DIY Easy Handmade Christmas Stockings 2013 Ideas from HGTV

No mantel? No sewing skills? No problem! These unique handmade Christmas stockings will inspire you to think outside the sock.

Instead of a traditional Christmas stocking, try making these fun, vintage grain sack inspired "stocking sacks" from Marian Parsons. With draw strings and custom painting, these sacks are cute and functional. Use them in lieu of stockings, as a stand-in for wrapping paper or as a personalized hostess or teacher gift.

These burlap coffee sack stockings have an effortless, vintage vibe. Sprigs of greenery peeking out of the top feel fresh and also hide the treasures inside from prying eyes.

Don't toss that old sweater. Instead, repurpose it as custom stockings for the entire family. This project requires no sewing machine or knitting needles and can easily be completed in an afternoon. (That's our Christmas gift to you!)

Give your holiday mantel a high-fashion makeover with custom leather Christmas stockings. Wouldn't these tanned beauties be so appropriate for a rustic industrial holiday?

Rate My Space user QuincyRN had the clever idea to repurpose cowboy boots as stockings for a dose of Southwestern charm.

These handmade plywood stockings from blogger Erin Loechner reflect a Scandinavian aesthetic and the wood subtly warms up the white mantel. Best of all? They're magnetic, so they can be removed and filled with ease.

Give your holiday decorations a playful twist by swapping out traditional Christmas stockings for metal pails painted with fun, bright colors. Who said stockings had to be made of fabric anyway?

Coastal Inspired Holiday Decorating Ideas for Christmas 2013

Designer Casey Noble shares these ways to bring a cool, casual and coastal vibe to your home during the holidays with seaside-inspired decor.

Seashells are ideal for dressing up a simple tabletop. For a casual, coastal look, create small seashell Christmas trees using cone-shaped floral foam. Pick up floral foam forms in three different sizes, then hot-glue seashells of various colors, textures and shapes all over the surfaces.

To put a coastal spin on a classic manzanita branch, dress it up like a tabletop Christmas tree. Use rope-strung shells, sand dollars and starfish as makeshift ornaments to adorn each branch.

Make It: Add casual, coastal flair to your door with a rope-and-burlap wreath. Buy a 24-inch foam wreath form, one spool of white nylon rope, one spool of blue nylon rope, white acrylic paint, one detail brush and one half-yard of red burlap. Use a hot glue gun to secure every third or fourth strand of white nylon rope along the back of the wreath form. Next, add contrasting bands of blue nylon rope to the four corner quadrants of the wreath, creating a two-toned, layered effect. To create the banner, trace the shape of a pennant onto the red burlap, and then cut it out with fabric scissors. Free-hand a seasonal message using a detail brush. Attach the banner to the left and right sides of the wreath using white nylon rope, then hang on the door with an over-the-door stocking hanger.

Sand-dollar sugar cookies add a surprising seaside twist to Christmas sweets. After making classic sugar cookies, use a knife to cut five small slits approximately one half-inch from the edge of each cookie. Press a flat almond slice into each slit to complete the look.

Model sailboats offer a more masculine approach to nautical style. Intended for year-round use, these classics instantly take on a holiday look when surrounded by seasonal colors and textures. To keep a model sailboat from appearing out of place, work in nautical or coastal accents such as rope, weathered woods or aged metals.

Make It: Gather gently used beach towels, dividing them by like color palettes, textures and patterns. Next, print out this stocking template, then cut the towels to size using fabric scissors. Hand-sew or machine-stitch the pieces together, turning the stocking right-side out once finished. Complete the stockings by hot-gluing sections of nylon rope around the top, tying a knot on each end.

Similar to snow globes, glass beach scene ornaments are perfect elements for invigorating seasonal decor. Buy clear glass ornaments and add a layer of sand. Drop small seashells through the ornament opening until they're layered along the sand in a balanced manner.

For a more textural approach to nautical holiday decor, update a green pine-needle wreath with organic embellishments like capiz shells and starfish.

