Better Homes And Gardens Holiday Crafts Emagazine 2021

DIY miniature tinsel pipe cleaner wreaths

Credit: Adam Albright

Spruce up your holiday home with these clever handmade Christmas decorations. Including cute ornaments, creative wreaths, cozy pillows, and festive garlands, these oh-how-pretty holiday crafts will make your home merry and bright.

DIY Poinsettia Wreath

Credit: Marty Baldwin

A few cut poinsettia flowers and faux greenery are all it takes to transform a gold macrame hoop ($5, Etsy) into a pretty Christmas wreath. Choose a non-traditional color like this pink and orange or go for the classic red. To assemble, wrap greenery bunches and flowers with florists wire. Attach the large macrame hoop with florists wire. Once finished, wire the large and small wreaths together and hang.

Copper Hoop Wreath

Credit: Carson Downing

Turn old kids' toys into an easy Christmas craft for adults with this gorgeous wall decoration made from recycled toy hoops. This DIY Christmas wreath is stunning—and no one will guess what it's made out of!

Mini Hoop Ornaments

Mini Embroidery Hoop Ornaments

Credit: Alexandra Grablewski

Tiny throw-away pieces of cute or ugly Christmas sweaters fill miniature embroidery hoops for festive wall hangings or ornaments. Tighten the sweater pieces in 3-inch hoops, cut out, trim as needed, and hang with ribbon.

DIY Bottlebrush Trees

Turn household products into adorable bottle brush trees with this fun Christmas craft idea. With a dab of glue, a few sparkly beads, and a little clever snipping, an ordinary dryer vent brush becomes a set of cute-as-can-be festive trees!

Framed Tea Towels

Have a Merry Little Christmas overlapping hanging pictures

Credit: Adam Albright

Create inexpensive Christmas wall art by framing vintage linens, old grain sacks, or flour sack kitchen towels ($4, Target). Hang the frames with twine or ribbon in an overlapping design.

Recycled Holly Garland

whimsical holiday egg carton garland

Credit: Carson Downing

This season, put together a holly garland made from recycled materials. You'll need about 18 cardboard egg cartons to create a long garland, so start saving cartons as soon as you start making your Christmas cookies.

Sweater Garland, Star, and Stool Sleeves

Credit: Alexandra Grablewski

Old sweaters add welcome texture and warmth to your holiday decorating.

To make the star: Place a pretty section from a sweater over a cardboard star form (available at crafts stores) and cut, leaving 1 inch excess all around. Starting at the center and working out, hot-glue to secure. Glue edges under the form.

To make the garland: Cut star shapes from sweater fabric using our free downloadable template. Adhere heavy iron-on fusible interfacing to the backs of the stars; trim. Hot-glue a large sequin in the center of each star. Glue stars to yarn and hang.

To make the stool sleeves: Cut the arms from sweaters in half lengthwise and sew a seam in each to create tubes to fit stool legs. Turn ends under 1 inch and hem. Slide onto legs.

Faux-Knitted Vase Wraps

Credit: Alexandra Grablewski

Add cozy holiday flair to your mantel by embellishing plain glass vases with snug sweater wraps—no knitting required! To make, cut off the end of a sweater arm to a length that will fit your container plus 2 inches. Fold the edge under and secure it with hot glue. If desired, glue miniature jingle bells to the cuff. If you have leftover sweater pieces, you can turn them into Christmas stockings!

Buffalo Check Artwork

buffalo check canvas art with hanging wreath sideboard

Credit: Brie Passano

This DIY buffalo check artwork is the perfect combination of modern and rustic, so it's sure to fit any decorating style. Don't let the size of the design intimidate you: It's easy to quickly paint the buffalo check pattern using a wallpaper brush (we'll show you how!).

White Berry Wreath

Door wreath made of branches and white berries

Credit: Jay Wilde

Craft a handmade Christmas wreath that will last all season long. This DIY white berry wreath starts with a plain grapevine form and purchased faux berry sprigs. Finish the project with a slate blue velvet ribbon tied into a classic bow.

Farmhouse-Inspired

painted wood Christmas Noel sign lights wreath design mantel

Credit: Adam Albright

Even a white modern farmhouse space can use a little red and green at the holidays! Make your own festive wood pallet sign decorated with pretty light green and red painted designs. You can create your own, or use our free template to replicate ours.

