Whenever I get to work with Hobby Lobby, I am literally jumping for joy. I mean, I have myself convinced that this store was created just for this DIY girl. I wouldn’t go anywhere else when it comes to a project, so when they asked me to create a DIY mantel for them this year, I got right on it.
I have always loved decorating a mantel, and this year is no different. If you’ve seen my Instagram feed lately, you know I’m into the off-centered side garland this year. I really love the added interest it gives. I wanted it to emulate a cozy chunky throw blanket draped over the edge of a chair. I created the same look for our master bedroom.
Also, If you want to see my Hobby Lobby Farmhouse Christmas post from last year, you can read that right here and see how I used items from their scrapbooking section to create a mantel statement piece.
So, I have to say when you find a good thing, you stick with it and the first place I went to after I got this assignment was the scrapbooking aisle at Hobby Lobby. I picked out various patterns of paper as the ideas were swirling around in my head. I made simple stocking tags with small embroidery hoops and scrapbook paper.
Simply trace around your hoops and cut out your circles. Next, grab your favorite paint pen and write your names on the paper circles or you can even choose to do just an initial. I am head over heels when it comes to lettering so I chose to do names. Not crazy about your handwriting? Checkout the sticker or chipboard section at Hobby Lobby as an alternative.
Next take your hoops apart and hot glue the paper to the hoop and then put them back together and tighten. Now, set them aside because we’re not done with the stocking embellishments.
Next comes the tassels. One can never have too many tassels, am I right? We are going to make two of them for each stocking.
I picked out a skein of Yarn Bee Yarn. I’ve used it for so many products and it’s my absolute FAVE! I love the texture and chunkiness of it and it will be perfect for this simple project.
Start by wrapping the yarn around your hand 15 times.
Slide it off and cut another long string, feed that through the top of your loop and tie a tight knot.
Once the knot is tied, cut the opposite end of the loop like I did below. And, then, tie another tight string around the top portion of the tassel and there you have it. You may have to trim the ends to even up the strings.
Let’s Assemble
Next, assembling is as easy as tying a knot. Just attach them at varying lengths to the hanging loop of the stocking and your “ho hum” stocking has been kicked up several notches.
Garland
The garland and its embellishments all came from Hobby Lobby as well. The best advice I can give you when it comes to creating a garland is pick out two different ones. I like to do a flocked and unlocked variety. I then peruse the Christmas pick aisle and grab a few extras, whether that be berries or other frosty stems. My theme in my master bedroom this year was more on the neutral side, so I gathered items that would fit accordingly. Marry your two garlands together to give them more of a beefier look. Then add your picks and sticks and you’re good to go. Small cup hold attached to the top side of my mantel are what I use to hold everything in place.
Step out of the box when it comes to ribbon
There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to ribbon and no one said you must use fabric ribbon on your trees and garlands. I found this awesome paper ribbon, again, in the scrapbooking section and made my bow with it. All you’re doing is making loops and hot-gluing them together in the middle. The more loops you make, the fuller it becomes. Add long tails and tie it to the corner if you’re offsetting your garland or adding it to the center of your mantel will make a great statement piece as well. Tie in these cute ornaments and felt-beaded sting garland and it gets even better. I, also, found ready made blank signs in the wood section and grabbed a couple extra pieces of buffalo check scrapbooking paper, taped them inside the frame and you instantly have a piece of artwork.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to decorating a mantel and I hope I gave you some ideas for yours. Let your imagination be your guide and get as creative as you want. The important thing is to do what YOU like and not necessarily what the trend may or may not be for the season.
Thanks so much for stopping by my Hobby Lobby Christmas mantel and don’t forget to grab your coupon right here for your next project. I’m already planning mine.
XO
Kristi
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hobby Lobby. The opinions and text are all mine.
