The air out there is getting more and more Christmassy by the second, and we’re not even in December yet! It’s time to start thinking about gifts for your loved ones, looks for these special holidays and Christmas decorations for your home.

Following the philosophy of MANGO THINK UP, here are some ideas for Christmas decorations you can easily use at home.

I love decorating the Christmas tree. Apart from the typical baubles I have lots of decorations I’ve made myself. With thick coloured card and a silver or gold pen you can make three-dimensional stars, like the blue one in the photo.

Cardboard hearts are even easier to make. All you have to do is cut them out and decorate them with some wool stitches. You could also put an aniseed star in the centre. If you’re good with a needle and thread you can make some quilted decorations by sewing together two bits of material. In this case it’s sackcloth, but you’re bound to have some scraps that will do.

Felt is another great material when it comes to making decorations for the tree. It’s really easy to work with, all you need to do is make a template for whatever decoration you want to make and cut it out. Here you have some examples of sheep, circles, snow stars and houses, but you can always let your imagination run free!

To hang these decorations all you have to do is make a hole at the top of the decoration and put some ribbon through it. But this isn’t the only way to use these decorations: you can join a few together to make garlands for the tree or to make vertical hanging decorations like the one in the photograph.

And finally, here is a cheap and natural idea to give your table centres a touch of Christmas. With pinecones, chestnuts, almonds and walnuts (all very seasonal) and a glass or ceramic bowl and vase, you can make these centrepieces. They’ll give your table a nice warm Christmas touch.