Cardboard Scandi Decorations

You can create some beautiful decorations simply by using materials you have around the house, and even better, materials which would usually get thrown away.

My little Scandi decorations are made from old cardboard boxes and some while paint. I absolutely love Scandinavian design, so I had to include a Dala horse! And the set of three different sized trees makes such a calming little scene when it's grouped together. I have included the templates at the bottom of the page for you to print out, so this project is super easy too!

Crafting shouldn’t be expensive, so I hope my ideas will encourage you to get creating this year!

For even more creative ideas and gorgeous craft kits, ideal for beginners...then head over to my You Tube Channel

You Will Need

• Tracing paper and pencil

• Cardboard boxes

• Craft mat

• Craft knife

• Small sharp craft scissors

• White paint (or a Posca pen)

• Paint brushes

1 Print out the horse and tree templates (below) to your desired size.

To make the trees: Use the printout to trace off the two tree pieces onto the back of some cardboard - try and choose a bit that hasn’t been bent and is free from any writing or logos.

2 Firstly roughly cut off any excess cardboard which will just get in the way, then place on a cutting mat. Use a sharp craft knife to cut along all the straight edges - don’t attempt to do any of the corners as the cardboard will buckle. Use small pair of scissors to snip around each corner - make lots of tiny snips as this will give a much neater finish.

TIP: it’s much easier to paint the trees when they are constructed as you can work on all four sides at once

3 Slot the two tree pieces together. If it’s a bit tight, cut off some more cardboard from the central slits. Apply some white paint to the top half of the tree, you will probably need a couple of coats. The use a fine paintbrush to make little dashes on the lower half. Leave to dry.

4 To make the horse: trace off the body and two sets of legs onto cardboard. Following the method of Step 3, carefully cut out the pieces.

5 Use a fine paintbrush to add decorative dots, a saddle, reins, hoofs and an eye. If the cardboard on the underside is good, then once the paint is dry, paint the same design on the back so the horse can be viewed from all angles.

6 Slot the leg pieces into the body, then display the horse alongside the trees on a windowsill, mantel or on the Christmas table as an alternative centrepiece.

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