Whimsical Christmas DIY

Christmas Friends ornaments & door sign

Easy1–2 hoursVinyl or cardstock

Turn the reindeer, snowman, pink Santa, gingerbread, penguin, polar bear and cocoa mug into a set of tree ornaments, then make one big friend the star of a front-door sign.

You'll need

• The Christmas Friends SVG Bundle (or one of the smaller sets below)
• A cutting machine, a standard-grip mat and a fine-point blade
• Permanent adhesive vinyl or adhesive cardstock in pink, aqua, white, brown and navy
• Transfer tape, a weeding tool and a scraper
• 3–4 in wood rounds or clear acrylic ornament blanks, plus ribbon or baker's twine
• For the sign: a 12–16 in wood round or door hanger, acrylic paint and a clear spray sealer

How to make it

1. Upload the SVG to your design software and ungroup it so each color is its own layer.
2. Size the ornaments to about 3–3½ in tall and the sign character to about 9–10 in.
3. Cut each color in matching vinyl or cardstock, then weed away the extra, keeping the small details.
4. Stack the layers from the bottom up, using transfer tape for vinyl or glue dots for cardstock.
5. Ornaments: press each friend onto a blank, burnish well and tie on a ribbon loop.
6. Door sign: paint the round, let it dry, add your character and your own lettering (a family name or "Merry & Bright"), then seal it if it hangs outside.

💡 Only want a few characters? Southern Nest also has two smaller Christmas Friends sets: set one and set two.

✂️ Design credit: Christmas Friends SVG Bundle by Southern Nest SVG.

DIY Christmas earrings (faux leather or acrylic)

Easy–medium1 hourFaux leather or acrylic

Kawaii reindeer, snowman, Santa, gingerbread, penguin and cocoa earrings make quick handmade gifts and stocking stuffers. Cut them from faux leather on a vinyl cutter, or from acrylic on a laser.

You'll need

• The Christmas Earrings SVG (6 kawaii designs) or the Christmas Earrings SVG Bundle (12 earring files)
• Faux leather sheets in pink, aqua, white, brown and navy (or 3 mm acrylic for a laser cutter)
• A strong-grip mat and a deep-point or faux-leather blade
• Craft glue made for leather or acrylic
• 8–10 mm jump rings, earring hooks and two pairs of flat-nose pliers
• Earring cards for gifting (optional)

How to make it

1. Open the file and keep the designs at true earring size, about 1½–2 in tall.
2. Faux leather: place the sheet face up on a strong-grip mat and cut with your machine's faux-leather setting. Do a test cut first.
3. Acrylic: use the laser files and cut and engrave each color layer to your laser's settings.
4. Glue the layers from the base up and press them flat under a heavy book for 30 minutes.
5. Twist a jump ring open sideways with both pliers, thread it through the hole, add the hook and twist it closed.
6. Clip each pair onto a card, ready to gift.

💡 Make a pair of each design and you have six gifts done in an evening. Want more variety? The Bundle has 12 earring files to mix and match.

✂️ Design credit: Christmas Earrings SVG and Christmas Earrings SVG Bundle by Southern Nest SVG.

Whimsical nutcracker & angel ornaments or mantel garland

Medium2–3 hoursCardstock

Pink nutcrackers, three sweet angels (one holding a heart, one a Christmas star and one a gold cross), bows and peppermints make a garland that looks like it came from a sugarplum dream. Hang the pieces on the tree as ornaments, or string them along the mantel.

You'll need

• The Nutcracker SVG Bundle (20 designs, including the heart, Christmas star and gold cross angels)
• A cutting machine, a standard-grip mat and a fine-point blade
• Smooth and glitter cardstock in pink, white, mint and gold
• Glue dots and foam adhesive squares for a 3D pop
• A hole punch, about 6 ft of baker's twine or ribbon and mini clothespins
• Wood beads (optional)

How to make it

1. The angel ornaments are designed at 5.5 in tall. Size the other tree ornaments to match and garland pieces to 5–6 in.
2. Cut each layer in cardstock, using glitter cardstock for crowns, buttons and wings.
3. Assemble with glue dots, and lift a few layers on foam squares for depth.
4. Ornaments: punch a hole at the top and tie on a ribbon loop.
5. Garland: clip the pieces to the twine about 6 in apart, alternating nutcrackers, angels, bows and peppermints, with wood beads between.
6. Drape it across the mantel, keeping paper well away from candles and fireplace heat.

💡 Make the garland in two colorways, pink and mint, and swap them halfway through December for a fresh look.

✂️ Design credit: Nutcracker SVG Bundle by Southern Nest SVG.

✨ Coming soon

Christmas Caroling Angels mantel scene

Coming soonNew collectionCardstock or window cling

A new collection of singing angels is on the way from Southern Nest. Here's the project we can't wait to make: a little choir of caroling angels lined up along the mantel or singing from a frosty window.

You'll need

• The Christmas Caroling Angels designs (coming soon)
• Cardstock in white, pink and gold, or static-cling vinyl for windows
• Small wood blocks or a strip of foam board to stand them on
• Glue dots, plus mini fairy lights (optional)

How to make it

1. Cut three to five angels at 5–7 in tall, mixing sizes so the choir looks natural.
2. Layer them with glue dots and add a tiny cardstock songbook to each.
3. Glue each angel to a small block and line them up on the mantel with fairy lights behind, or cut them in static-cling vinyl and press them onto a window.

💡 Follow Southern Nest SVG on Etsy to see the new collection as soon as it's released.

✂️ Design credit: Christmas Caroling Angels (working name) by Southern Nest SVG, coming soon.