
Photo by Sian Richards
We asked designer Jillian Harris to share a Christmas decorating idea, her favourite holiday tradition, and what she hopes to find under the Christmas tree.
I love spending cozy winter evenings curled up with a classic book. This delicate wreath is made of paper pinwheels from pages of antique books that are attached to a lace-covered foam ring. Miniature lights make it twinkle and are a warm reminder of holidays past.
Here’s what you’ll need
- Foam wreath
- Wire wreath frame
- String lights
- Plastic zip ties
- Doilies
- Antique book pages
- Glue gun
Instructions
- Insert a foam wreath into the wire wreath skeleton (this gives it more stability).
- Wrap the string lights around the entire frame and secure it in place with plastic zip ties.
- Cover the whole thing with the doilies, overlapping them and pulling the lights through the fabric.
- To make pinwheels (make as many as you need, about 20 for an mid-size wreath):
- Use two sheets of paper (because the pages of an antique book are thin).
- Cut each sheet of paper into an exact square.
- Fold the square in half into a diagonal and crease.
- Open it up and fold it again in a diagonal the opposite way and crease.
- Open it up to a square again and cut along the crease lines (starting at the edges) until you are halfway up towards the centre point.
- One by one, take the points and gently bend them towards the centre (try not to make a crease).
- Then, using a glue gun, secure one of the points to the centre (bending the paper as you did in the previous step).
- Repeat with each corner until they are all glued at the centre point, forming loops.
- Attach each pinwheel to the wreath form using the glue gun or with a straight pin through the centre.
Antique book (for wreath), Charlieford.com. Mirror, Lovethedesign.com.
Favourite holiday tradition: The sleepover with all my cousins. To this day we still insist on putting out milk and cookies.
Under the tree: I’m in love with antique candelabras and dainty glassware, so a gorgeous vintage treasure to make my house holiday-party-ready.

Designer Jillian Harris