Build a house for the holidays: 7 charming DIYs from lanterns to cozy socks
These little houses come together in no time! Houses are a classic festive motif that continues to charm year after year. What kind of house will you build—or will you put up a whole village?
1. City lights
Capture the cozy feel of gingerbread houses and ceramic house lanterns by folding houses from cardstock. You can make them in different sizes by following the same template. A city of paper lanterns looks lovely on a dresser, on a windowsill, or along the stairs. If you really get into it, build a village of 24 houses as an advent calendar.
2. A row of houses down the lane
Houses strung as bunting evoke a village road, with individual homes shining in a line. Cut house shapes from different colors of cardstock and cut out the door and window openings. Vary the designs by adding arched windows or a dormer to some. Decorate with white paint-marker details and let them dry. Tape the houses to a length of string from the back and, if you like, finish the garland with a string of lights.
3. Hang mini houses on the tree
Oh, how sweet! Mini houses make lovely tree ornaments when you sculpt them from ultra-light, air-drying clay. Paint the walls and roof in your favorite colors once they’ve fully dried. For tiny details, use acrylic paint with a fine brush or a marker.
4. Capture the light in a pouch
A house sewn from cotton or linen fabric glows beautifully when you tuck an LED light inside it (make sure it stays cool to the touch). Details like windows and doors are topstitched with a straight stitch. A single house also doubles as a lovely gift or storage pouch. The instructions include printable templates to make sewing a breeze.
5. Quickly crafted wooden house
Why make just one when you can craft a whole village? A simple house or cottage comes together from just two or three pieces of wood. Using offcuts gives the house a rustic look. A single wooden house makes a pretty bookend, and old log offcuts have just the right heft for the job. If you prefer a smooth finish, sand all surfaces and edges.
6. Step into the house
These wool socks, too, borrow their motif from the world of house lanterns. Mia Sumell's delightful design finishes the details with duplicate stitch over an easy colorwork pattern.
7. Brighten the dark
An ordinary glass lantern turns into a house lantern when you draw doors and windows on the surface with a paint marker. If you clad the lantern’s roof with wooden sticks, use only LED lights inside so the roof doesn’t overheat.
