Ho Ho Home: Getting Ready for the Holidays at Home with DIY Pillows + Cozy Textiles

I’ve been talking about getting the studio holiday ready lately, but wanted to switch gears today and share a few photos from a recent project I completed in our home. Often times, I don’t get a jump on decorations until December, but this year I’m changing that. Which I’m sure I’ve mentioned before.

So today, I’ve teamed up with the folks at Snapfish to pull together some really quick and easy ways to add winter vibes and holiday spirit to your home without making it look like you just stepped into a holiday catalog. Don’t get me wrong, I love those holiday catalog vibes, but they don’t feel particularly attainable for the average person, much less the average home.

Which is why I decided to keep things fairly simple at our house this year – a few stockings and holiday accessories here, great winter textiles and knits there. There’s even a DIY project in the mix. Can you spot it? I’ll give you a hint…I woke up like this.

This hand lettered DIY pillow is really simple to create, even if you’re not a calligraphy expert. I promise, your handwriting is ALWAYS better than you think it is. So let’s get started with the DIY.

You’ll need a handful of materials to get started, all of which are listed below. But I wanted to take a second to talk about the most important item first: your pillowcases! I used Snapfish to print my own photos directly onto pillowcases to add a more personal touch (plus I like the abstract patterns).

You can get started with an 18×18 pillow of your own right here (it comes with the pillow insert too, which makes it super easy). There are plenty of other things in the canvas and decor department at Snapfish that you can have printed too (including blankets!), so be sure to head over there to check out the full selection of products before getting started. 

Materials:

– Snapfish pillowcases made from your photos
– pencil
– fabric paint
– paint brush

How To:

1. Unzip the pillowcase and remove the pillow insert from the pillowcase. And decide on your color scheme. I knew I’d be working with a tealish-green print, so I decided to go with an orangey-red fabric paint to tie in holiday colors ever so slightly.

2. Choose your message, phrase, or word (I have a whole pinboard of ideas here if you need some inspiration). Then, map out the phrase and spacing directly onto the pillowcase, with a pencil.

3. Go over the pencil lines with fabric paint. Once dry, go over the first layer of paint one more time to make the paint less transparent.

4. Once completely dry, place the pillow inserts back into each pillowcase. Zip it up and you’re good to go.

So, that takes care of the DIY element. And the rest of the decorating is super easy because it doesn’t involve a ton of stuff.

I started with a few table top accessories for the coffee table (like the gilded pedestal bowl, ornaments, a few books, and some plants). Then I added some additional pillows in different colors and textures, a cozy knit blanket, and some stockings hanging on the wall. That’s it.

Oh, and before I forget…we also snuck in another pillow, that isn’t especially holiday, just for fun. Just to give you an idea of how you can recreate the DIY again, long fear the holidays are over. What do you think?

Hand lettering by Rachel Brewer
Process photos by Amelia Tatnall
Styling and interiors photos by Brittni Mehlhoff 

How are you preparing for the holidays? Any decorating underway yet?

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This post is in partnership with Snapfish. Thanks for supporting the brands that help keep Paper & Stitch running.