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1
Collected ignition agent
Photo by Mike Garten; Craft Styling: Rhys Engelhart
Place the DIY fire starter under a dry log in your fireplace or fireplace, light the wick and enjoy the warm winter scents. These can be easily recreated by collecting kindling. Think small pine cones, evergreen twigs, dried citrus peels, cinnamon sticks, and coffee beans.
Place cupcake liners on baking tray. Place the wax pellets in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave. Stir every 30 seconds until the wax is melted and completely clear. Dip the bottom of the wick in the wax and place one in each muffin cup. Fill the cup with about half of the kindling. Pour 2/3 of the wax over the kindling. Let the wax harden for a few minutes, then add more kindling on top. Wait an hour for the wax to completely harden before handling.
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2
toy drum decoration
mike garten
Can you believe this adorable drum ornament is made from old toilet paper rolls? With a little paint, tape, and ribbon, the paper becomes completely unrecognizable once rolled up.
Cut a toilet paper roll with scissors to about 1.5″-2″ high. Paint the outside of the roll with acrylic paint and allow to dry completely. Cut two circles out of craft paper the same size as the opening of the roll and use a thin line of hot glue to adhere to them in place. Add details to the sides of the drum. Make a crisscross pattern with washi tape or attach ribbon with hot glue. Stick washi tape, ribbon, or craft paper to the top and bottom of the “drum” to create nice straight lines. Add a loop of ribbon. Add a dot of hot glue to the side to hang it.
buy washi tape
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3
upcycled bottle candle holder
mike garten
Before you throw away your wine and beverage bottles, consider this impressive candle holder craft. Moreover, it is beginner-friendly.
Place the evergreen in the bottle and fill it with water. Optionally add some fresh cranberries for a pop of color. Rub sticky candle wax on the bottom of the taper candle and place it in the opening of the bottle. (If the candle doesn't fit into the opening, scrape off the excess wax until it fits securely). Change the water every few days to keep the greens fresh.
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Four
biodegradable wreath
mike garten
Gather grocery items like popcorn, dried fruit, bay leaves, and candy and turn them into a unique holiday garland. Once the holidays are over, remove the monofilament/ribbon and place it in a nearby compost bin.
Thread a needle and strong monofilament through leftovers in your pantry. Or wrap decorative ribbon around pretzels or dried pasta for an unexpected twist. Tip: Paint the pasta a metallic gold for extra shine.
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Five
swan ornament
mike garten
Ditch the traditional baubles and these elegant swans will look beautiful hanging on your Christmas tree. To create:
Paint the mini pine cones white and let them dry completely. Wrap the ends of the white pipe cleaners together to create a small swan head. Cut a pipe cleaner about 1 inch below the head and attach it to one end of the pine cone with a dot of hot glue to create the swan's neck and head. Cut small triangles from gold craft paper and attach them to the sides of the swan. Make a beak using a pipe cleaner head. He cuts two small wing shapes out of felt and hot glues them to the sides of the pine cone to create the wings. Make a decoration by attaching a loop string to the swan.
buy mini pine cones
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6
decorated wreath
mike garten
Create a simple pine wreath by adding artificial flowers or bunches of dried leaves and flowers. The best part? As the seasons change, bunches of winter leaves can be replaced with spring flowers.
Place the bundle on top of the evergreen wreath and wrap the wire around it to secure it. Follow the direction of your evergreens and overlap the bundles to hide any visible wires. Make a ribbon using decorative ribbon and secure it with wire.
buy a lease
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7
mason jar covered in snow
rainbow fragment
With just a few ingredients and about 5 minutes, you can turn mason jars into beautiful centerpieces. This blogger uses Mod Podge and kosher salt to create the “snow” and adds decorative touches like twine, evergreen twigs, pine cones, and berries. Tip: Find jars at your local dollar store or reuse old candles or tomato sauce jars.
For a tutorial, see A Piece of Rainbow.
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8
clay christmas village
alice and lois
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9
family pet ornaments
mike garten
Print an adorable photo of your pet or a cheerful photo of your family to create a unique ornament that you'll want to display year after year. First, you'll need a classic bauble.
Hot glue the pipe cleaners around the ornament. Fold the pipe cleaner into shape and add small legs. Add another set of legs and tails to the pipe cleaners twisted and wrapped around the ornament. Twist it around the ornament and add small dots of hot glue to secure it. Add printed faces and other small embellishments on top of it. Add small dots of hot glue. Hang the string with hot glue.
