The holidays are quickly approaching and with the cost of gifts, party preparations and other expenses, it might be a good idea to try and create some items by hand.
Not only will they be one of a kind, but you will also be free to personalize each card or decor item for your guests, co workers, friends and loved ones.
If you have children, get them involved to expand their creativity as well as your own.
Two inexpensive, yet expensive looking materials that you can use are japanese chiyogami paper and mizuhiki cords.
There are many places that sell these items at a high rate, but shop around, especially online for good deals.
The advantage with these two materials is they compliment each other beautifully and it is very easy to make something look professionally made.
One example would be to loosely tie mizuhiki (and securing with a knot) around objects like cards, gifts, table napkins, wine bottles, glasses and so forth.
The knot itself will look nice, but if you would like to cover it, all you need is a square or simple cutout from the chiyogami paper secured to the knot.
For a little more fun, add cute origami models to the mizuhiki loops and attach them to plain cards, or hang them as ornament/decoration.
Both the mizuhiki and chiyogami are strong materials, they can be shaped and used in a variety of ways, but still look like lovely delicate decorations.
They can be braided, sewn, tied in knots, glued, stapled and more.
With such freedom, you can make pretty much anything your creativity can conjure up.
Try creating a pretty floral bouquet by knotting the mizuhiki several times, or by combining several knots together and cut out chiyogami leaves to wrap around the mizuhiki stems.
For hair accessories, try the same technique, but cutting the stems a little shorter and pinning them in an updo.
The freedom and endless use of these two materials allow you to create many different things year round, and it will show your loved ones how much thought has gone into their gifts, while saving you money on expensive gifts and decorations.