6 Sparkling DIY Holiday Decorations

Start with white paper bags—either lunch-style bags with bottoms or flat, sleeve-style ones, any size. Our tree topper uses 15 (61/2-inch-tall) bags; the ornaments use 10 to 17 (4-inch-tall) bags. Divide into stacks of three or four bags. Glue bags in each stack together with a glue stick, spreading glue in a fat inverted T (across the bottom and up the center). Do not glue inside bags. Let dry. Cut notches from sides of stacks with scissors, using template (available at midwestliving.com/metallic) as a visual guide. Glue a few stacks together, lining up notches; let dry. Open bags to unfold star. (If ends don’t reach or you want more rays, add another bag or stack of bags.) Secure with paper clips. Spray both sides with metallic spray paint, drying between sides.

Print leaf template (available at midwestliving.com/metallic). With a pencil, trace leaves onto metallic gold scrapbook paper. Cut out with scissors. Using a ruler and an X-Acto knife, score the leaf on the back side, from point to point. Fold leaves in half (some upward, some downward). Wrap a wire floral ring with burlap ribbon, securing occasionally with a spot of hot glue. Attach leaves with hot glue, overlapping them as you build the wreath. (For reference: Our 24-inch ring has 95 leaves.)

Fill 25 small boxes (we used 2- and 3-inch boxes) with gifts, then wrap boxes in metallic wrapping paper. On small tags, stamp or hand-letter numbers 1–25; tie each gift with gold cord, attaching tags. Cut 25 lengths of wire-stemmed, faux boxwood garland, long enough to circle around each box two to three times. (For reference: You’ll need 25 to 30 inches for a 2-inch box, 30 to 40 for a 3-inch box.) Form wreaths, using boxes as guides and loosely winding the garland around itself. Spray wreaths with metallic spray paint; let dry. Tuck boxes inside wreaths and hang with gold cord.

BOW TIES Cut out an 8x11-inch piece of metallic crepe paper. Bring short ends to the center; slightly overlap ends and secure with hot glue. Cut crosswise (through seam) into three equal pieces with scissors. Bunch each piece at the center seam and secure with a 1x3-inch band of paper; hot glue in the back.

BOWS WITH TAILS Start with 11/2-inch-wide metallic paper craft ribbon. Cut two strips, one 10 inches long, the other 8. Fold ends of the 10-inch strip into the center and secure with a dab of hot glue. Fold the 8-inch strip in half. Wrap around center of other bundle. Twist tails in back to shape; secure with glue. Let dry. Trim ends with scissors.

Print template (available at midwestliving.com/metallic). Trace onto assorted metallic card stock with pencil; cut out with scissors. Using craft punches, punch assorted holes. Roll to form a cone shape and secure tab with hot glue. Place cones over LED tea lights.

Scale this leafy swag as long or short as you like; even just a sprig makes a cute accent in a bud vase. For each foot of garland, you’ll need 5 to 6 feet of brown wrapped floral wire. Using wire clippers, cut wire into 5- to 6-inch pieces. For leaves, layer a few metallic crepe papers; fold over one side of the stack about 2 inches and crease. Cut leaves (about 4 inches long) along the crease with scissors. Repeat. (You’ll need 12 leaves per foot of garland.) Hot glue about 1 inch of a wire “stem” onto a crepe paper leaf; let dry. Twist stems together, one continuously to another, until desired length is achieved.