DIY Holiday Style - Embrace Your Inner Sparkle This Holiday Season

It's the ho-ho-holiday season where everything is festive from the decorations and music at the mall to the snacks you eat. Even holiday styles have a little sparkle to them. If you're super into the holidays, you can add a touch of sparkle to everything you DIY. Not into wearing your holiday cheer? At the very least you can hop on the comforting winter trend of wearing your PJ's all day!

If you can't get enough holiday sparkle, just add glitter to DIY your holiday cheerCourtesy of Freestocks

Holiday Style

Boys' style for parties is timeless, and there are tons of resources out there showcasing the party dresses for girls for any style type or occasion, but the ugly holiday sweater trend continues to evolve each year. Sweaters (or jumpers, as they're referred to at Hogwarts) can be as simple as the Weasleys' horribly itchy and unattractive monograms, or they can even light up or (please don't do this) be programmed to accompany you with midi-generated holiday music as you go about your day. (No, really, don't do this!) Ugly holiday sweaters have gotten fairly inexpensive over the years, and each year stores come out with new trends or memes to let you pair your passion for pop culture with your passion for the festive season and literally wear them both on your sleeve (and chest, and back.)

But whether you're trending eco-friendly, love to DIY fashion, can't find a properly unattractive one for a dollar at your local thrift store, or don't have the funds for a new sweater, it's simple to take a sweater you have and transform it with some holiday magic and cheer.

DIY No-Cost Ugly Holiday Sweater Instructions

1. Start with a sweater that fits you but you don't mind if it gets a little messed up. Ideally, you'll have a hot glue gun and/or glue dots on hand, but if not, a needle and thread will work in a pinch! You'll also need a pair of scissors.
2. Sort through your craft supplies for felt, glitter glue, buttons, bows, googly eyes, string, feathers, and pipe cleaners. Extra points if they're in festive holiday colors. Sort through your family's holiday supplies for anything they aren't using. Bits of tinsel, gift wrap supplies, and (best find of all) battery-powered lights make great additions to a holiday sweater.
3. Survey your supplies and use your imagination to see what might come together. Pull up your favorite meme, TV character, superhero, or memory from the year for inspiration. Large pieces of felt or gift wrap can be cut into the shape of just about anything to form a base for your decorations: a tree, menorah, reindeer, chimney, monogram, letters to spell out a word, sunglasses, snowmen, boxes of presents, or your favorite animal. Wrap your tree in tinsel and lights and add small found objects as ornaments. Cover boxes and turn them into wrapped presents. Check out sites like Oh My! Creative for more inspired ideas.
4. Using your hot glue gun, glue dots or needle and thread, attach your base to the sweater.
5. Once you have your base, plan out your design on a piece of paper, then prepare and lay out the elements before you attach them to the sweater. Remember when you're building the design, items in the background go on before the items on top. Build on your base to make it more festive. 
6. Try on your sweater and jump around to make sure everything is attached. Add some last-minute adhesive before you leave the house, and bring extra glue dots with you to school in case of emergency!

The ugly holiday sweater season is upon us.Courtesy of Amazon

DIY Sparkly Snacks

Everything tastes better when you add a little sparkle. It's super easy to dress up everyday treats like Oreo cookies, Nilla Wafers, and sugar cookies and share them with friends and family. Teachers love homemade gifts, especially ones they can eat. If you're a seasoned baker, check out Kidzworld's edible holiday gift cookies recipe. If not, or if you're short on time, no-bake cookies or slice and bake cookie dough cookies are guaranteed to be even more delicious when you dress them up for the holidays.

Here's what you'll need

1. Store bought cookies. The more plain they are the better. Ginger snaps, sugar cookies, graham crackers, and Oreos work well.
2. Colorful icing. You can buy it at a store in the baking aisle or try making your own with the recipe in the link above for Kidzworld's holiday cookies.
3. Colorful decorating sugar. You can get it in your grocery store's baking aisle or, if you have food coloring on hand at home, place 1/2 cup of sugar in a lid with a top and add 1 drop of color. Shake vigorously until the color is distributed evenly. 
4. Jam, nut butter, fluff, or Nutella for filling
5. Holiday cookie cutters if you're starting your cookies from dough

To assemble, experiment with different designs until you find the perfect one. Here are some ideas

• Dip half of the cookie into a bowl of icing, then sprinkle colored sugar on the icing and let it dry
• Paint the cookie with colored icing
• Attach two flat cookies together using the jam, nut butter or other filling to make a sandwich cookie
• Roll out store bought sugar cookie dough and cut it into holiday-themed shapes, then decorate with icing

Turn everyday treats into holiday masterpieces with coolorful sugar and icingCourtesy of Martha Stewart / Etsy

DIY Sparkle

Holiday gifts don't have to be the only things wrapped up in holiday cheer. With craft glitter and a glue stick, double-sided sticky tape, or, better yet, glitter glue, you can bedazzle your book covers, notebook cover, stapler, and even add sparkle to a Starbucks' coffee sleeve that you can reuse for the whole season (or until you get inspired to create a new one.)  To spread cheer at school, gift wrap your friends' lockers (if it's okay with your friends and allowed by the school) or offer to decorate your teacher's door with extra wrapping paper. Makeup glitter is another great way to add sparkle to your everyday look and put you in the holiday spirit. Follow a party eye makeup tutorial, then add sparkle with glitter specially designed for skin and makeup use. Never use craft glitter on your face or body. Visit your local department store makeup counter or chain makeup store and ask a consultant for tips on the best sparkly makeup they have this season that's good for your skin type. 

Want some gift-wrapping tips from a pro? The video below has ideas for homemade gift wraps that may bring even more joy than the gifts themselves!

11 Creative Christmas Gift Wrapping Ideas

Have Your Say

Do you love holiday sparkle? Do you wish you could keep the holiday spirit going all year long? What's your favorite way to get your glow on during the holiday season? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.