my scandinavian home: Search results for DIY christmas

Let it Glow: 5 Pretty Candle Displays You Can Make In An Instant!

The winter solstice 2019 will be at 05.19 this Sunday, 22nd December (counting down the seconds? You bet I am!). From then on, the days slowly get lighter - PHEW! Anyone else feeling a tiny bit relieved? In my mind, the only saving grace is that the darkness gives us an excuse to light candles, and lots of them, which makes for one very cosy home! On the dining table, in the window, by the sink. As long as there's nothing flammable nearby, there's no end to where you can add a little glow. Here are 5 of my favourite, simple DIY candle displays this winter!

1. Swedish Advent ljusstake: two weeks ago, Per mentioned in this interview how much he loves the traditional Swedish 7-arm candelabra. I have to say, they do look very beautiful in the window (from the inside and out!). Sadly, they're not easy to find in all countries, but if you fancy something similar, why not make one yourself with different size vintage brass candleholders. So pretty!

2. Jam jars and pine: everyone has a few jam jars lurking in a drawer - why not make use of them and create these simple tea light holders using garden twine and pine (if you don't feel like lopping them off your tree, ask for a few off cuts at your local Christmas tree market, I'm sure they'd be happy to help!

3. Moss candleholders: no vintage brass candlesticks to hand? Fill glass jars with moss for an instant candleholder - twine and rosemary optional! Do keep an eye on them when lit though - especially if the moss is dry!

4. Candles and pine in the window: you can't get more simple than white candles in jam jars and branches of pine laid across the windowsill - and it looks super cosy too!

5. Simple DIY table wreath: A daily Something has shared this simple DIY candle wreath here. I love the idea of the delicate grey, tapered candles too - so elegant! Could this be something for your Christmas table?

Did anything catch your eye? I'm a big fan of moss and have already made a few candle holders with it at home (I also love to wrap moss around the bulb of hyacinths and amaryllis).

A quick reminder to be really careful with candles - always blow them out when you leave the room and make sure your home is well ventilated!

If you'd like a few more Christmas decorating ideas check out:

6 beautifully simple Scandinavian DIY Christmas Decorations

16 DIY Christmas decorations made from nature

3 lovely DIY Christmas decorations

There's also plenty of Scandinavian home tours all decked out for Christmas in the archive!

Have a cosy day!

Niki

Credits: 1. Christina Strehlow 2. Linnea, Lovely Life 3. Source unknown - Pinterest (tips welcome!) 4. DIY Jewellery ideas (if this is not correct, please let me know!) 5. Pufik Homes 6. A Daily Something

10 Scandinavian Christmas Crafting Ideas (Many are Edible!)

Hemköp

If there's one thing I really admire about the Scandinavians, it's their passion for crafting and DIY. And at Christmas there's no stopping our dexterous Nordic friends. Referred to as 'Julpyssel' adults and children across the country are busy rolling out gingerbread dough, perfecting their Christmas caramel, carving out paper snowflakes to hang in the window and finalising candle holders with moss. If you'd like to channel your inner Scandinavian and get crafting this week, here are 10 Christmas DIY ideas to get you started:

1. A-Frame Gingerbread house: a favourite in Sweden, edible gingerbread houses look so pretty at Christmas. If you're a novice, it might be best to start with a kit (they sell them at IKEA!), but I also love this fab A-frame cabin made from heart shaped gingerbread!

Anna Nilsson

2. Mini gingerbread houses: These pretty houses can be hung in the window or on the tree (they might also get eaten on the way - and who'd blame you!). Instructions / recipe here.

Hannah Larsson

3. The gingerbread village: Why create individual houses, when you can make an entire village? There's so much fun to be had creating a skyline, and you can eat it afterwards too.

Owans Studio

4. Mini gingerbread drink decorations: Imagine serving hot chocolate with this little touch - hygge personified! Instructions here.

@sambohjelm

5. Julkola (Christmas caramel): Who doesn't love homemade sweets at Christmas? Caramel makes a perfect addition to the table too - or wrapped as a present. Original recipe here (in Swedish), English recipe here.

Dörte Janusxzewski / @lewesmap

6. DIY snowflakes made from cardboard: These pretty decorations made from loo roll cartridges (or straw, toothpicks, newspaper - just about anything!) look just as pretty on the tree as they do hung in the window! Instructions here.

