Top 5 DIY Projects For Home Decor in 2023

The joyous celebration of the Holidays passed; what has the New Year brought us? An improved relationship with your friends and colleagues, a more bonded family because of spending quality time with them, a rekindled romance with an ex-partner, a body full of unwanted fat due to the non-stop eating, and of course, tons of waste from the partying, cooking and celebrating.

The statistics of use-less-stuff.com show that Americans throw away about 25% more garbage during the celebration of Thanksgiving up to the New Year’s Holiday, which equates to 25 million tons of waste or about a million extra tons a week.

Now, what happens with these wastes? We dispose of them. If a family reused at least two feet of ribbon, about 38,000 miles could be saved, which can also be used to tie a ribbon around the entire planet. If all Americans wrapped only three presents in recycled or reused materials, it would save paper equivalent to 45,000 football fields.

Aside from the holidays' waste aftermath, homeowners’ other concern for the new year is decorating or renovating their homes for a new look, as it requires time and a few bucks. We have a solution for you. We can help save you money for redecorating your home, as well as help you recycle your waste and support saving mother earth.

Here are the top five Do-It-Yourself projects for home décor in the new year.

A. Wrapping paper

Most of us received gifts in the holidays, all wrapped in ribbons and colorful gift wrappers. Since these wrappers look so pretty, you stored them for future use. However, when you do the new year cleanup, you realize that it will take up space and decide to throw it away. Oops, please do not throw them away. Gather your scissors, glue, and other craft materials, and let's get recycling.

Step 1. Straighten your colorful wrapping papers and trim them down, removing paper tears on the sides.

Step 2. Gather your trimmed-down gift wrappers, and paste them on cardboard. Arrange them in a pleasing way to your eyes. You can do it diagonally, layer two or three wrappers together, whichever you prefer. You can also glue some ribbons on the board for a more 3-D feel.

Step 3. Put your board in a frame. Voila! You now have a chic, colorful and unique wall décor.

You can hang them in your living room, bedroom, kitchen, or even your balcony, giving your space a festive look.

B. Wine bottles and Ribbons

Thanksgiving and new year's celebrations would only be complete with bottles of wine and overflowing booze; as they say, conversations are more meaningful with a glass of wine. Aside from its delicious, sparkling, and fruity taste, wines have pretty bottles. So pretty that it will make a good home décor as a vase or jewelry holder.

Here’s how to make your empty wine bottles into functional home décor.

Step 1. Gather your wine bottles, and wash them, making sure to remove wine residues and labels. Let it dry.

Step 2. When your bottle is dried, you can already put one to three stems of flowers in them, and they are good to go. However, if you feel artsy and want to paint or color them, try gluing small leaves and painting them for a garden theme look.

Step 3. For wine bottles as jewelry holders, try covering the bottle with the leftover ribbon from the holidays. Then stick on some rhinestones to add a bit of bling to your jewelry holder. You can now hang your bracelet on the wine bottle’s neck.

Put the jewelry holders in your vanity mirror or the vase in your foyer to make the space livelier.

C. Wine Cork Board

We are not yet done with the recycling of wine packaging. Remember that little wine cork you carefully remove from the bottle and take pride in taking it out in one piece? You can make a functional décor out of that too. Here’s how:

Step 1. Gather all wine corks. Assemble them standing up in cardboard, and make them into a rectangle or square shape.

Step 2. Glue the corks in the cardboard. Make sure to attach them, so they do not fall off when hung or put on a table.

Step 3. Frame the cork and cardboard. You now have an artistic corkboard.

You can use this corkboard to pin on your favorite recipe in the kitchen, hang it in your study area as your task manager, or use it as a frame where you can pin on your favorite travel photographs.

D. Jars and Christmas Lights

We did a lot of cooking during the holidays, and most ingredients are packed in breakable jars, sturdy, and still usable. Of course, they will be used as containers for condiments or leftovers. However, you can also use them as home decor. How? Let us make a lantern using jars and fairy lights.

Step 1. Clean your jars and ensure no food residues are left, and the labels are thoroughly removed; we do not want any ants or insects in them when we hang them. Also, check that the fairy lights are still working.

Step 2. Cover the jar with a fruit mesh bag to give it a netting effect when cleaning.

Step3. Put the fairy lights in the jar. Close the lid and tie a rope in the lid. Hang them and use them to accentuate any space in your room.

Your jars can also double as flower vases. Just put the fairy light inside, and close the pot's lid. Then glue some flowers, and now you have a beautiful vase with lighting.

E. Soda bottles

Another most used waste during the holidays is soda bottles, and they are everywhere. Do you want to make them more than soda bottles you throw away when not needed? Keep on reading and learn how to recycle them as plant pots.

Step 1. Clean the bottles. Remove the labels and hang them dry.

Step 2. Cut the bottles in two. Poke some holes in the pot as exit points of water when watering plants. Do not throw away the upper part of the bottle. Stick the bottle's mouth into an old cd or plyboard to make it stand.

Step 3. Paint the bottles in your most desired design. It can be your favorite characters, just your favorite color, or paint some flowers in it, whichever you prefer. You can now put your favorite plant in the recycled plant pots.

Put your plant pots near your window, your tables, or anywhere you like to add greenery to your home.

Final Thoughts

Decorating your home is exciting, time-consuming, and might require a few bucks. But with these DIY projects, you not only save money but also contribute to reducing waste. So, before you throw away your trash, think twice or thrice, as you can recycle them too.