If you’ve spent some time visiting Cottage on Bunker Hill, you probably know that I feel there’s always something worthwhile to create. Not because you need to, or because your home isn’t already beautiful, but because seeing something on your wall or table and being able to say, I made that, is incredibly rewarding.
Searching for easy DIY projects for every season?
A maker’s year is filled with nature-inspired creations for every season: spring wreaths and moss wall art, summer terrariums and pressed-flower coasters, autumn felt garlands and clay ghosts, plus winter dried-orange wreaths and snowflake wall art. Every project is affordable, beginner-friendly, and made with materials that are simple to find.
Throughout the years, I’ve posted plenty of DIY ideas here: wreaths, wall art, botanical creations, seasonal decorations, and I’ve realized that my crafting naturally moves along with the seasons. Spring inspires me to make fresh, nature-filled projects. During summer, the garden becomes the focus, and I begin pressing flowers and arranging vases. Fall is truly my favorite time to craft (please don’t tell the others). Winter, meanwhile, is dedicated to cozy, unhurried projects that give the house a warm, lived-in atmosphere.
That gave me the idea to assemble a simple guide: twelve months of DIY projects, organized by season, so you have a place to begin whenever you happen to read this. Whether you want a spring weekend activity or you’re already planning for autumn, you’ll find an idea here. Even better, every project is affordable, suitable for beginners, and made with supplies available at any craft store (or items you may already have at home).
Let’s create something.
Welcome! I’m Jennifer, and since 2019 I’ve been documenting my home’s transformation, with an ongoing emphasis on affordable, attainable style. If you appreciate New England’s character but want a home that suits everyday life, you’ve come to the right place. I explain my projects step by step so you can build a home that reflects your story, without feeling overwhelmed.
Spring: New Beginnings and Nature-Inspired Creations
Early spring in New England brings a special kind of excitement. It’s that first mild afternoon when you simply have to use your hands to make something. These four projects are my favorite ways to capture that mood, and none calls for complicated supplies.
Forsythia Spring Wreath
We’re beginning with a Blog Hall of Fame favorite. Since I originally posted it in 2020, this forsythia and pussy willow wreath has remained one of the blog’s most popular projects. The hidden star is the DIY bird’s nest nestled at the base, crafted from Spanish moss and spray adhesive — it appears so authentic that people regularly ask where I purchased it. The answer? You didn’t.
DIY Moss Wall Art
This project is perfect for anyone who has browsed online, admired framed moss artwork, and then quickly shut the page after seeing the price.
Using wood panels, preserved moss, and a hot glue gun, I created a trio for a small portion of the cost. I made them several years ago, and I still adore them-they look just as good as they did then.
One reminder: keep these out of direct sunlight, or the moss will lose its color.
Paper Blossoms on Spring Branches
This is one of those crafts that always inspires someone to ask, “Hold on, those aren’t real?” With basic paper, a hot glue gun, and a few branches, whether faux willow or gathered from the yard, your home can suddenly feel as though spring has truly arrived. It’s especially perfect for those of us in New England, where the calendar and the forecast seldom see eye to eye.
Rustic Bird’s Nest
For an easy and delightful centerpiece on your Easter table or spring mantel, this petite nest is an ideal choice. Start with a straw wreath form, then loosen it and build it up with twigs, guinea hen feathers, bunny tail grass, and reindeer moss.
Finish it with wooden eggs. The look is charming and rustic, and assembling it costs almost nothing.
Summer: Take It Easy and Create Something Lovely
Cottage summer is centered on spending as much time outdoors as possible, then heading inside to make something that carries a bit of that outdoor spirit with you. These four crafts suit the season beautifully, whether you’re embracing the garden, the shore, or simply enjoying a relaxed afternoon with a glue gun.
DIY Beachy Mermaid Wreath
This project is perfect for anyone who wants a summer entryway that announces “I adore the beach” without resorting to a plastic crab. A wooden mermaid figure sits at the base of a grapevine wreath, framed by a generous blend of fresh eucalyptus and faux cascading greenery, with a prominent starfish completing the design. It’s polished and coastal—the sort of wreath that makes visitors pause and ask where you found it.
Coasters with Pressed Flower Tiles
Summer is the perfect time to preserve pressed flowers, and these coasters are among my favorite ways to feature them. Genuine pressed blooms are sealed onto natural travertine tiles, creating a finished piece that could easily pass for a $40 artisan-market set. They’re also a wonderfully considerate handmade present, just a thought.
I chose these tiles, though I had to purchase them from Home Depot (they’re only 73¢ apiece)
DIY Air Plant Terrariums
Looking to bring something living and captivating into your home this summer without taking on a demanding plant? Air plant terrariums are an ideal solution. I’ll guide you through four unique project concepts, along with a complete care guide to help yours thrive well beyond August.
No dirt, no stress, only a small glass container and plenty of character.
