Save Cardboard Boxes To DIY Jumbo Holiday Stars For Stunning Christmas Decor

After everyone has had their fill of their Thanksgiving feast, those who celebrate Christmas reach for their holiday decor to bring a festive feel to their home. But decorations can break or decay over time and replacing them can be expensive. Luckily, there are several ways to create Christmas decorations by repurposing household items, like those boxes arriving at your home to bring gifts for your family and friends. You could also repurpose your cardboard moving boxes to create seasonal decor that will add a holiday touch to your home. And luckily, this DIY is pretty simple to follow. By cutting, scoring, and painting cardboard, you can create stunning star decorations.

The reason cardboard is such a great choice for this project and many others is that you likely already have the material lying around your house, so it saves you money and is environmentally friendly. It's also easy to form and you can layer or bend the material for a three dimensional look. Plus, it's easy to paint and decorate, and cardboard stands well against the test of time. To begin this project, you need some large pieces of cardboard, something to write with, paper to make a pattern, scissors, paint, duct tape, and twine to hang up your new holiday decor.

Two great things about this project are that you can design the stars any way you like and the sizes are totally up to you. Start by drawing a jumbo star pattern on a paper template instead of free-handing a star directly on the cardboard. Using this method is a smart way to create multiple stars the same size for a cohesive look. Consider making several sizes and pairing them together to add to your Christmas decor — perhaps three. In fact, the rule of three is one interior design rule designers want you to know. The guideline states that grouping similar items in threes creates a focal point and visual appeal, and this rule could easily apply to your holiday stars.

After tracing your shapes on the cardboard piece, carefully cut them out and score the cardboard so that you can easily bend the material and make the star's arms pop out. Using open scissors, make indent lines from point to point on each star section and in between. Those score lines will serve as bending points. Your goal is to create a three dimensional effect. For each arm, press and bend the cardboard at the center scoring line away from you to pop it out. In between each star point at the score mark, bend the cardboard toward yourself. Once you get your desired look, use duct tape behind the star near the center to keep the bends and the star shape in place. Then, paint your stars and let them dry. 

You can use a classic white paint to color yours stars and attached jingle bells on strings to the bottom for a more clean but festive look. However, you can choose any color that matches your decor. If you're having a classic white Christmas, maybe white and silver stars hung in front of a green garland would fit the bill. Green, red, or gold paint is also a classic option that speaks to the holiday season, while jeweled tones are also a stunning choice. Those looking for a little sparkle could add glitter to the jumbo stars to play off the holiday lights.

After your stars dry completely, tape a loop of twine behind the top point and use that to hang your decorations. You can place them inside to decorate your room or add them to your covered porch — as long as they're safe from the elements. You can attach them to your outside doorframe, using tree branches as a backdrop. You can also layer the smaller stars over the jumbo versions to add more dimension. There are plenty of ways to create interest with this design. For example, you could string them at different heights and hang them from a seasonal tree branch covered with a garland or holly to display on your wall. Or turn the smaller stars into ornaments by adding a string to the top, then hanging the jumbo stars on the wall behind your star-covered tree for cohesion and depth. Another option you can try is attaching a bow to the bottom of a larger star with some holly cascading down to make a wreath for your door. These stars are so easy to make and versatile that the possibilities for their use in your Christmas decor seem endless. Let your imagination soar!