Rustic Decor

I am married to a man’s man. Rugged. Brawny. Strong. He’s the kind of man that scoffs at things like lotion, and thinks corduroys are “fancy.” He drinks beer. He eats sausage. And he doesn’t look too keenly on our home looking too “girly.” So when the holidays roll around, I have to make sure that there aren’t too many sparkles and shimmery things lying around, or else he might start feeling uncomfortable.

Which is why this year I enlisted him to help me create these. Hewn from some pine and aspen logs we had lying around (yes, we have logs “lying around.” We live in Colorado--it’s sort of expected around here.), these “woodsy lanterns” are possibly my favorite holiday project yet.

Favorite because they cost $6.00 to make (not including the cost of the tools, of course, which my manly husband already owned--naturally). And because they took about eight minutes. And because they bring the wintry outdoors into my living room. Even better, these candle holders are versatile! See how many ways there are to change their look? There’s the traditional look, with winter berries. Simple. Classic. Beautiful. You can’t go wrong with berries. And then there’s the rugged look, with them all bundled together with a belt. This was my favorite...until my husband started looking around the house for his belt. Incidentally he wasn’t persuaded by my attempts to convince him that the design of our coffee table display was more important than keeping his pants up. I lost that battle. Fortunately, there is also the ribbon look, which as a self-proclaimed girly-girl, is now my new favorite. I like to think of it as a picture of my marriage. Rugged...but with a twist of sparkle. I’m the sparkle. Naturally. To learn more about my DIY pattern for making these woodsy lanterns yourself, click here!