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Home Decor

23 Ways To Get Your Holiday Craft On

Ready your scissors and glue! We’ve stockpiled our best festive DIYs.
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23 Ways To Get Your Holiday Craft On

Christmas Crafts

Whimsical wrapping paper

Kick your presentation up a notch this year by adding a bubble garland, a paper bow or your own homemade holly-berry peekaboo wrapping paper.

Cardboard Christmas tree

Designer Courtney Witherspoon created this cardboard tree to serve as a holiday guest book. Get her instructions for a cardboard Christmas tree.

A modern Christmas tree made out of two pieces of cardboard with a glitter cardboard star at the top and "joy to the world" and "ho ho ho" written on it and cardboard ornaments pinned to it next to a table that looks like a gnome holding craft supplies for a piece on how to make a modern cardboard Christmas tree(Photo: Sian Richards)

Foraged wreaths

The prettiest ornaments of the season can be foraged wreaths, made with greenery from your own backyard.



Holly jolly garland

Deck out your mantel with oversized paper leaves, holly berries and crepe paper bells. To make the garland, simply cut leaves out of construction paper, score down the centre and attach to fishing line with tape. Painted logs and paper letters that spell out Noel complete the look.

an accordion pleated paper wreath made from folded green construction paper with a red construction paper bow hanging above a festive mantle for a post on How To Make An Accordion Folded Paper Wreath

Twine snowball ornaments

This season, deck the halls with something other than boughs and holly. Get instructions for making these twine and felt snowball ornaments.  

23 Ways To Get Your Holiday Craft On(Photo: Sian Richards)

A DIY paper garland

Trim your trees, walls and mantlepiece with colourful geometric shapes. Cut out circles and triangles and stitch them together for a lovely paper garland. Branch out beyond red, green and white, and make a vibrant paper garland out of all of the colours of the rainbow. Simply punch out triangles, diamonds and circles, and stitch them with a sewing machine to make this delightful decoration.

23 Ways To Get Your Holiday Craft OnPhoto, Sian Richards.

Hanukkah garland

Give a handcrafted gift this Hanukkah. Our star garland is made from modelling clay, finished with gold leaf and strung with suede cord. A soft, foldable leather clutch protects the strand for years to come. Get our Hanukkah garland instructions.

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A starry Hanukkah banner with gold clay stars in a leather pouch for a post on homemade gifts(Photo: Sian Richards)

Chocolate-hazelnut 'salami'

Make this heavenly chocolate indulgence the centrepiece of a dessert ”charcuterie” board made up of fruit and sweet biscuits. Get our chocolate-hazelnut 'salami' recipe.

23 Ways To Get Your Holiday Craft On(Photo: Sian Richards)

Accordion folded wreath

Spruce up a door with this easy-to-make folded-paper wreath. All you need is a circular foam-core base and wide strips of green paper. Accordion-fold the paper back and forth until you have ruffles. Attach with hot glue, add a bow and voilà!

an accordion pleated paper wreath made from folded green construction paper with a red construction paper bow for a post on How To Make An Accordion Folded Paper Wreath

Feather wreaths

Decorate your house in a wintery palette with a focus on feathers. Three wreaths and a seeded-eucalyptus garland studded with decorative gold tree picks dress up this staircase.

To create the wreaths, attach ethically sourced feathers dipped in gold paint to pre-made grapevine wreath forms. For New Year’s, remove the garland and your home is instantly party-ready. 

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A festive staircase adorned with a green leaves wrapped around the stair railing and white and gold-dipped feather wreaths hanging from the railing(Photo: Sian Richards)

Good old paper snowflakes

Add a festive pop to your holiday table with wintry paper snowflakes and stars. Make your own or, if you’re pressed for time, pick up some ready-made ones and hang them with fishing line. Tip: These decorations will work all season. Put them up at the beginning of December and keep them until the new year.

An array of paper snowflakes hanging over a table decorated for the holidays with stems of champagne and colourful cubes(Photo: Sian Richards)

DIY paper feather gift tags

Give your holiday packages a lift with these beautifully crafted paper gift tags. Download and print our feather template, or simply draw the pattern freehand. Fold the shape in half and delicately clip the edges to produce a downy plume. A bit of gold paint adds a touch of glamour. 

