Decorating & Design

DIY Projects

DIY: Seasonal Leaf Garland

This seasonal leaf garland mimics the look of winter greenery covered in a blanket of snow. Read on for instructions or watch the video. Materials  You’ll need cardstock, a scoring knife, craft wire, glue, and florist’s wire. Trace and cut leaves in three different sizes and shapes — we…

DIY Projects

Easy DIY: Paper Cone Party Favors

Fill cones with candy and keep them on a tray by the front door to give to guests as they leave. Materials You’ll need heavy paper such as wallpaper or construction paper, scissors, ruler, pencil, roll-on permanent glue tape or double-sided tape, decorative sticker seals, and gum drops or other…

DIY Projects

Easy DIY: Holiday Calendar

Repurpose an old picture frame to hang the project. Apply silver-leaf to amp up the glitz factor. Cut mat board to fit frame, then measure out 24 spots on which to place your calendar containers. Try small aluminum screw-top spice tins for an inexpensive and reusable container option. Affix…

DIY Projects

Easy DIY: Vintage Garland

Photocopy vintage Christmas cards on cardstock. Using a circle cutter, cut each of the copies into circles of varying sizes, then cut backing circles out of plain cardstock or leftover wallpaper to match each image. For added sparkle, highlight parts of each image with glitter. Arrange the circles image side down…

DIY Projects

DIY: Chalkboard Christmas Tree

Senior design editor Joel Bray shares how to create an alternative Christmas tree. Read on for instructions or watch the video.

DIY Projects

Easy DIY: Custom Christmas Ornaments

Transform inexpensive Christmas ornaments into custom creations by covering them in newsprint or coating them with glitter. Decoupage glue firmly seals the new finishes. Materials  You’ll need plain ball ornaments, newsprint, glitter and decoupage glue. Instructions  Paper: 1. Tear up pages from an old newspaper or book — using yellowed…

DIY Projects

DIY: Festive Paper Garland

Designer Sarah Hartill shares step-by-step instructions on how to create a festive paper garland. 

DIY Projects

Easy DIY: Holiday Mantel Decor

Paper lanterns make a glowy mantelscape. Here’s how to make your own: 1. Choose a font, print out letters to scale and trace onto white paper bags. Cut out with a very sharp craft knife. 2. Trim sheets of vellum (at craft stores) to fit inside the paper bags. Glue…

DIY Projects

DIY: Holiday Cookie Package

Assistant design editor Jennifer Koper shares a beautiful cookie wrapping idea for the holidays. I really enjoy giving and receiving baked goods around the holidays – especially when they’re wrapped in pretty packaging. Recently I was tasked with creating a unique cookie wrapping idea for the Pillsbury cookie challenge, alongside three other…

DIY Projects

DIY: Holiday Lantern

Interiors director Meg Crossley shares step-by-step instructions on how to make a carriage lantern for a festive entry.

DIY Projects

Easy DIY: A Mini Potted Tree

A potted pine is a hostess gift with homespun charm and wonderful scent. Here’s how to dress one up: 1. Choose a small pine tree or branch — ours is about 18″ tall — and place in a pot. 2. Cut a piece of black burlap long enough to wrap around…

DIY Projects

DIY: Advent Calendar

Senior editor Sally Armstrong shares step-by-step instructions on how to make a charming Advent calendar out of sticks and bags.

DIY Projects

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Discover what tools designers can’t live without!

Decorating Advice

How To Choose And Light The Perfect Christmas Tree

How to buy the right tree type.

Best Paint Colors

Annie Sloan’s Top 10 Tips On Using Chalk Paint

Get the Queen of Paint's advice on choosing colors and painting techniques for your next project.