3 Easy DIY Winter Decor Ideas For Your Mantel & Fireplace

The cozy fires, fuzzy blankets & hot cocoa time!

I love love love summer don’t get me wrong, but when this Alabama heat takes a turn for the cooler temps I immediately start fantasizing about our decorated mantel with a warm cozy fire brewing underneath.

Our fireplace is my favorite spot when the weather gets cool, so this year I decided to start decorating it first!

In honor of my favorite WORKPRO Tools 6-in-1 Manual Staple Gun winning a Pro Tool Innovation Award, I thought I would use it to show you 3 easy diy winter decor projects, perfect for your mantel! The best part about this staple gun (& the reason it won) is that you don’t have to manually set a selector for the different types of fasteners, it automatically detects which of the size types is inserted!

So grab your staple gun for these winter mantle decor ideas!

DIY Stocking Holder

I struggle every year with how to hang stockings… Large hangers will get in the way of the tv & individual ones are so dang expensive, plus my theme changes too much for all that! So I had to come up with an easy, budget friendly option that is completely customizable & won’t get in the way of tv.

Tools:

• WORKPRO Tools 6-in-1 Manual Staple Gun
• 1×4 Pine Board
• Stain or Paint
• Decorative Knobs
• Greenery/lights

Tutorial:

1. Start by cutting the pine board to either the length of the mantle or however long you want the stocking holder to be.

1. Next it’s time for the fun part, staining & painting! I am going with a natural winter wonderland theme this year so I am using Minwax Ebony stain.

1. Now, it’s time to add the knobs to the 1×4 pine board. Pre-drill a small hole & screw in your desired knobs.

These little knobs were from Lowes & only cost $1.50

1. To complete this sweet stocking holder add greenery to the top & sides using a staple gun & T25 staples.

Using staples to attach your greenery & string lights will allow you to swap greenery the next year or replace lighting that gets broken or burnt out easily, while also keeping everything you want to stay on the holder secure!

1. Depending on what you plan on putting in your stockings you may need to secure it to the mantle using Command Strips.

That’s it! A super simple & customizable stocking holder that is perfect for those mantles that also house a tv or artwork!

Custom Stocking Name Tags

I love love love stockings! They are festive & fun but having to order custom ones with everyone’s name or initials is kind of expensive & also not really my jam. They kind of remind me of those “Eat Here” kitchen signs… I know I know don’t hate me, I’m sorry. I just want name tags that will be classic & sweet without overshadowing the stocking itself.

Tools:

• WORKPRO Tools 6-in-1 Manual Staple Gun
• Small Trim Wood
• Thin Crafter Board
• Paint
• Stickers/Stencils/Vinyl
• Twine

Tutorial:

1. Start by cutting the small trim wood into (2) 2” pieces & (2) 3” pieces. This is how many cuts you will need to make one name tag.

The backing of these stocking name tags can be paper if you prefer, but I had thin scrap wood pieces laying around.

1. Attach the trim wood into a rectangle using a staple gun. I am using my WORKPRO Tools T20 staples to attach them together.

1. Next, insert the backing to the rectangle & staple the tops of the frame to keep the backing secure . Swapping from the T20 staples to the T50 staples is super easy with my WORKPRO Tools staple gun & keeps me from having to go searching for multiple tools for 1 project!

1. For the name portion you can use stencils, stickers, vinyl, or free hand!
2. To hang the name tags from the stockings attach twine or ribbon to the back using a staple gun & T20 staples.

Such a sweet & easy way to personalize everyone’s stockings without having to spend big bucks on embroidered custom stockings!

Paint Stick Blanket Crate

What is a cozy fire without a super soft blanket to cuddle up with?! And if you give me a pretty blanket I want something pretty to store it in too, but I don’t want to pay $25+ for one. I know I want a lot of things, but a pack of paint sticks is about to solve all the blanket storage problems!

Tools:

• WORKPRO Tools 6-in-1 Manual Staple Gun
• 5 Gallon Paint Sticks
• 1 Gallon Paint Sticks
• 1×2 Wood Pieces
• Wood Glue
• Stain or Paint
• Rope

Tutorial:

1. Start by cutting off the curved end of all the paint sticks.

1. Next cut (4) pieces of 1×2 wood to the height you want your crate to be. Mine is going to be 12” tall.

1. The (4) pieces of 1×2 wood are going to be used for the 4 corners of the crate. Using a spacer attach the 5 gallon paint sticks to two of the corner pieces. Build two of these sets.

I used my WORKPRO Tools staple gun & brad nail staples to attach the paint sticks because they won’t split the wood like a heavy duty nail gun would.

1. Now it’s time to attach the short sides using the 1 gallon paint sticks. Use the same method before attaching them with brad nail staples, don’t forget to use a spacer to keep the gaps even.

1. Finally, install the bottom of the crate using 5 gallon paint sticks slid into the bottom crate gaps. I installed the bottom this way so that I could alter the depth of the basket as I need to!

1. Let’s get staining & painting! You could even add some fun holiday saying or paint red & white stripes on your crate to get really festive!

1. Lastly I attached two rope handles to the short sides of my crate for easy carrying & also because I think it looks really cute 😉 I used a T25 staple to attach these because of it’s more curved shape!

How adorable is this crate y’all! Normally a wooden crate would cost at least $25 & I made this one for just a few bucks!

This mantle is now cozy winter weather ready!

I cannot wait to light a fire, sip on something warm, & have family movie nights.

Nothing feels more like winter time than the soft glow of candles & a fire.

Let me know what some of your favorite cozy winter activities & decor are!