Make It: Pick up driftwood or weathered barn wood planks, then cut to 10-inch-by-12-inch rectangles using a handsaw. Choose your holiday greeting, and then customize each plank with individual letters, shaping the O's as captain's wheels, the S's as ropes and the J's as anchors. Next, free-hand or stencil letters onto each piece of wood using latex paint. For a more casual look, consider simply leaning the letters against the wall. To properly hang the letters, add picture hooks to the back.

Make It: Pick up twine and gather sand dollars, small shells and starfish. Use a small screwdriver and a rubber mallet and create one small hole near the edge of a single arm of each starfish. Unfurl the twine and thread it through the holes in the starfish and sand dollars, tying it into small knots, leaving gaps between each one. Lastly, add a final layer of nautical flourish by securing small shells to each knot using a hot glue gun.

Kids' Candy Crafting Table for Christmas 2013

From creative crafting ideas to candy-colored decor, designer Casey Noble shares fun and festive ways to turn a living room coffee table into a kid-sized holiday hangout.

By Brian : Patrick Flynn

The center of this great room is designated as a holiday gathering spot for kids, complete with snacks and interactive crafting ideas. With kids occupied, parents can enjoy a more formal dining experience in the next room.

Turn a coffee table into a holiday snacking and crafting spot by grouping floor cushions in seasonal hues around the perimeter. Similar to high chairs at standard dining tables, a small stack of fluffy cushions or pillows can help boost toddlers up to the perfect height.

Give kids a designated surface to draw on with a roll of kraft paper spread across the surface of the table. In addition to being able to express themselves creatively, this also gives parents a chance to suggest seating by writing each child's name onto the paper with markers, chalk or crayons.

Similar to vintage milk bottles, Mason jars are a sophisticated alternative to plastic vessels or drinkware. To bring classic farmhouse style to a kids' table, consider using Mason jars for snacks such as crackers or pretzels.

While kids entertain themselves at the holiday soiree, it's important to always consider safety first, especially when it comes to candy. Before laying candy out, be certain to ask parents if their children have any allergies or dietary restrictions, then stick solely with small, soft styles rather than hard candy, which could pose a choking hazard.

One of the keys to making candy and snacks interactive as crafting supplies is to choose ring-shaped options with holes directly in the center. This will allow kids the option to use their food to make crafts by sliding twine, ribbon or string directly through the center to create garland, bracelets or necklaces.

Kids can also put the holiday table to use as a place to create handmade gifts for friends and family. To turn colorful candy into necklaces or bracelets, supply kids with string, twine and ribbon in assorted styles. Encourage them to get creative with color and shape, and then bestow their creations to friends or family.

Candy garland is a more practical alternative to candy necklaces or bracelets. The key to creating these effectively is ensuring kids use safety scissors to cut strands no less than 48 inches in length. Once placed around the tree, these strands can create a cohesive, seamless look without the hassle of having to start directly at the bottom, then winding up and around the tree with one extra-long single strand.

Help tiny guests gather their culinary crafts with unique party bags. Find letters and fonts online, and then print them directly onto paper bags by running them through a basic color printer. Prior to the end of the party, keep the bags displayed nearby as tree decor, encouraging kids to take them down and fill them up before they leave.

2014 Thanksgiving Table Setting and Centerpiece Ideas

Designer Erinn Valencich shares tips for setting a Thanksgiving table that balances natural elements with the gleam of metallics.  

By H. Camille Smith

Add a Touch of Glitz

For a sophisticated but not over-the-top look, balance the sparkle of metallics with natural elements, like fall branches or fresh fruit. 

Erinn's Tip: Metallics add a great modern touch to a fall tablescape. Deep copper and bright bronze are a lovely additional to a traditional table. I prefer to bring in natural, textured elements like these seed-beaded placemats so the table doesn't get too glitzy.

Play With Scale

Diminutive pears contrast with elongated stemware for a look that is elegant and playful. 

