Make a rustic Christmas card holder with materials you have outside and around the house! Such a simple and cute way to display cards from loved ones!

It’s Decemberrrrr!!!!!

All weekend I saw everyone’s Christmas tree snapshots all over social media. And I gotta say, I was a little jealous! My kitchen was still a disaster, there were laundry baskets full of frames and decor from the gallery wall needing to be rehung, and plenty of other tools and S.T.U.F.F. residing throughout the house (out of place).

But, thanks to two days of hard work, the clutter is GONE and my house is Christmas-afied!

I don’t know about you, but I love looking at other people’s holiday homes. Every year when it’s time to decorate my mantle, I scour Pinterest for inspiration and ideas. My mantle and decor changes each year– figuring out new ways to use what I have is part of the fun/challenge.

Now, I know that for some people, this can lead to feelings of discontent or overwhelm in their homes.  However, the good thing about looking at pictures of my house is that it is NOT Pinterest perfect. In fact, we are in the middle of a kitchen remodel, so part of our floors are torn up, the wood in the walls is exposed, and generally speaking, cleaning simply isn’t what I’m known for. (Sorry dear).

Nevertheless, I love my home and I especially love it in December. I love love love waking up first thing in the morning and only turning on the Christmas lights, and then basking in the holiday cheer while I start my day.

So, today I’m going to share part one of my home tour and a fun DIY project too! My house isn’t that big, but since I have TWO fun Christmas projects for you, I’m splitting the “tour” into two days. 

Day 1: the living room.

(i.e. room with the fireplace, TV, and comfiest couch where we spend most of the second half of our days)

I wanted to incorporate more red in our mantle this year. It’s simple and begging to be lit up even more by a fire in our new fireplace insert.

Also, it took me about 5 hours trying to how to decorate the mantle this year. Thanks to a simple dinner of meatloaf, rice, and frozen veg, I was able to keep working on arranging things until just before dinner.

This rustic Christmas card holder is in our living room too. Right now it’s holding cards from last year, but I hope it will soon be filled up with pictures of friends and family a year older. (Send cards please!)

Keep reading for an easy tutorial to make one too. 

Look! No more wall separating my kitchen and dining room. Eventually, there will be a small buffet area there and (fingers crossed!) new flooring in the kitchen!

{UPDATE :: See the finished kitchen remodel!}

This small space has been COVERED with papers and projects and such for weeks (months?). So the clean surface makes me all giddy inside.

I finally wrapped all our Christmas books for the month. Each day the kids will open one book to read together. There’s a mix of picture books about the Christmas story, books about the Nutcracker (my boys are going for the first time next week!), a few Christmas Carol books, and more. Do you do this with your kids too?

What about you? 

Do you change up your holiday decor each year, or stick with what’s worked before? 

DIY Rustic Christmas Card Holder Tutorial

Check out this rustic Christmas card holder I made yesterday. I saw a similar idea on Pinterest, but made with washi tape and garland instead.

I love projects that require little to no money, and use materials already around the house. This one is just that.

How to make it:

(Watch a video tutorial) 

1. Gather your materials: long sticks, twine, garden shears/scissors and small clothespins.

2. Lay out the sticks in order from smallest to largest on the floor, trim if necessary.

3. Tie a short loop on the center of the shortest stick. Hang the stick on the wall. (It will be easier to attach each stick if they are already hanging up).

4. Cut a long piece of twine and tie one end to the center of the smallest stick. Tie a knot on the center of the next shortest stick, about 5-6 inches down from the top stick. Keep doing this until all the sticks are hanging from shortest to longest.

5. Cut another long piece of twine. Tie one end to the center of the top stick. Pull it down at an angle to the next stick, tying a knot on that stick so that it is now hanging parallel with the floor. Keep doing this until you reach the bottom stick.

6. Repeat step 5 with the opposite side.

7. Trim any extra twine. Optional: leave a few inches on the middle piece of twine as a “trunk”. Top with a star or other topper.

8. Attach cards with colored clothespins. (I found these red ones in the Target dollar spot!).

(sorry about the pics! My camera was dead and I had to rely on my iPod)

If you make one, please share a picture on This Pilgrim Life’s Facebook page! I’d love to see it.

How do you display Christmas cards at your home?