Tartan and Sparkle Holiday Mantel - DIY Tutorial

If you thought it was simple to achieve our winter wonderland mantel, you will be blown away by the ease with which you can recreate our classic tartan design.

We’re not sure if there’s anything more traditional than a tartan print at Christmas (unless it’s a cozy glow from your fireplace) so we decided to hearken back to some essential Christmas details for this design.

With just some holly branches (watch out for thorns) and wired tartan ribbon, you’ve got the essentials of this striking holiday look. To achieve the details for the individual pieces, read on…

Deer Silhouette Canvas

Believe it or not, we created this deer silhouette canvas in about 30 minutes.

We found this template online here, saved it and enlarged it to fit the size of the blank canvas we got at a craft store.

Then, we cut out the silhouette, traced it on the canvas in pencil, filled it in with silver, sparkly paint, and let it dry.

Yes. It’s truly that simple. We weren’t even sure it was tutorial-worthy, but since we didn’t realize how simple it would be ourselves, we thought someone else out there might need some enlightening.

Chalkboard Canisters Filled with Ornaments & Tinsel

Our chalkboard canisters that display red ornaments and tinsel were also as straightforward as a DIY can get.

We taped off the shape and size of chalkboard label we wanted, covered the rest of the glass with paper to protect it, and did a few light, even coats of chalkboard spray paint. And that’s it.

These are perfect to use year-round for any holiday or season. Just wipe off your chalk and print new themed words or phrases.

6 Quick Steps to the Perfect Bow

Not being expert crafters ourselves, we have long found the perfect bow an intimidating feat. Turns out… not so tough, either. See our step-by-step breakdown below:

Step 1: Cut your ribbon and lay it flat (as seen in the first image) over a piece of string or twine.
Step 2: Tighten the string around the center of the ribbon.
Step 3: Tie your string off.
Step 4: Trim off the excess string.
Step 5: Cover the string with a small scrap of ribbon if you want—just hot glue it in the back.
Step 6: Hot glue your perfect bow in place.

The Layered Look

You don’t always have to have a bow to make your wrapping interesting. On our other Christmas package we layered burlap, ribbon, and twine, the hot glued on cinnamon sticks and holly as an accent.

We wish you the very happiest of holidays and hope good health and happiness follow you into the new year.

Other tutorials in this series:

• Gothic Glam-Inspired Halloween Mantel Decor
• How to Create a Simple, Festive Fall Mantel
• Tutorial: 3 Easy DIY Fall Mantel Projects
• How to Transform Your Mantel to a Winter Wonderland Design
• DIY Winter Mantel Décor Tutorials: Golden Magnolia Wreath and Cinnamon Stick Votive Holder