which dries quickly and holds firmly.
If you apply washi-style masking tape along the edge of the paddle, it will become a piece perfect for the New Year.
When attaching the artificial flowers, build up the centers so they form a gentle mound, creating a hagoita with a three-dimensional look.
Mini hagoita made with dipping solution or nail polish
This is an art project that uses dip solution and nail polish to create translucent miniature battledores.
First, shape the battledore and flowers with thicker wire, then dip them into a dedicated dip solution to form a film that defines the battledore’s outline.
Once the solution dries, layer your favorite nail polish colors to achieve a glossy, dimensional finish.
Use a brush tip or cotton swab to refine the details and add a touch of flair.
Fix the finished pieces onto a base, such as a wooden stick, and they can serve as small ornaments.
The colors shift with the light, giving a glass-like impression.
Mini Hagoita Made with Felt and Cardboard
Let’s use thick paperboard to make a cute felt mini hagoita (traditional Japanese battledore).
Decorative hagoita often feature raised, three-dimensional embellishments like flowers and fans.
By using felt, which is a thicker fabric, you can create dimensional decorations.
Try making plum blossoms and shuttlecocks out of felt and attaching them to the hagoita.
For an even lovelier finish, decorate with craft pearls and rhinestone embellishments.
You can easily create a gorgeous hagoita perfect for New Year’s decorations.
Hagoita made with paper quilling and origami
Paper quilling is the craft of rolling thin strips of paper into coils and shapes, then combining them to create designs.
If you enjoy handicrafts or DIY projects, you might find this a fun way to make a decorative hagoita (traditional Japanese paddle).
Use the rolled paper to form parts like plum blossoms and shuttlecocks, and attach them to the paddle.
You’ll need a quilling tool to roll the paper; if you don’t have one, it seems you can substitute a toothpick with the tip cut off.
By making use of unique designs formed from rolled paper, you can create a piece with real originality.
Pom-pom daruma
This daruma has a charmingly round, adorable look.
First, wrap yarn around a fork 60 times to make a pom-pom, then tie on a smaller pom-pom made by wrapping 40 times to balance the head and body.
Trim the excess with scissors to shape it, and finish by attaching a felt face.
It’s fun to vary the yarn colors and facial expressions to give each one its own personality.
They’re perfect not only for New Year’s but also as winter decorations.
A heartwarming idea that combines a pleasant touch with cute looks.
Rapunzel-style shimenawa
The Rapunzel-style shimenawa features glamorous braids and bright colors.
Its charm lies in adding storybook-like sweetness to New Year’s decorations.
Using artificial flowers and ribbons, you can easily make one with simple, accessible materials, instantly bringing a festive look to your entryway or interior.
Because you can freely combine colors, it feels highly original and is wonderfully photogenic.
It’s a popular arrangement that’s easy even for beginners to try.
People also love that it effortlessly brings a bright atmosphere and lets you personalize your New Year’s space.
Another appeal is that its vibrant look lasts.
Just displaying it lifts your spirits—perfect for the New Year.