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Ten
twine wrapped light bulb
mike garten
Before you throw away your old light bulbs, here's a genius upcycled craft idea using rustic pear twine. All you need is twine, a hot glue gun, scissors, and small twigs and pieces of paper to serve as the stems and leaves. Once you have gathered what you need, follow these steps:
Add dots of hot glue to the large side of the bulb. Attach the twine and begin wrapping it around the entire bulb, then add more hot glue. Cut off the excess string. Fill in the gaps with more glue and twine. Attach twigs to the stems and paper crescents to the leaves.
buy twine
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11
paper poinsettia wreath
Offering the house built by Lars
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12
upcycled wallpaper ornaments
mike garten
If you recently wallpapered your interior and still have some materials left, we have the perfect craft for you: elegant decorations made from small strips of wallpaper.
Cut the wallpaper into nine 0.5” x 10” strips. Drill 3 holes in each strip (center, top, and bottom). Thread the wooden beads onto 10-inch floral wire and secure by wrapping the wire around them. Add a piece of paper to the wire through the center hole. Thread both ends of the bottom strip through the wire. Repeat each strip clockwise so all ends are on top of the wire. Add another wooden bead to make a loop of wire and tie a ribbon on top to secure it.
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13
felt stockings
Show your love and have a party
Purchasing stockings can be expensive, especially as your family grows. Why not try making it yourself? Made from soft felt, these adorable stockings are a challenge even for amateur sewers. This blogger adds yarn pom poms and small felt balls as decorations.
Find tutorials at Tell Love and Party »
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14
fringe ornament
mike garten
Swap traditional glass baubles for striking fringe embellishments like this red display that exudes a 1920s flapper aesthetic. Grab your tinsel fringe ribbon and hanging cord, get out your hot glue, and follow these easy steps.
Starting at the bottom of the ornament, hot glue a small circular piece of tinsel fringe ribbon around the base. Continue gluing the ring of ribbon over the previous ring so that the ribbons overlap slightly and there are no gaps. Replace the ornament hook with gold ribbon or cord.
buy tinsel ribbon
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15
giant candy cane pillow
That's nice
This oversized candy cane pillow will transform your home into a Christmas candy run. If you have a sewing machine, it only takes an hour to make. Choose red and white felt to create a classic striped design and fill it all with fiberfill.
Check out the tutorial on Lovely Indeed »
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16
paper christmas tree
please love today
Inject some color into your holiday decorations with our collection of rainbow Christmas trees (these are made from cardstock). It is placed on a gold-painted wooden base, giving it an elegant feel.
Check out the Love the Day tutorial. »
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17
snowflakes in paper bag
mike garten
Thanks to the easy-to-follow pattern, you don't need to be a skilled craftsman to recreate these whimsical paper snowflakes. Choose from a variety of shapes and styles to add visual interest to your windows, mantels, and doorways. The best part? An all-white display will look great all winter long, even after the Christmas season is over.
buy paper bags
Download pattern »
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18
colorful felt gnomes
tater tots and jello
If you look closely, you'll see that these adorable gnomes are actually made from EOS lip balm. This blogger used small wooden balls for heads and cut out felt shapes for hats, mittens, and scarves. Tip: You can mix and match lip balm lids for a multi-colored look.
Check out our Tatel Tots and Jell-O tutorials. »
Buy EOS Lip Balm
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19
vintage style bell garland
Made in one day
Boho rustic style is also a 2023 home style trend, and this gold bell garland makes a gorgeous addition to your Christmas tree. It is made from a combination of vintage rustic bells and mini brass bells connected with satin cord. To add even more detail, use a white paint pen to draw intricate patterns on each bell (including lots of snowflakes).
Check out the “Made in a Day” tutorial. »
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20
craft stick wreath
mike garten
This gorgeous Christmas wreath proves we're never too old to play with popsicle sticks. To get started, you'll need about 40-50 small craft sticks and 20-30 large ones. Buy green or paint it at least three different shades of the classic holiday color. Glue the sticks to a 12-inch foam wreath and layer and mix the green shades together.
buy craft sticks
Alyssa Gautieri (she) is Good Housekeeping's Deputy Lifestyle Editor, covering all things home and interior design. She joined GH in 2022 before joining BrylaneHome and VIGO Industries, in addition to creating product copy for her brands such as ELLE Decor, Chairish, BobVila.com, Unique Homes Magazine, LODGING He has contributed to publications such as Magazine.
Monique Valeris is Good Housekeeping's home design director, overseeing the brand's home décor range across print and digital. Before joining GH in 2020, she served as a digital editor at Elle Decor. In her current role, she investigates everything from design trends to home tours to lifestyle product recommendations, including writing a monthly column, “What's in Your Cart?”
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