DIY ornaments are one of my favorite projects to make each year during the holidays.

Changing the look of your tree with handmade ornaments—or gifting a thoughtful homemade ornament to friends and family—feels truly special to me.

Ornaments, whether handmade or store-bought, hold family memories. Growing up, decorating the tree was a family ritual. Over time it became mostly my mom and me, but I loved it every year.

We always had odd little homemade ornaments: some went front-and-center while others ended up tucked at the back of the tree. No matter where they were placed, each ornament carried a memory and tasted like tradition when taken out of the holiday box each season.

That’s why I’ve put together a comprehensive guide to DIY Christmas ornaments—my favorite projects, materials, and reasons to make your own. Grab a chair and some scissors; here are tons of handmade ornament ideas, plus reasons why making them is so worthwhile.

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Welcome to part two of this three-part Europe travel guide. Today’s stop is Paris. If you missed part one, be sure to check the Amsterdam travel guide for more ideas and inspiration. Whether you’re planning a trip or simply enjoying some armchair travel, this guide highlights a selection of memorable spots—boutiques, cafés, restaurants, and a few cultural stops—that stood out during our visit.

Full disclosure: much of our time in Paris was overcast or rainy, but that didn’t stop us from exploring, shopping, and enjoying the city’s food scene.

Instead of repeating the usual tourist checklist, I’m sharing places I personally loved—unique shops, excellent coffee, and local-feeling restaurants. These are the kinds of finds that can make a visit feel more authentic and inspiring.

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Want to learn how to drill holes in stone to create natural stone jewelry? You can—and it’s easier than you might think.

Stone jewelry appears at craft fairs, online shops, and boutiques, and it’s tempting to wonder how those tiny, perfectly drilled pebbles are made. You can drill through rock to make earrings, necklaces, charms, and more. I reached out to Jenny Hoople, a jewelry artist who works with natural stones, to share her method for drilling stones at home. The process is straightforward, so if you collect stones on walks or hikes, this guide is for you.

The following guest tutorial was written by Jenny Hoople of Authentic Arts.

Until recently I used pre-drilled pebbles purchased from other Etsy makers, but I wanted to learn to drill my own local Wisconsin stones. After researching and experimenting with a range of advice, I discovered a reliable, repeatable method. Drilling small river rocks for jewelry is not only possible, it’s quite manageable.

I often get asked how to drill stones, so here is the step-by-step process I use. Click through to follow along.

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There have been a flurry of unexpected moments in and around the studio lately, so I wanted to share some behind-the-scenes snapshots. From spilling two gallons of paint in the driveway to a shelved project that finally sees the light of day, plus papaya outtakes and more—here’s a peek at the chaos and creativity.

Outtake from the brushstroke nails photo shoot. I loved this shot, but since the nails are barely visible it didn’t make the final selection.

We celebrated reaching 50,000 followers on Instagram with cake—because that seemed like the right way to mark it.

When your DIY vintage hat pendant lights need to hang in a precise spot but there are no rafters, you get inventive. In this case, we attached a DIY blanket ladder to the ductwork and hung the lights from it. It looked a little odd while we were setting it up, but it worked.

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