Related: 23 Farmhouse Christmas Decor Ideas

Peppermint Garland

woman in pink shirt and pants in front of a white fireplace against a green background

A trip to the crafts store and a free 30 minutes is all it takes to make this festive peppermint garland! The peppermints are made from paper plates and cellophane wrap, then strung together to create a bright Christmas garland. Hang it on a mantel or use it to dress up your holiday staircase this season.

Envelope Advent Calendar

An envelope advent calendar is a fun Christmas craft for adults to make for the kids. Add wire or string to an empty frame and use mini clothespins to attach numbered envelopes full of surprises!

Wood Bead Wreath

tassels in middle of wreath made from beads

This simple wood bead wreath is an easy way to decorate for the holidays without overwhelming your space with over-the-top Christmas decor. Grab a set of inexpensive wood beads ($5, Michaels) and add tassels in any color you like.

Pinecone Gnome Ornaments

Credit: Jay Wilde

This holiday crafts idea transforms inexpensive materials like pinecones and felt into a trio of wise gnomes. Let your imagination run wild as you style their beards, scarves, and hats.

3-D Moose and Reindeer Ornaments

diy animal head ornaments

Credit: Cameron Sadeghpour

These cool, contemporary DIY animal ornaments will certainly attract attention; they pop right out of the frame! To make, print the free patterns and trace the shapes onto a sheet of balsa wood. Cut out shapes with a crafts knife. Paint the shield-shape backgrounds with desired colors. Cut out holes as marked on the pattern and assemble each animal. To display, string decorative ribbon across an empty frame and hang finished ornaments from ribbon with embroidery floss.

Personalized Mini Tree

Personalized Photo Mini Tree

Credit: Anthony Masterson

Take a quick tour through holidays past with this retro-inspired photo tree. To make this personalized Christmas craft, perch a small tree in a silver bucket and fasten old photos using small clothespins. If desired, intersperse paper tags marked with script handwriting as well as mini garland or ribbon and twinkle lights.

DIY Swag Wreath

Swag Wreath

Create a bright and cheerful evergreen swag wreath for a door or above a mantel. This easy Christmas craft idea starts with a purchased swag wreath form ($25, Target) and gets an upgrade thanks to red berries, eucalyptus, and ribbon.

Tag-It Advent Calendar

Tag Advent Calendar

Credit: Scott Little

This simple advent calendar idea comes together with easy-to-find crafts-store supplies. Wrap a piece of foam core with linen, and frame. Choose a font you like and print numbers on tags. Use little bits and baubles to decorate each tag. Pin tags to foam core.

Mini Wreath Ornaments

DIY miniature tinsel pipe cleaner wreaths

Credit: Adam Albright

We don't think there has ever been a more fun-to-make Christmas craft! To make, twist metallic pipe cleaners around a wooden crafts ring. Cut a piece of colorful felt into three pieces: 5×1/2 inch, 5×3/8 inch, and 1×3/8 inch. To create the tails, notch the ends of the 1/2-inch piece. Glue to the top of the wreath. For the bow, glue the ends of the 5×3/8 inch piece together to form two loops. Press flat, pinch the middle, and wrap the middle with the remaining piece of felt. Glue bow on top of tails.

Pallet Christmas Tree

wood palette christmas tree

Credit: Jason Donnelly

No room for a tree? This hangable wall tree is the perfect holiday craft for small spaces. To make, draw a large triangle on a large shipping pallet to desired size (ours is 44 inches tall). Cut out the triangle using a jigsaw; use sandpaper to smooth all surfaces. Paint tree slats with alternating shades of green paint. Predrill holes, then screw small cup hooks and drawer pulls to the front. Hang cards and decorations on the cup hooks. Tie rope between knobs; attach clothespins to rope. Garlands, globe lights, and mini presents also make fun tree decorations.

A Sweet Paper Tree

cupcake liner christmas tree

Credit: Kim Cornelison

Raid your kitchen for simple materials to make this retro-mod non-traditional Christmas tree. Buy a frame and attach colorful cupcake liners atop the glass so that their crimped sides pop off the surface. Use adhesive dots from the crafts store for a gummy, nonpermanent stick.

Mini Holiday Forest

Credit: Jay Wilde

A teensy forest and wintry animals lend seasonal cheer to a tabletop.

