Savvy DIYer Creates Christmas Arch Worth £100s For £55 Using B&Q & The Range
- Zoe Hemmings, 26, wanted a gorgeous arch but they cost up to £300 to buy new
- Instead, she built her own using an old Christmas tree and budget materials from B&Q and The Range
- Her beautiful creation cost just £55 to make
Christmas decorations are yet another expense in an already pricey time of year.
However, one savvy DIYer has nailed the art of creating jaw-dropping Christmas decorations on a budget.
Zoe Hemmings, 26, from Yapton, West Sussex, has always wanted a gorgeous freestanding Christmas arch, but didn’t want to spend the hundreds of pounds they cost to buy new.
Zoe, who works in sales of bespoke steel windows, decided to make her own using an old Christmas tree and budget materials from B&Q and The Range, pulling off her gorgeous creation for just £55.
Zoe told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "Since moving into my home I’ve always wanted to make a feature of my archway at Christmas time, like you see in the movies and huge department stores.
"I’ve always had a passion for interior design and would love to work in that field one day.
"I’ve looked every year at purchasing a freestanding arch but could never justify the hefty price tag that comes with them.
“This year, my mum bought a new Christmas tree and was planning on throwing away her old one, so I asked if I could take it and repurpose it into the archway I had been dreaming of.
"The materials I used were my mums old seven-foot artificial tree, warm white plug-in lights, wire mesh, command hooks and a few decorations from my local home store.
“Firstly, I measured from the floor to the bottom of the curve and cut my wire to that length twice (one for each side).
“Then I decided the width I wanted and folded the wire accordingly.
“I offered it up to the wall so I could see roughly where I wanted my hooks to go, and stuck them in place.
“I roughly measured the curve of my arch and divided this into three, cut three sections out of the wire to create the curve and repeated the above.
“Then I used my Christmas tree branches to start filling out the arch.
"I would recommend starting from the bottom and hanging the branches upside down to make it easier to access.
"Once you have all the branches in place, start fluffing them out and altering the position of each part to give the desired look.
"I then applied the lights by finding the centre of the lights wire and fixing that to the centre of the arch to ensure that there was an equal amount on each side. Once the lights were on in a good position I added the decorations and additional foliage.
“One tip I would give other people is that if you have a rounded arch like mine as opposed to square, then measure from the floor to the bottom of the curve and cut your wire to there for both sides, then cut the wire for the rounded part of the arch into three parts to create the curve.
"When using the command hooks, point them to the edges to ensure the mesh is nice and tight.
"Finally I would suggest starting from the bottom and working your way up as well as hanging the branches upside down to make it easier to work with.
“I bought the warm white lights from B&Q for £7.20, the command hooks from B&Q for £20, the wire mesh roll from B&Q for £12.75, baubles from The Range for £4.99, small bows from The Range for £3.87, the large bow from The Range for £1.99 and the artificial stems from The Range for £4.58, so the total was just over £55."
Zoe, who shares her home decor on Instagram at @hemmingshomedesigns, is over the moon with the look of her completed arch.
"I absolutely love the arch and my living room now that it’s done,” Zoe adds.
"I seem to spend my time in that room staring at my arch instead of the TV! It gives the room such a cosy and Christmassy feel.
"It feels amazing to know that I’ve created an arch that I actually prefer to the ones I was looking at in the shop, but for a fraction of the price.
"It’s also great to know it is completely unique, and I can change the decorations on it each year if I wish. The ones I was looking at were £200 to £300 without lights or decorations!"
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “Christmas is a really expensive time of year for families, but Zoe’s clever creation proves you can be budget-friendly and still make your home look wonderfully festive.
“Zoe has ingeniously repurposed an old Christmas tree and accessorised with products from The Range and B&Q, which can always be relied upon for affordability.
“Whether it’s buying discounted presents a year in advance, making your own advent calendars or repurposing an old tree into a stunning archway, there are always savings to be made at Christmas if you look for them!"
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