@genommittfonster

7. Window drawings: Looking a little grey outside? Why not grab a white pen and create a pretty Christmas display to brighten up your view?

@hemlikheter

8. Paper flowers: Colourful crepe is a perfect material for making pretty paper flowers. Place them on mini trees, in a bowl or create a garland. Know-how here.

@jenniferthors

9. DIY Forest friends wrapping: put a smile on your children's faces with these cute forest friend Christmas wrapping ideas!

@haga.vastergarden

10. Candle displays: Small plant pots make a perfect candleholder at Christmas time. Simply fill them with soil, a little moss and some small branches from a fir tree.

So many great ideas here. Can you imagine making any of these?

What do you make at Christmas? Inspire us in the comment section below!

More Christmas DIY ideas here:

Let it glow: 5 simple candleholders you can make in an instant

6 beautifully simple Scandinavian DIY ideas

How to make Swedish Christmas angels from paper

Have a great start to the week!

Niki

FILED UNDER: Christmas Christmas decorations craftsmanship DIY ideas DIY projects

6 beautifully simple Scandinavian DIY Christmas decorations

It seems every house I visit is a hive of Christmas DIY activity right now. Kitchen tables have been transformed into makeshift workstations and laden with glue, wire, scissors and various other tools. Branches of foliage, acorn cups and cinnamon sticks lie in various states of transformation, with wonderful creations rising from the creative debris. This is why it's my favourite time of the year. Everyone gets creative! In case you're in need to a little inspiration to get you started, I've rounded up 6 of my favourite beautifully simple DIY Scandinavian- style Christmas decorations doing the rounds this year.

Ooooooooh so lovely, don't you think?

Here's how:
1. Marij Hessel talks us through fab DIY baubles.
2. Norwegian blogger Nina Holst's pretty mini wreath place setting (no instructions, but I am guessing twisting into a circle and wiring together?).
3. See the DIY instructions for A Merry Thought's wonderful minimal half wreath.
4. Light up your wreath like Francois et Moi's DIY candle wreath.
5. Or go traditional like Babes in Boyland's rosemary wreath (step by step guide here).
6. And finally, who said putting up lights isn't creative?! How about shunning the usual Christmas ones for simple string bulb lighting like at Zeta's Julmarknad and arrange your way?!

After a few more ideas? You might also like to check out 3 beautifully simple DIY Christmas decorations. And my Christmas archive (scroll past the first post if it's this one) - full of Scandinavian homes in the festive spirit (including my own!).

What will you be making this Christmas?

Have a wonderfully creative weekend!

PS This post is a result of a special request from my sister - good luck with your wreath tomorrow Cas!

PPS Don't forget to enter the give-away to win an Abbott & Mosley watch! It only takes a minute!

FILED UNDER: Christmas Christmas decorations

Guest post: DIY Christmas Tree

I am happy to jump in here at My Scandinavian Home this second Sunday of Advent. My name is Mette and my blog is called Make-Living which has a DIY focus.
This Christmas tree DIY idea came to me when I saw a picture of a similar one over at Tierlantijn but couldn't order it. It's similar to the one in shown in a Christmas post last year here on MSH and that has been doing the rounds on Pinterest. I Hope this little Christmas DIY inspires you too! :)

This Christmas tree is quite neat. You can make it as big as you like, and can have it both indoors and outdoors. And the best thing is that it lights up any dark space at home without needles all over the floor…..And you can use it year after year!!!

What you need:

One wood panel approximately 7 cm wide for the tree trunk, which you can make as tall as you like ( mine is about 1 meter)

A number of 7 cm wide wood panels for the branches (I have used 7). Cut the branches in staggered lengths so that they form the shape of the tree you would like. I made a triangular template in the shape I wanted and then cut the branches accrording to this.

Nail the branches onto the trunk at an approximate distance of 5 - 7 cm

I used a special grey wood stain (not paint) to give the wood an old touch

All photographs Make Living

How about you? Do you have any plans for Christmas DIY that you'd like to share with My Scandinavian Home and Make-Living? I'd love to hear your ideas.

PS. Thank you my lovely man for helping me put this Christmas tree together and thank you Niki for letting me share my Christmas DIY here on My Scandinavian Home.

Happy 2nd Sunday of Advent to you all!

