Nearly 30 Years Later, This Forgotten Martha Stewart Holiday Decor DIY Is Still A Must-Try

Martha Stewart solidified herself as a mainstay in the home and lifestyle sphere in the 1980s and 1990s. She captivated a generation with her DIY prowess and eye for style. From books to television shows, this crafty lady was inescapable in that era. Everyone wanted to decorate their home like Martha Stewart. To this day, we look to Martha Stewart as a patron saint of all things home decor and hosting. A lot of her DIYs still hold up all this time later. With the holidays right around the corner, there's no better time to revisit some of Stewart's classic decor tutorials. Originally introduced in 1995, Martha's homemade cranberry wreath is still a huge hit. You should definitely give this fairly simple yet stylish DIY a whirl.

First things first, gather your materials. For this craft, you'll need cranberries, toothpicks, a foam wreath form, red spray paint, a piece of felt as large as your foam wreath form, hot glue, and some other optional embellishments we'll discuss a little later. Be sure you're using fresh cranberries that have never been frozen, since as soon as cranberries freeze, they start to get mushy. Prep your cranberries by breaking your toothpicks in half. Find the bottom of your cranberry, often marked with a little white spot. Insert the broken end of the toothpick into the cranberry, then set it aside. Prepare a whole bowl of cranberries before you move on to the next steps. You should also spray paint your foam form red ahead of time — helping it blend with the berries — and allow it to dry down. 

Now that your pre-skewered cranberries and foam form are poised and ready, it's time to start building out your wreath. First, to help protect any surface you hang it on, glue the felt round to the back of your wreath with a hot glue gun, then cut away any excess visible from the front. This will help protect any surface you hang it on.

Next, begin pushing your cranberries' toothpicks into the wreath, being careful to cover as much surface area as possible without overlapping the berries. This may take some time, so be patient. Once you've covered all the foam with cranberries, you can add a classic red ribbon to hang it. This is a beautiful, festive wreath DIY on its own, but why not customize it even further to make it yours?

There are endless ways to elevate this classic Martha Stewart wreath to fit your style. For instance, you can hang a brass bell from the middle like with this Anthropologie fresh eucalyptus wreath. Or you can add a layer of fresh eucalyptu, white-pine boughs, or similar evergreen branches before pinning your cranberries around them. Conversely, you could start with your cranberry layer and then incorporate dry starflower, eucalyptus, or decorative grass for a combination cranberry and DIY dried floral wreath. Play around with it until you're happy with the result. Whether you stick with the basic cranberry wreath or go for a more embellished look, you're sure to make Martha proud, keeping the spirit of her DIYs alive all this time later!