Mum spends eight hours hand-making 350 decorations for her Christmas tree
09.12.2023 - 16:59
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A mum spent eight hours painstakingly hand-making 350 decorations for her Christmas tree - and said she saved herself thousands.
Sophie Brown has spent three weeks over four years making her own ornaments - including wire word baubles, upcycled Terrazzo baubles and ornate folded stars - to adorn her 10ft Christmas tree. The 36-year-old, from Melbourne in Australia, has crafted various custom designs - including mercury glass baubles, ornate folder stars, mosaic trees and personalised name tags.
Some of Sophie's ornaments take her just minutes to make - such as the marble baubles made with nail polish and the wooden stars from repurposed clothing pegs - and others like the 'mosaic tiles' take about half a day. She has also made commemorative decorations - including a crown in memory of Queen Elizabeth II and a cricket ball for Australian cricketer Shane Warne.
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Sophie claims all of her decorations are cheaper than buying them from the shop and in some cases is able to make four baubles for the price of one shop-bought - she estimates she's spent just $750. As well as her tree, Sophie has also just begun her '12 DIY's of Christmas' which sees her make handmade gifts, table settings and decor for her house - with Day 1 being a set of monogram pyjamas for her kids.
Mum-of-two Sophie, a professional crafter content creator, said: "If the average ornament is $10 then for 300 of them it would be $3000, so - given that most DIY ones cost a quarter of that - I've probably saved 75 per cent of that.
"I make six new types every year and