6 Handmade Holiday Decor Ideas

Interior designer Kelly Deck shows us how to add a personal touch to holiday decorating.

Vancouver designer Kelly Deck is known for her mix of high and low, but did you know her other signature move is to add a bit of DIY?Earlier in the holiday season we had the chance to appropriate the best of her Christmas tablescape tips (read more on Holiday Decorating 101 here), but what we didn’t know at first glance was that Deck had incorporated a ton of items that were handmade by her and her team. The designer says she always likes to include at least one item made from scratch, because that personal touch is something special you won’t find in any other home.Whether it’s for the tree or for your holiday table, here are a few designer craft ideas to inspire you this Christmas.Brown Satin Ornament. For this nature-inspired tree jewel, Deck wrapped pieces of brown satin around a styrofoam ball and topped with ribbon bows and faux woodpecker feathers.Texture-Rich Twine Ornament. Even the designer’s tree ornaments are on trend. This one is a cinch to make and we love the raw and fuzzy texture of this twine, it’s a nice contrast against more twinkly ornaments. For this one, glue gun row after row of twine around a styrofoam ball and attach your twine loop for hanging.Glam Basket Centrepiece. A beautiful tabletop addition that is easy to replicate at home. Deck took a shallow wicker basket and spray-painted it white. Then she filled it with moss and a mixed shade of greens, adding hits of gold plants and leaves. You could buy plastic gold flowers or spray paint bits of bush and leaves yourself (we recommend Rustoleum’s Specialty Metallic in gold for the most realistic gild job).Bold Berry Centrepiece. You can go all out with this one as Deck has, or you can try her simpler pruned-down version, that just requires you to fill a vase with pet store rocks and top with berries, like the ones in this arrangement.Pom-Pom Present. The designer loves to include a small gift at her dinner parties as these both act as place settings and give guests a sweet little takeaway to remember the evening. You can hand craft pom-poms easily by wrapping yarn around your fingers, tying a knot around the middle and snipping the ends. Deck wrapped presents in white, secured with gold and white yarn trim and topped with her handmade pom-pom.Artsy Rope Garland. A fabulous example of high-low design, Deck used dollar store rope and wooden beads as a garland around a tree otherwise blinged out in white and gold. The designer says she made the garland by haphazardly knotting plain rope and sliding on beads one or two or three at a time in between knots.