10 Affordable DIY Home-décor Ideas for the Festive Season

It is often said that our homes are a reflection of ourselves. So, when we dress up for the festive season, why should our homes feel left out?! We know that furniture and another home décor can be very expensive to redo according to each season or event, but one of the simplest and cost-effective ways to doll up your house for the festive season is to make some DIY home décor!
Read on to get some novel and quirky ideas for DIY home décor!

1. Lanterns and Lampshades

Lanterns and Lampshades are a versatile and easily customizable piece of home décor. It is possible to DIY lampshades using easily available materials such as popsicle sticks, wooden clothespins and light fabrics like indigo, batik or any other lightweight fabric. Simple attach the popsicles sticks or the clothespins in a stacked, geometric shape and glue them together with hot glue or super glue. For a more customized and festive look, drape the lampshade with a light fabric like batik, ikat or indigo. This DIY lampshade can be placed or hungover any yellow light bulb to create a warm and aesthetic atmosphere.
Another way to make beautiful lanterns is to glue any kind of thin embroidered, lacey, or fabric doily on some rigid shapes, such as a balloon and letting it dry. Then, pop the balloon with a pin to remove it and you will be left with a beautiful, stable lampshade that creates intricate patterns of light and shadow when turned on!

2. Diyas and Candles

Diyas and candles are a great source of lighting for the festive season and can be used as home décor on their own as well! Try some of our decorating tips for adding that extra oomph factor. Simply pick up a few plain terracotta Diyas and plain candles from the market, and get to decorating!
You can paint the Diyas with different colors and jazz it up with some embellishments, like gemstones, pearls, etc. for a mainstream look, but for a different approach, try wrapping the bottom with a brightly colored fabric! And for the candles, try decorating them with some beautiful Arabic designs, using a mehndi cone!

3. Photobooth

Festival season usually means visiting loved ones and Diwali parties! And to make your party really special, it is important to have décor that matches the festive vibe! Try a DIY photo booth for the picture-perfect Diwali party décor! Simply choose a well-lit corner in your house and set up a small table with props that can be made by hand with a little cardboard and paint.
Then, choose a backdrop, you can go for the classic white or make your own from a funky printed fabric! Try our abstract printed Ikat to mimic the starry night sky, or the figurine printed glazed cotton bulk fabric for a colorful and quirky backdrop!

4. Gift hampers

Every year there is a dilemma about what to gift and the cost of such gifts. Why not add a personal touch by making it yourself? DIY Gift hampers are a great idea and add value to the receiver as they will be receiving personalized gifts! As any gift hamper starts, we will start by taking a basket or a box. Now, it’s time to get creative! Add in a number of small items into the basket, we suggest scented candles, cute curio items, jewelry, nuts, and sweets!
For a finishing touch, wrap up the box or basket in colorful festival appropriate paper or fabric, such as Bandhani fabrics for Navratri themed hampers and festive colored fabrics for Diwali.

5. Wall art/ tapestry

A piece of wall art can change the entire vibe of a room! Check out Fabriclore’s collection of Cotton wall hangings for an easy fix. However, if you want to truly DIY some wall hangings, then we suggest finding a piece of fabric or textile you really like and looks like a work of art. (something like our mirror and zari work raw silk should do the trick).
Then, find a complimentary photo frame and simply tuck the fabric into the frame. Ta-da! Now you have your very own easy to make wall art. If you’re not a fan of the wall art, you can even splurge for a wall-sized piece of fabric for a pseudo tapestry/ wallpaper. You can even customize it and change the fabric according to the festival, season, etc.

6. Curtains

Curtains are an easy way to change the look of any room just by themselves. Try appropriately printed fabric to change the façade of any room in your house! You can try fabric that has suitable prints or designs to match your festive décor, like Bandhani prints for Navratri and colorful plain cotton paired printed Indigo, Ikat and Leheriya fabrics for Diwali.
You can even try this hack when redecorating your kids’ rooms, using fabrics printed with animals, cars or other cute objects based on their preferences!

7. Bandarwals

Bandarwals or Torans immediately add the festive vibe to any room they’re hung on. After all, the tradition of hanging them over a door is said to be an auspicious symbol for welcoming the Goddess Lakshmi into your household.
A simple way to make a traditional Bandarwal is to use different glass beads and fabric flowers. But you can try your hand at origami and use colored paper or fabric to make festival appropriate and funky wall hangings too! Try the classic Diya print or shape for Diwali or unusual ones like elephants, birds, and flowers!

8. Cushion Covers

Cushion covers are an easy way to jazz up your living room at a fraction of the price of furniture! This hack is a bit of cheating as there is not much DIY-ing here, but it’s the thought that counts, right?! Choose colorful and festival appropriate fabrics like printed Raw Silk, Banarasi and Embroidered fabrics to stitch your own cushion covers, or you can check out the ones we have here at Fabriclore.com!

9. Light jars

If you are someone without much crafting experience or do not have the time to make Lanterns or other lighting sources, a quick hack can be to display string lights in jars to add a warm effect to the lighting in your house!
To make light jars, use a mason jar filled with a string of fairy lights as a table centerpiece or even in your bookshelf. For a hanging variety, use small colored glass jars and suspend them from the wall, then place small tea light candles in them to add a soft glow to jazz up your living space!

10. Thaalis

An Aarthi Thaali is an integral part of any Indian household and will be on display especially during the festival period. You can DIY your own Thaali to change the look of your Puja room every festive event!
Take a plain Thaali as a base and decorate it with gemstones and other appliqués. A cheating method is to you stone Bindis to add a glam look. If you are an artistic person, try freehand paintings on the Thaali with acrylic pain or in a pinch, you can even use nail polish!

These are a few of the DIY home décor and gift ideas for you to choose from to jazz up your house and room for the upcoming festive season. If you try your hand at any of these DIY home décor ideas, do tag us on Instagram and Facebook!

Check out the home décor department of fabriclore.com for some easy décor and gifting. We also showcase a wide range of fabrics with unique prints and detailing.

Authored by: Vanathi Panneerselvam