Inspired by this Kate Spade necklace, and my inability to part ways (just yet) with my mantel garland, I devised this special holiday decor that I can leave on my fireplace mantel through the whole month of January.

Here’s what you need to make your own:

• a mirror (or a wreath or empty picture frame)
• posterboard or paper
• marker
• 12 gauge wire
• fabric scissors
• wire cutters
• tacky glue
• fabric remnants (or thin rope or yarn)

First I drew out the words in the same size I wanted the finished wire to be. Then, I bent the wire around (using my hands), using the written words as my guide.

After the words were complete, I wrapped them using fabric remnants that I cut into half-inch strips. To secure the beginning of a strip of fabric, I used tacky glue. Works wonders.

After the words were wrapped, I used double-sided foam tape to attach them to the mirror. I was going to use fishing wire and hang them, but the double vision created by the mirror wasn’t the effect I was aiming for. So, tape it is. I think this project would also be nice hung inside a wreath or an empty picture frame.

I’m so excited about this DIY- I hope you all will really like it! It’s a quick and easy way to achieve the look of a knit stocking- without even picking up a pair of knitting needles. Head on over to Danielle’s blog to check it out.

As I discovered last week during my snowflake making party, making the little dandies isn’t as easy as it seems, and not everybody knows how to wield their scissors in creating their own paper snowflakes. So, I thought it might be helpful to do a quick photo-series to help you figure it out, if you’re running into trouble making your own.

Start with a square piece of paper, thin enough to cut through several layers at once. I used marker paper for the banner you see above, mostly for its translucent quality, but also for ease of snipping.

The next part is where it can all go wrong if you aren’t careful. Fold the paper in half, then in half again, and fold it two more times- but be sure you keep folding it on the same axis, or things will go terribly awry when you go to unfold your snowflake at the end!

Alright, so if you have folded your paper correctly, it should look something like this. You could trim off the uneven edge, or just delve right into cutting the sides of the paper at this point.

When you are cutting the designs into the sides of your folded paper, make sure you leave a space on the folded side in between where you are cutting and the top edge (at some point). Otherwise, nothing will hold it together when you unfold it.

Voila! They aren’t perfect, but neither is any real snowflake, right? And when hanging them in a bunch, nobody will notice. Hope that helped ease any paper-snowflake-making angst you might have had, and if I might suggest, having a little get together with friends, warm drinks, and Christmas movies makes an excellent evening for producing lots of these little guys. :)