IBC readers know that I love good DIY / craft projects. This time of year I love them even more. To me, there’s just something about homemade that adds an extra special touch to the holidays.

When doing a DIY project, I prefer a craft that is practical and useful. I don’t like to make things just to make things. I already have plenty of stuff in my house (I’m noticing this even more as I start decorating for the holidays.); I don’t need a closet full of unused crafts.

As the Lifestyle Expert for Staples’ Holiday Council, one of my responsibilities is to help folks get ready for the holidays with as little stress as possible. When Staples gave me the challenge of creating a DIY project for the home, I knew it needed to be useful, beautiful, and stress-free.

With all of that in mind, I made this DIY Holiday Art using colorful tape from Scotch (Staples has a huge selection.), cardstock, and an X-Acto knife. Switching out existing art or adding some new art is a great way to deck your halls with a little holiday spirit. Plus these are fully customizable so you can change the words, size, color, etc.

Let me show you how to make this type of holiday art for your own home.

DIY Holiday Art

You will need:
cardstock
X-Acto knife
washi tape
glue (optional)

Begin by creating a document on your computer with words or image you’d like to use for your artwork. (I used the word “merry” and an image of a pine tree.) Then print the words and design on card stock. (If you don’t want to use a computer – you can freehand the design with a pencil.)

Next, cut out the design with an X-Acto knife. Do this on a self-healing mat, scrap piece of wood, or another surface you don’t mind damaging.

For letters such as “R” or “O”, you’ll want to save the center pieces you cut out, so that you can glue them on later.

With your design cut out, get another piece of card stock and start applying washi tape. This card stock will go behind your cutout, revealing the design of the tape.

You can apply the tape in a pattern or random fashion. I chose horizontal stripes with gold “garland” for the tree and a plaid pattern for “merry”.

Once you have completed your design, secure your cutout on top and tape it in place on the back. At this point, you can also glue on any of the letter center pieces that you cut out and saved.

After that, pop your art into a frame, and it’s ready to display.

Easy and customizable art; who doesn’t love that?

I just swapped out this seasonal art with some everyday pieces so that I didn’t have to buy new frames.

I took a modern approach with my design. If you like things a bit more rustic or country, use a brown kraft cardstock instead of white and use red, green, and gold tape. Tuck the art in a wood or black frame and you’re in business.

There are so many options.

I hope you enjoyed this project. What things are you planning on DIYing this holiday season?

This post was created as part of my collaboration with Staples. As always, all of the opinions, thoughts, and ideas in this post are my own.