HomeMade for the Holidays

Home(made) for the Holidays

Simple and easy DIY projects to bring some glam to your holiday table

Candles flickering, casting a warm glow. The scent of cinnamon and cloves on the air. Sprigs of evergreen adding bright contrast.

Want to set an inviting table this holiday season—without splurging on expensive, store-bought floral arrangements? Why not take a more natural approach and try some of these easy to make DIY decorations to add color and warmth to your winter celebrations.

Cinnamon-Stick Candle

You will need:

Pillar candle (3” diameter or greater)

Cinnamon sticks

Floral shears

Hot-glue gun

Twine or ribbon

Additional embellishments (if desired)

How to Make It

1. Measure candle height; cut cinnamon sticks to size with floral shears (for a 3” diameter candle, you will need approximately 20 sticks).

2. Run hot glue along cinnamon stick, and then attach vertically to side of candle. Keep glue on low-temperature setting to avoid melting the candle.

3. After first stick is dry, glue next stick snugly against it; repeat to cover candle.

4. Wrap twine or ribbon around candle and tie off.

5. If desired, use hot glue to affix additional decorative elements, such as miniature ornaments, dried berries, buttons, or cloves (pictured: dried star anise).

Safety note: Never leave a burning candle unattended.

Tabletop Poinsettia Kissing Ball

A cute twist on the traditional hanging “kissing ball,” this tabletop option is a colorful accent to your holiday home. Group several of them together on stands of varying heights for dramatic effect, or set them in shallow bowls with other filler such as colored glass or black river rocks.

You will need:

Poinsettia bloom

Roll of craft paper

Fine gauge florist wire

Wire snips

Florist water vial

Decorative moss (real or artificial)

How to make it:

1. Take craft paper and form a ball, roughly the size of a grapefruit or bocce ball, making sure to leave a space in the center for the florist vial (you can vary the size of your ball for dramatic effect as long as there is enough there to hold the water vial).

2. Nestle the empty vial in the center of the ball, taking care to leave the cap exposed just enough so you can remove it to fill later.

3. Secure ball by loosely wrapping florist wire around it. The vial should be held tightly enough not to move, but do not squeeze the paper down too much.

4. Cover outside of ball with sheets of craft moss; wrap sparingly with floral wire to secure (you can also use hot glue, if you do not have a fine enough gauge wire to go unnoticed).

5. Fill reservoir with water and recap. Cut poinsettia bloom from main plant and place in vial opening.

6. Place ball in shallow bowl, candle holder, or vase to display. Vary container height, fill, and size of ball for dramatic effect.

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