Erinn's Tip: Slender amber stemware adds height and drama to a simple table while gold pillar candles and votives sparkle as the centerpiece. 

Opt for an Aromatic Centerpiece

Who said a centerpiece needed to time-consuming, expensive or even floral? Erinn created this arrangement by grouping scented candles with an earthy potpourri. 

Erinn's Tip: During the fall, natural elements are the best decorations. This potpourri creates a lovely centerpiece and its subtle fragrance is a great addition to the table. Look for large, chunky potpourris and add elements from your own backyard, like pinecones and seed pods, to the mix.

Gleaming Glass Accents

Golds and ambers pair beautifully with the traditional browns and oranges of fall.

  Erinn's Tip: Glass vases can be found very inexpensively in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes at your local housewares store. They're fantastic for adding a splash of luminescent color to the room. So go wild! Bring a bunch home, try them out and return what you don't use.

Simple Sophistication

This place setting layers basic elements to achieve an extraordinary effect. 

Erinn's Tip: A set of white plates is a great standard to have for your year round table. You don't have to get something special out just for the season. It's all in the presentation a crisp linen napkin folded into thirds and laid under a bronze glass plate topped with a miniature pear sets each guests' plate off with style for very little money, time or fuss. 

Bountiful Centerpiece

Set the stage for an unforgettable Thanksgiving feast with a centerpiece that exemplifies bounty. A ghost white pumpkin, chunky pillar candles and metallic painted gourds add sparkle. 

Erinn's Tip: Create a table that's casual and warm with a modern twist. Play with colors of chocolate, taupe and birch contrasted with crisp white.

Contrast Materials

A humble pinecone adds an organic touch to each place setting. 

Erinn's Tip: Have fun with materials; contrast ceramic with glass, wood and gleaming metal. Forgo the old standby tablecloth and opt for glamorous, polished silver chargers and chocolate-brown linen napkins.

Decorate the Whole Room

This buffet sparkles with candles and glassware in shades of amber and gold. Natural elements like wood grain candles and a rustic, hand-carved bowl filled with fall apples complete the look.  Erinn's Tip: "When decorating for Thanksgiving guests, don't stop at setting the table. The buffet, side tables and coffee table will benefit from a few fall touches as well. Bring in large branches of fall foliage and place in a tall vase for a seasonal decoration that is chic and free the best of both worlds. 

2013 Clever Halloween Centerpieces Decorating Ideas

Halloween is the perfect time to add some fright to your holiday table. Use these centerpiece ideas as inspiration for your next Halloween party or as festive additions to your home.

By Caitlin Berens

Make a bewitching centerpiece with black and orange pumpkins.

Carve out a large pumpkin to hold a vase. Spray paint your pumpkins with a black matte finish paint. Once dry, scrape away the painted surface in lines or in the form of a sunflower or another design.

A smiling jack-o'-lantern becomes the perfect Halloween vase when you place a container of water and flowers inside. A simple carving (or scraping) that forgoes the typical wide mouth will help the inside container stay hidden. Use a white pumpkin and orange flowers for extra pop.

Use rugged old cabinet legs as eye catching bases for this Halloween gourd display. Elevating some gourds and leaving others on the table, as well as varying the size of gourds, adds quirkiness to this Halloween centerpiece.

Editor's Tip: Tie ribbon onto the bases in knots or bows it you want to inject color to this neutral centerpiece.

A plain white platter becomes a Halloween centerpiece with a handful of scattered miniature pumpkins and fall accents. The nonlinear look is key with this decoration, so assemble pieces randomly along the platter for an effortless, relaxed look.

Wrap decorative scrapbook paper around large orange and black candles to create this simple Halloween centerpiece. An orange table runner makes the black candle pop, overturned black bowls add height to the decoration, and black spiders and white Halloween candies add creepy crawly fun at the base.

Editor's Tip: Be sure to keep an eye on how fast your candles burn, and trim scrapbook paper accordingly.