FILED UNDER: Christmas Christmas decorations DIY DIY ideas DIY projects

10 Simple DIY Christmas Decorations Made From Nature!

FRIDAY friends, FRIDAY! And this weekend is going to be a cosy one - I can feel it! Not only did we have our first little flurry of snow in Malmö today (it didn't settle, but still...), the first Sunday of Advent is a hop, skip and a jump away which means we can start to decorate our homes for Christmas - OK, we all know I've already started but now it's official! This year I'm planning on making my own decorations. But there's a catch. I'm time poor and well.... I'm not super great at DIY. Also, it's still early in the game and I kind of like to start with subtle decorations - and then gradually build up to the big day. Sound familiar but on board? I've scoured the web for the prettiest, most simple Scandinavian DIY Christmas decorations I could find. Here are ten of my favourites - and they're all made from nature and super quick and easy to make! Ready to deck the halls with boughs of.... pinecones, fir tree branches and dried orange garlands?! Let's dive in!

1. These pretty fir tree stars / snowflakes look so pretty in the window. Use a little thread or thin wire to bind them together to form a star, add a little ribbon and they're ready to hang!

Beth Kirby

2. Sometimes it needn't be more complicated than a few sprigs from a fir tree and an old rope (beautiful rustic barn door optional!).

Bjørn Johan Stenersen

3. Little fir tree branches tied together with gardening twine - hang vertically or across wall to bring a wintery feel and a sweet smell of pine to your home!

4. I have pinecones all around my home at this time of the year - but I don't have any strung together as Christmas decorations. Time to get on the case, don't you think?

Weekday Carnival

5. A branch in a vase - why complicate things? (OK, you could throw in a candle and an ornament or two too).

Kelly Brown

6. Orang garlands are surprisingly easy to make, smell divine and if they look as pretty as the one in this picture, I'm all in! There's a great tutorial here.

7. Got a few dried orange slices left over? Use them for pretty Christmas tree ornaments like A Clean Bee.

Louise Roe Copenhagen

8. I think I might have shared this one before, but hey, it's so pretty and so timely with the first Sunday of advent coming up that I couldn't resist including. A tray, 4 block candles and a load of cinnamon sticks, mini pinecones and eucalyptus branches is all that's needed!

Pomponetti

9. Moving one step on from number 2 - this fir tree branch has been spruced (sorry!) up with a garland of wooden stars (source similar here*) for a subtle, festive display.

The Merry Thought

10. This one is kind of like number 3 (OK, very alike!) - but slightly more formal arrangement and I like the way it's been hung. Pine needles at the ready... here's the tutorial.

I hope you found some of these ideas inspiring and it's given you a little inspiration for the weekend!

There's load more Christmas DIY, decorating and home tour inspiration in this archive! And here's the link to the Swedish Christmas snöblomma DIY again (in case you missed it!).

I'm so looking forward to a toasty few days here in Southern Sweden and rumour has it that the sun might come out for the first time in weeks.

Have a cosy weekend friends!

Niki

*This post contains one or two affiliate links which means if you click on an item and buy it, I might earn a very small amount of money - perhaps enough for a pepparkaka ginger snap biscuit with my tea!

FILED UNDER: Christmas Christmas decorations DIY DIY ideas

Hanna's Cosy Finnish Country Home in the Snow At Christmas

Hello friends! how are you? Keeping warm I hope? Here in southern Sweden it's minus 7 degrees Celsius (19 Fahrenheit). As long as I'm wrapped up, I love it as it's a very dry cold and everything is white - like a true winter wonderland! A lot of Northern Europe is now blanketed in snow, so we're all hoping for a white Christmas! Do you have snow where you are too? In Finland, Hanna and her husband Tomas, and children Frans, Hilda and Eedvin are cosying up in their charming rustic cottage in rural Finland.

You'll likely recognise their home as I featured it last year - and it's so unique and memorable! This morning I popped over to Hanna's instagram as I was intrigued to see how the family have decorated their home for Christmas - and of course, it looks as cosy as can be! Here are a few pictures showing touches of red, a rustic tree, homemade paper flowers and sofas draped in sheepskin. A perfect place to curl up and spend 'Joulo' (Christmas).

Hanna loves making paper snow angels and flowers to hang on the tree and in the window.

Find DIY tutorials for how to make Christmas snow angels here and paper flowers and stars here.

I love the rustic tree, it's so pretty, don't you think? Did you see my Scandinavian Christmas tree round-up on Friday? There are some lovely rustic ones in there too!