The countdown to the holidays has officially begun! One of our favorite ways to celebrate the season is by filling our homes with handmade decorations. From wreaths and garlands to stylish and unique gift-wrapping ideas, click through for our best holiday crafts from the archives.

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Craft some celebratory crackers to suit your home’s palette. Placing them casually in a bowl lets guests choose the cracker that speaks to them the most.

What You’ll Need:

• You’ll need sheets of scrapbooking paper (12″ x 12″)
• Wrapping paper (for contrasting overlay)
• Cardstock (for template)
• Cardboard tubes
• Scissors, tape or a glue gun
• Ribbon
• Cracker “snappers” (available through Etsy)
• Sizzle (crimped paper)
• Favors such as chocolates, markers or toys (may not be suitable for small children).

How-to:

1. Print a 6″ x 6″ zigzag template on cardstock and cut out the shape.

2. Cut a piece of 12″ x 12″ scrapbooking paper in half. Fold the paper inward so the edges meet in front. Trace the template on the back of the paper and snip the folded edges in triangles to create diamond scoring to make it easier to cinch the cracker with ribbons.

3. Cut a cardboard tube into 4 1⁄4″-long sections. Thread the tube with a cracker snapper (available through Etsy), then add candies and small favors inside the tube, tucking sizzle paper into the ends.

4. Wrap the scrapbook paper around the tube and affix with tape, or with a glue gun for a tidier look.

5. Knot the ribbons over the scored sections and hot glue the overlapping end seams together so they lie flat.

6. Cut out a contrasting piece of wrapping paper approximately 4 1⁄2″ x 6″ for the overlay. Wrap the overlay around the cracker and hot glue the seams closed.

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Get the look of high-end Florentine marbled paper using budget-friendly materials.

What You’ll Need:

• 12″ x 12″ white cardstock paper
• Foam shaving cream
• Acrylic paint the shaving cream and place it on some (3–4 coordinating shades per cracker)
• Squeegee
• Stir stick
• Container (large enough for size of paper)
• Newspaper
• Small trinkets and printed jokes for inside the cracker
• Cracker snaps (find these at Amazon or Michaels)
• Double-sided tape
• Ribbon
• Cardboard tubes (or leftover toilet paper rolls)

How To Make Marbled Paper:

1. Fill a container with a layer of shaving cream.
2. Add squirts of acrylic paint in different colors.
3. Swirl the paint gently into the shaving cream with sticks to create streaks of color. Don’t overmix.
4. Place the paper into the container and press down lightly into the shaving cream until all of the paper has come in contact with the foam, around 5-10 seconds.
5. Lift the paper out of the shaving cream and place it on some newspaper or scrap paper.
6. Using a squeegee, remove the excess shaving cream from the paper.
7. Leave to dry.

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Get into your groove with color. There is nothing quite like a new coat of paint to change the mood of a room. From energetic pink to quiet beige, cheerful yellow to mysterious midnight — a new hue can transform a space. Sico Prestige True One-Coat Hide Stain-Blocking Paint & Primer at Lowe’s offers a shade for every changing mood of your home. And, alter the room color as often as you want — it takes only a single coat to cover existing paint (Prestige can be color-matched to 1,000+ SICO colors!). Plus, with advanced stain resistance and no color fading, your new paint color will look fabulous and last for years.

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When the pandemic hit, professional photographer and mother of three Jenna Rutherford suddenly found herself with a lot of extra time. Like many others, she decided to focus all of that energy into a long overdue project: renovating her home in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. When she started sharing her before-and-after transformations online, she racked up more than 150,000 followers on Instagram and 725,000 on TikTok. From her pantry makeover to her laundry room redesign, Jenna’s videos have now garnered millions of views.

Scroll down for our chat with Jenna about her passion for DIY!

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Thinking of ways to make a floral bouquet last even longer? The new book Flowers Forever: Celebrate the Beauty of Dried Flowers with Stunning Floral Art by Bex Partridge (Hardie Grant, 2022) takes a fresh look at dried flowers. The book covers growing, drying and working with flowers, and also offers advice on how to source materials sustainably. Flowers Forever showcases 10 modern designs including tips for creating a flower cloud, wall-hanging arrangements and gorgeous tablescapes. “I aim to inspire you and show you how to work with materials throughout the seasons to lift your home environment or special occasion by creating sustainable, long-lasting installations,” says Bex.

Scroll down and celebrate the beauty of dried flowers!

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It’s not easy to make people laugh about renovating, but it comes naturally to Wendy Lau of thekwendyhome.com. Videos depict her skipping down the aisles of The Home Depot Canada for bathroom fixtures, or celebrating snagging a pricey mirror, only to pull back and reveal it’s dollhouse-sized. Wendy’s joy in renovating has drawn nearly 300,000 Instagram followers, and millions of views on TikTok. In 2021, Wendy and her husband, Kwan Chan, bought a suburban ’80s-era house in Thornhill, Ont., vowing to “take a builder-grade home to charm school.” Wendy pokes holes in the illusion of Instagram perfection and has plenty of IRL reno wisdom to share.

Scroll down for some of her tips and tricks!

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If you’re looking to breathe some new life into your interior or exterior, consider energizing your home with a freshly painted door. From cheerful front doors to dramatic interior ones, this bold design move will inject color and character into every space.

Scroll down for 25+ painted doors that will inspire your next weekend paint project!

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Impress your friends and family with personalized gift wrap! Not only is gift wrapping the first thing your recipient sees when you hand them their present, but it’s also what they’ll be staring at under the tree leading up to Christmas day. Rather than reaching for the same-old store-bought designs, we’re serving up six festive holiday wrapping ideas you can easily do yourself.

Scroll down and get inspired to craft your own holiday gift wrap!

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