DIY Garden Girl Scarecrow
To be perfectly honest, she frightens absolutely nobody. Still, she is wonderfully charming. Created from a leftover wood frame and a tomato cage, this garden girl wears a long-sleeved blouse, floral apron, gardening gloves, a floppy straw hat, and a tutu beneath it all, because why not? Each year, I create a fresh version by changing her colors, making her endlessly adaptable and perpetually new. She is, quite simply, the best-dressed resident of my garden!
Fall: Warm, Playful & Slightly Witchy
Fall is my top crafting season, and I stand by that. The blend of crisp air, softer daylight, and the freedom to give your home a slightly mysterious, enchanted atmosphere brings out my strongest DIY inspiration. These four projects embrace that mood without resorting to full-size plastic skeletons!
Mossy Witch Hat Topiaries
This project is one of those transformations that feels especially rewarding. Begin with inexpensive tinsel witch hats from the dollar section, remove the tinsel, and wrap the shapes in preserved moss or jute twine. Include a few natural branch stems, a terracotta container, some Spanish moss, and several dried flowers, and suddenly you have a piece that seems to belong in a storybook cottage. Refined, economical, and entirely one-of-a-kind!
Clay Ghosts with Flowers
If your Halloween style is more “romantic and botanical” than “frightening,” these little figures are perfect. Shape air-dry clay into sweet ghost forms, then press in delicate dried flower petals. Picture garden-inspired blossoms in terracotta, white, and black shades.
class=”wp-block-paragraph”>A shiny sealer coating makes them resemble ceramic pottery. They’re the sort of pieces you display on your mantel, and someone inevitably asks, “Where did you find those?”
DIY Ghost Canvas Artwork
With three steps, a dark canvas, a bit of joint compound, and a few cardboard templates, you can create dimensional, textured ghost wall décor that feels moody and deliberate instead of resembling something from a Halloween clearance aisle. The “dip and wipe” method produces a lovely sculptural finish that looks striking in photos on a mantel or gallery wall.
Neutral Felt Leaf Swag
Orange and red décor isn’t for everyone in October, and this garland is made with those people in mind. Ten shades of brown and gray felt are shaped into leaves and threaded onto thick jute rope.
The finished piece is richly textured, earthy, and complements nearly any decorating style. Hang it over a mantel, across a dining table, or along a bookcase, and it gently announces “fall has arrived” without being too loud.
Winter: Comfortable Projects For The Calmest Season
During winter, I take things slower and genuinely savor the act of creating. There’s no garden requiring attention and no place I need to rush off to—only a glue gun and a free afternoon. These four crafts span Thanksgiving to the new year, and each one embraces the snug, organic, affordable style that feels especially fitting when temperatures drop.
DIY Dried Orange Wreath
This may be my favorite type of DIY project: the kind that uses an inexpensive main ingredient yet ends up looking like it came from a charming boutique holiday store.
Slice oranges thinly, dry them slowly in the oven, then attach the pieces to a basic bamboo hoop with hot glue. The finished wreath is warm, aromatic, and perfect for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Nature handled most of the work.
Oversized Snowflake Wall Décor
Pottery Barn sold a stunning driftwood snowflake sign, but its price was far beyond my budget, so of course I decided to create my own!
To make it, a wooden plank panel is lightly coated with white chalk paint, allowing some of the grain to remain visible for a weathered, rustic finish. Then, small precut branches and twigs are hot-glued into the shape of a snowflake. It feels wintry without being limited to Christmas, so it can decorate your walls from December through February.
Christmas Village Houses
Have you always wanted an adorable Christmas village but couldn’t bring yourself to pay the cost? Then this craft is just right for you. Plain wooden birdhouses are embellished and grouped together to create the coziest holiday display.
It has the look of a scene meant for a glass cloche or a mantel decorated with a few bottle brush trees. You can personalize it completely, keep the expenses low, and have a genuinely enjoyable time making it.
Luxe-for-Less DIY Orchid Arrangement Planter
When January arrives, you may suddenly crave something fresh and beautiful to bring into your home. With a few simple touches, an ordinary planter can become a display that resembles an upscale floral arrangement.
Faux orchids combined with moss and other natural accents create an elegant look for a small portion of the price charged by high-end catalogs. It’s an ideal way to refresh your space after the holidays!
And that’s the collection! A complete year of crafting, season by season. Maybe you’re reading this during a snowy January and searching for a hands-on activity, or perhaps it’s a sunny July afternoon with pressed flowers ready to be used. Wherever you are, I hope one of these ideas has inspired you.
What makes this roundup especially great is that none of the projects call for a large budget, a dedicated craft room, or advanced abilities. All you need is some time and an open mind. Save this post for whenever you need a creative starting place, and if you try one of the projects, I’d be thrilled to see it! Share it with me on Instagram or send it to the Reader’s Spotlight. Email a photo to jennifer@cottageonbunkerhill.com
Now go create something lovely!
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