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)
A luxurious shimenawa wreath made with 100-yen shop materials
Dahlias take center stage! Let’s make a New Year’s wreath with a dynamic look! You’ll need an 18 cm shimenawa rope, artificial flowers from a 100-yen shop, scissors, and a glue gun or adhesive.
In the video, delicate osmanthus leaves are added to create a livelier, more dynamic design.
If you decide on the design and the main artificial flower you want to feature before you start, you’re more likely to get the result you envision.
Give it a try!
Mini hagoita with chirimen-style fabric
It would be cute to line up small battledores with different designs, wouldn’t it? Cut an empty milk carton or thick cardstock into the shape of a battledore, then attach black chirimen crepe fabric sized to the battledore.
If you use chirimen with an adhesive backing, it’s easy to stick on.
Add a variety of chirimen fabrics in different patterns and colors—either pieces you’ve cut or shapes punched out with a flower punch—to the battledores you’ve made.
If you also attach motifs made from chirimen, like Mount Fuji or folding fans, they’ll suit the New Year perfectly.
It’s also nice to mount the finished battledores on a backing board for display.
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.