23 Ways To Get Your Holiday Craft On

Colour-Blocked Yarn Ornaments

While these ornaments wouldn’t look out of place in a trendy home decor store, they are so easy to make that you can do it yourself. Here's how to make colour-blocked yarn ornaments.

a set of homemade yarn-wrapped colourful christmas ornaments hanging from a tree branch over a festive table(Photo: Sian Richards)

Crunchy Maple-Nut Granola

Make the most important meal of the day extra special with the world’s best breakfast. Dress up paper bags with foraged festive boughs and decorative washi tape. Get our crunchy maple-nut granola recipe.

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a bag of crunchy maple-nut granola on birch log next to a wood spoon serving the granola and a tag reading "Merry merry"(Photo: Sian Richards)

Takeaway ornament

Instead of a typical place card, create hand-painted clay feathers that double as gifts.

1. Roll out modelling clay until about 1/8 inch thick and cut out a feather shape.

2. Pierce a hole in the top of the feather so that a string can be threaded through.

3. Bake in the oven following the manufacturer’s directions.

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4. Allow to cool and then paint.

5. Add each guest’s name with a pen.

a festive place setting with a napkin with a clay feather ornament dipped in gold with a gold string to hang it and "erin" written on it(Photo: Sian Richards)

DIY snowglobes

Capture the whimsy of a magical wintry day with handcrafted snow globes.

Three homemade snow globes made of figurines or onaments glued to the lid of a glass jar that is then flipped and filled with glitter and water and glycerine for a piece on how to make a homemade snow globe craft or gift(Photo: Roberto Caruso)

Pine cone animal ornaments

Craft your own version of these Pottery Barn pine cone animals and turn your tree into a forest wonderland.

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What you’ll need:

Pine cones, white paint, paintbrush, matches or popsicle sticks, felt-tip pen, small stuffed animals, string, hot glue gun

Instructions:

1. Brush pine cones with white paint to bring out their texture.

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2. Draw toes onto the ends of matches or popsicle sticks with a felt-tip pen and hot glue gun them to the pine cones as legs or feet.

3. Take apart small stuffed animals from home or a thrift store and glue the heads and tails to the pine cones. You can also make your own heads with fluffy pom poms, fabric paint (to draw noses and eyes) and cardboard cut-outs (for ears and antlers).

4. Tie string around the pine cone and create a loop, or hot glue a loop onto the pine cone.

23 Ways To Get Your Holiday Craft OnPhoto, Pottery Barn.

Gumdrop wreath

Make a sweet statement with this sugary homemade wreath craft.

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Finished DIY Christmas wreath crafted from a Styrofoam form decorated entirely with royal icing and bulk gumdrops, with a pink ribbon for hanging.(Photo: Roberto Caruso)

Rock Sugar Wreath

This ethereal decoration takes on a crystal-like glow when hung in a window. Get our rock sugar wreath instructions.

a festive, glowing wreath made of rock sugar on a wreath form hung with a green velvet ribbon for a post on a christmas wreath craft(Photo: Roberto Caruso)

Leftover Fabric Scraps Wreath

Raid your sewing box for leftover material to get started and get our leftover fabric scraps wreath instructions.

A homemade wreath made from leftover green fabric scraps and red velvet ribbon(Photo: Roberto Caruso)

Old Sweater Wreath

Turn your old knits into a colourful country charmer. Get our old sweater wreath instructions.

a homemade wreath made of old sweater scraps in red and white with a red ribbon(Photo: Roberto Caruso)

Old Sweater Stockings

Get our step-by-step tutorial on how to turn old sweaters into pretty stockings.

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Three Christmas stockings hung from a holiday mantel; all are red and white and made from old sweaters for a post on a craft to make stockings out of old sweaters(Photo: Sian Richards)

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The cover of Chatelaine's Spring 2026 issue.

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A Bright Spot: Our Spring 2026 issue features 12 colourful DIY decor hacks from guest editor Alexandra Gater. Plus, recipes for protein-packed breakfasts, cheese soufflé and a dreamy rhubarb cake.