Fashion papier mache into flickering mummy like candles. Begin by wetting plaster cloth strips (found at local crafts stores) and wrapping them around a small inflated balloon. After the paper hardens, pop the balloon and cut a small hole in the bottom. Place the mummy form over battery operated votives and sit atop a glass candlestick for a frightening display.

Create a kooky cast of characters for your dining room table. Use orange, black, white, and green spools of thread for the mini monster bodies. We used black felt cutouts for the eyes and mouths for most of the creatures. Repurpose old jewelry boxes with scrapbooking or wrapping paper for fun pedestals for the spool monsters.

Glass block vases become one of a kind Halloween centerpieces with die cuts and spooky scrapbook paper (available at crafts stores). To make, use spray adhesive to attach the papers (spray the back of the paper, not the glass, to avoid streaks). Place sand and tapered candles inside the vase for a haunting glow.

Editor's Tip: Use clear plastic blocks in lieu of glass vases. Be sure to nix the candles or opt for battery-powered ones.

A stack of old books forms the stand for this spooky centerpiece. To make, cut two basic ghost shapes from pages in the middle of a book, leaving the bottoms attached to the pages. Fold up each ghost and secure with a touch of tape. To complete, use a hole punch or marker to make eyes for this haunting centerpiece.

Miniature jack-o'-lanterns make a big impact when arranged on footed cake stands and displayed on a vintage tray. Place battery-powered candles inside each hand-carved pumpkin, and let your guests enjoy the glow.

Basic embroidery hoops set a spooky scene on a Halloween table. To make, stretch black costume fabric or lace across the painted hoops; trim extra fabric. Next, spray-paint planters for bases, then add enough florist's foam inside to secure a painted dowel inserted in the middle. Finish with black-and-white patterned paper atop the planters and a hauntingly fun message spelled out in painted wooden letters. Use hot glue to secure the dowels and wooden letters.

You need only a few household items and a little nature to create this haunting yet simple Halloween centerpiece. Gather knotted, rustic sticks from your yard or neighborhood to place in a basic urn, and add bits of moss to get the fright just right. Use free clip art to trace and cut out ominous black ravens from construction paper the finishing touch for this Halloween centerpiece.

An old typewriter spells out a warning message for your Halloween guests. Load a torn book page in a computer printer and spell out your message (a test run on basic white paper ensures you won't waste your favorite page). Tuck the final note in a vintage typewriter, and tell your guests they've been warned!

 Editor's Tip: For extra fright, drape a skeleton hand across the keys .

Scrapbook papers and floral accents are all it takes to upcycle" yesterday's tin cans into a green Halloween centerpiece. Standard- and economy-size tin cans work well for this craft, although the more varied the sizes, the more intriguing the display. Wrap with scrapbook paper and add die cut scenes or stickers as desired.

Editor's Tip: Keep the cans for next year, or give them away to guests as simple mementos of a frightful night.

Spray paint Halloween props with black chalkboard paint, then outline them with chalk for frightfully aged flair. Fill the cauldron with a decorative bottle, handpicked beverage, or a tasty Halloween treat.

Nuts, pumpkins, and a large candle dress up a small woven mat in this simple-yet-sophisticated Halloween centerpiece. Fallen leaves tucked into the display add natural fall flair to the decoration.

Editor's Tip: For a more kid-friendly decoration, use candies, painted pumpkins, and a battery-powered candle so curious fingers don't find a flame.

Simple white dishes display multicolor pumpkins in this elegant Halloween centerpiece. Use footed bowls, small plates, and candlesticks at varying heights to create an eye-catching display.

Use a large, tall pumpkin to create this picturesque Halloween centerpiece. Stuff a variety of flowers, fillers, and greenery in a vase inside this simple, hollowed out pumpkin. 

Editor's Tip: To add a bit of festive fun, tuck tiny Halloween decorations, such as plastic spiders or spooky stir sticks, into the arrangement.