To make the trees: Cut a small piece of sisal rope. (The length depends on how large you want your tree.) Untwist the rope strands and continue pulling them apart until you have fine fibers. Place fibers in a pile. Continue to cut and untwist strands until you have your desired amount. Cut a piece of 18-gauge galvanized-steel wire twice as long as desired trunk length. Bend the wire in half. Sandwich the fiber pile between the wires near the bend, and use scissors to trim the fiber pile into a triangular shape. Place the loose ends of the wire in a vise. Cut a small piece from a clothes hanger and bend it into a hook shape (to use in place of a drill bit). Place the clothes hanger hook into the end of a drill. Insert the hook through the bent end of the wire. Turn the drill on, twisting the wire until fibers are secure. Turn off drill. Remove the clothes hanger hook from the tree and the wire from the vise. Use scissors to trim the spun (and now shaggy) fibers into a tree shape. Spray paint in desired colors. Wrap exposed wire with florists tape.

To create the forest: Spray-paint a herd of miniature plastic reindeer or moose. Insert the trees into the holes of a cribbage board and arrange animals around trees.

Cupcake-Liner Trees

Credit: Jason Donnelly

These colorful Christmas trees are made using varieties of different baking cups. Cut down the side and around the bottom of each baking cups; discard bottom. Starting at the bottom of a foam cone, wrap a cut strip around the tree, securing the ends with straight pins. Cover any foam that remains visible with another strip. Add more strips, overlapping slightly and alternating patterns until you reach the top. For the last two strips at the top, roll a small pleated piece and insert it inside a slightly larger strip; pin to treetop.

Salt-Dough Snowflake Ornaments

Salt-Dough Snowflake Ornament

Credit: Jay Wilde

A few pantry staples and some snowflake cookie cutters are all you need to create these charming, customizable ornaments. To create, preheat the oven to 200˚F. Mix 1/2 cup salt, 1 cup flour, and 1/2 cup water until it forms a sticky dough. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick and use cookie cutters to cut out snowflake shapes. Pierce each shape with a skewer to create a hole for hanging. Bake for 4 hours. Let shapes cool completely. Decorate shapes as desired with a permanent marker.

Festive-Font Plates

Noel plates stockings

Credit: Kim Cornelison

Mismatched ceramic plates (available by the dozens at local thrift stores) serve as an ideal base for this festive message. Cut letters from spray-painted chipboard, varying letter sizes and fonts for extra appeal, then glue each cutout securely to a ceramic plate. For a 3-D effect, glue a letter onto a small saucer and affix it to a larger plate using epoxy. Hang stockings below in coordinating hues for a bright, cheerful scene.

Christmas Tags

diy felt gift tags

Credit: Adam Albright

Make a DIY Christmas gift even more special by embellishing the wrapping with a needle-felted tag or decoration you've made yourself. Simply cut out pieces of felt in whatever shape you like best and layer with extra felt strips, triangles, stars, or other festive shapes. Needle-felt designs into your tags, or stitch letters and patterns for an extra special touch.

Cheerful Holiday Artwork

decoupage wooden letters noel

Credit: Greg Scheidemann

Propped on a windowsill or a mantel, these decoupaged wooden letters will greet your guests with cheer. Use them to display a holiday sentiment or your family's last name.

Ribbon Christmas Card Hanger

pink string art display with christmas cards

Credit: Carson Downing

Display a friendly season's greeting to all guests. To create a yarn card hanger, simply create a tree form on your wall with push pins. String on yarn in a random pattern. Attach the cards to the yarn using small clips.

Crystallized Christmas Trees

Rock Candy Christmas Tree

Credit: Jay Wilde

These rock candy-embellished cones are a fun and easy holiday crafts project. Pour horizontal rows of candy crystals in three or more colors on a baking sheet with the rows flush together. Wrap solid light color cardstock around foam cones, slightly overlapping the paper at the back of the cone and securing it with hot glue. Do not apply the hot glue directly to the foam cone, which will melt. Larger cones may need two sheets of paper to be completely covered. Spread crafts glue on the cones and roll them in crystals; let dry. Repeat process, if needed, to cover cones completely with crystals. Use hot glue to fill in small gaps with hand-placed crystals.

Homemade Holiday Snow Globe

Credit: Kim Cornelison

Christmas snow globes can be found in stores by the dozen, but why not make your own? The trick is to use liquid glycerin—an ingredient used to make handmade soaps—available at crafts stores.

Winter-Theme Votive Candles

Credit: Dana Gallagher

Perfect for Christmas place settings or centerpieces, these winter-theme votives are an ideal accent for a holiday table. Wrap silver or clear votive holders in blue velvet ribbon, and hot-glue mini frosted pinecones to the ribbon for a natural touch.

Editor's Tip: Make a few of these for a unique hostess gift, or let Christmas guests take them home as party favors.

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