Unique DIY Winter Decor Ideas to Keep after 2020 Holiday Season

By Stephanie Jarrett, Everything Arlington, TX!

I’ve always loved the look of DIY winter décor. The deep greens, crisp blues, whites and metallics are so inspiring and soothing during the cold winter months. Winter is a season of stillness and wonder, with cozy décor that is easy to recreate yourself at home. Whether you want to add a winter wonderland scene over the fireplace, custom Mason jars to your tabletops, buffalo plaid blankets to your sofa or DIY your own wintry canvasses for your wall, read on for fun ways to DIY your own winter décor!

DIY a Winter Wonderland Scene

Use the mantle above your fireplace or a table near your front door to create a gorgeous winter wonderland scene to delight. These crafts are fun to DIY and your kids can even help! Bonus points if you let them add animals (think polar bears, reindeer, penguins) to create a world of winter. Another option here would be to display some of your winter wonderland décor in a large cake stand with a cover for the top, for a snow globe-esque look.

Bottle Brush “Pine” Trees

Bottle brush “pine” trees are easy to find at your local craft store. They often come in a gorgeous evergreen color. You can leave them as-is and pop them on your mantle for a gorgeous tribute to winter, but you could also add your own bit of sparkle if you choose. Some options include spray painting the trees different colors (think blue, white, silver, gold), adding spray snow to the branches for a frosted feel or dabbing glue randomly on bristles and then rolling the tree in glitter for a magical touch.

Pompom Trees

Pompom trees are another easy, gorgeous piece of DIY winter décor to brighten your mantelpiece. Simple purchase a Styrofoam cone (try getting several in different sizes) from a local craft shop and bags of colorful pompoms. One uniform size works best, although feel free to get creative! Work in a circular motion, using a glue gun to adhere to the pompoms to the cone until you reach the top. Make multiple trees, varying color and size of pompoms for each separate tree. Feel free to add sparkles or glitter or anything else to your trees to truly make them one of a kind!

Buffalo Plaid Everything

Buffalo plaid is one of my favorite prints this time of year, and it can be used as décor long after the holidays are over. Think of buffalo plaid as a warm accent to your cool winter pieces. Throw blankets or pillows, front door wreaths, wall hangings. Buffalo plaid can add a warm, cozy feel in so many ways!

Buffalo Plaid Wall Decor

Head to your local fabric store and grab some buffalo plaid. I love red and black and white and black this time of year, but feel free to pick up some accent fabric too! While you are at the fabric store, grab some crochet hoops of different sizes. You can choose to spray these different colors (maybe a black glitter would be a fun outline?) or leave them as-is. Spread the fabric between the hoops and voila! You have DIY winter wall décor! Hang the various sizes and coordinating prints on the same wall to create a truly unique look. If you own a heat press, consider adding a few different stand-out silhouettes of deer or pine trees. You could even get cheeky and make something that says goodbye to 2020 with a toilet paper roll for a piece that will always remind you of the year 2020 was!

Buffalo Plaid Throw Blankets

Make your own cozy buffalo plaid blanket by simply cutting two pieces of fabric to the same size, as big as you want your blanket. Cut the fabric 4-5 inches bigger on all sides than you want the final product to be. Then cut slits, 4-5 inches deep, every 3 inches apart, all the way around each piece of fabric. Then tie the two pieces of fabric together at each strip to make your own buffalo plaid throw!

Mason Jar Décor

Mason jars are still one of the simplest yet versatile DIY winter décor projects you can undertake! Mason jars can be purely decorative or utilitarian and can be decorated to fit your style. Here are a few ideas for DIY mason jar décor this winter!

Mason Jar Centerpieces

Buy a few mason jars and spray paint them white (or silver, or gold, or blue- you get the idea!). Add a fun bow around the middle or near the top. Buffalo plaid fabric cut into thin strips or buffalo plaid ribbon is perfect here! Then grab some wintery plants to fill the inside of the jar for a simple, gorgeous centerpiece. Think pinecones or branches from pine trees. Or even holly! Anything wintery. You can purchase these from a craft store or collect them from your own backyard or neighborhood if you are able! Feel free to spray the greenery different colors- cool silvers or sparkly golds, or add “fake snow” to the trimmings. Make these centerpieces truly unique!

Mason Jar Tea Light Holders

Turn mason jars into custom tea light holders to shine throughout the winter! Decorate the mason jars to your liking, leaving a few spots unpainted. Print a snowflake template online and cut out and tape to the mason jar, then spray paint around the snowflake to create a snowflake mason jar once you remove the template. Repeat this with other wintery images- reindeer, polar or black bears, pine trees. Use mason jars of different sizes and use different colors to paint them. Then display them on your coffee table and let them light up your winter!

DIY Winter Canvas Décor

Right now, canvas décor featuring phrases or sayings is all the rage. It would take me a minute to count how many prints I have throughout the house that have a sweet sayings on them. Why not DIY your own this winter?

Grab a canvas in the size of your choosing from the store. Then grab pre-cut letters at the craft store along with spray paint. Silver is perfect for this craft, but gold and blue would also be fun! Or even a deep evergreen. Google “winter phrases” for inspiration. How about “Some people are worth melting for?” from Frozen or “Baby, it’s cold outside.” (Although I’d probably choose “I smell snow,” from my favorite Gilmore Girls.) Simple arrange the saying to your liking on the canvas out of the purchased letters and tape gently to the canvas. The spray paint the entire canvas, let dry, and remove the letters. Voila! Feel free to do more than one canvas and vary colors a bit for unique are that can be displayed anywhere in the house.