How to Make 4 DIY Christmas Crafts with LED Lights

Do you want to elevate your decor each Christmas season but don’t know how? Adding LEDs is an easy but effective way to liven up holiday decorations. This guide lists 4 fun projects featuring DIY Christmas lights to incorporate into your home with minimal supplies needed. All the crafts are customizable, so you can make them your own! 

Fairy Light Tree

Supplies Needed:

• Paper mache, plastic, or wooden tree 

• Fairy lights

• White tissue paper

• Tape 

• Gorilla glue 

• Optional: mini string ornaments 

Steps: 

1. Fold the white tissue paper back and forth to create a ruffled pattern.

2. Cut the tissue paper into sections, and begin taping the paper to the tree from the bottom up, creating smaller sections the closer you get to the top.

3. Once taped, use your fingers to pinch the paper to create a more ruffled look. You may need to use gorilla glue to secure the paper into place. 

4. Next, take your fairy lights, and while keeping the battery at the bottom, wrap them upward and bring them back down. Repeat this until you have run out of lights. 

5. Tuck some of the lights into the folds to create more dimension. 

6. If you’re using mini string ornaments, wrap those around the tree. 

7. Turn the fairy lights on and sit the battery pack behind or under the tree so it’s out of sight. 

Christmas Centerpiece

Supplies Needed:

• Cylinder vase

• Scissors 

• Fake snow 

• Fairy lights 

• Optional decor (for this one, we’re using pine cones and ornaments) 

Check out our socials for a video DIY of how to complete this project, or follow the steps below: 

Steps: 

1. Begin by turning the LEDs on, placing the battery pack at the bottom of the vase, and wrapping the lights around a few times.

2. Lay some fake snow on top to cover the wire and the battery pack.

3. Sit an ornament and pine cone and lay more fake snow around it. As you lay out the decor, weave the LED fairy lights through.

4. Repeat this process until you’ve reached the top of your vase, 

5. As you lay out the decor, weave the LED fairy lights through.

6. Lay any excess fairy lights at the top of the vase. 

7. If you have too many fairy lights, you can cut them to the desired length. However, we advise verifying if the lights you’re using can be cut and turning the lights off before cutting. 

8. Set it in the middle of your table. 

Clay Trees

Supplies Needed:

• LED tea lights

• Paper

• Scissors

• Rolling pin 

• Clay 

• Plastic wrap/grocery bag 

• Crafting tools 

• Paint and paintbrush 

Steps: 

1. Set the clay on plastic wrap or a grocery bag and use a rolling pin to flatten it out. 

2. Cut out a template from a piece of paper for the size of the cone you want. Smaller cones are generally easier to mold. 

3. Use the paper to outline the clay, then use a sharp tool to cut it into the desired shape.

4. Cut indents into the edges of the clay and put water on your finger to wet the edges.

5. Connect the ends of the clay and fold them in to make the cone shape. Use the same sharp tool as before to cut any excess clay. Smooth the bottom of the clay so the tree can stand flat. 

6. Seal the ends together by putting more water on your finger and pressing into the seam. 

7. Use a needle, straw, or clay crafting tool to cut holes into the cone.

8. Wait a few hours for the clay to dry. 

9. Paint the tree using white or green acrylic paint. Wait a couple of hours for it to dry. 

10. Place an LED tea light under the tree.

Ugly Christmas Sweater with Lights

Supplies Needed:

• Sweater

• Battery-powered LED lights

• Scissors 

• Safety pins 

• Hot glue 

• Gorilla glue 

• Any other materials you want to attach to the sweater (i.e., tinsel, bows, cut-outs of trees or ornaments with felt or fabric) 

Steps:

1. Get a red or green sweater. 

2. Cut your tinsel into short strips. Hot glue the strips into the sweater in any pattern you’d like. 

3. Flip the sweater inside out. Lay the lights out in the pattern you want them to illuminate. Cut out little holes, just big enough to push the light through. 

4. Secure the lights with safety pins. 

5. Keep the battery pack at the bottom of the sweater so you can put it in your pocket. 

6. Flip the sweater back right-side up and lay out the mini-bows where you want them. Use gorilla glue to secure. 

7. Turn the lights on. 

8. Tuck the battery pack into your pocket. 

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