A DIY Christmas Home

Photography by Mel Willis

Styling by Astra Spanbauer

This Oklahoma City farmhouse is glowing with Christmas creativity.

This holiday season, so why not deck the halls so that every day brings you and your family Christmas spirit? Home décor guru and Instagrammer Astra Spanbauer of Red Brick Faux Farmhouse has styled her Oklahoma City home with holiday cheer. Here’s how she can inspire you with her DIY-driven Christmas wonderland.

flocked tree with natural and red ribbon — Homeowner Astra Spanbauer matches her wrapped gifts to her red, gold and white tree, creating a cohesive feeling in the living room.

DIY word art Christmas decor and decorated mantel — Astra uses décor and signs to cover two large vents on her fireplace mantel. It hides something she doesn’t like and adds something she loves—Christmas cheer.

A Merry DIY Christmas Home

“I’ve always been crafty—I love making my own things,” Astra says. She enjoys making her own decorative signs with the help of Etsy shops such as Erin’s Craft Days. “I would send [Erin] an idea, and we’d bounce ideas off each other until we got a stencil looking how I wanted it,” Astra says. From there, she’d lay out the festive base for her design—paper or wood—and work her holiday magic. “I like pouring out my creativity,” she says. “It’s my calming outlet.”

Christmas entryway — “My house is a big red brick house, so I love the traditional colors of Christmas mixed with the existing architecture,” Astra says. She uses faux pine trees and pops of red on the front porch to welcome guests.

porch with potted Christmas trees — Even with the winter chill, you can’t help but feel warm when you look at Astra’s cozy porch swing. Galvanized steel cans and cross-hatched pillows add a farmhouse touch to this merry scene.

garlands on staircase banister — “This year, my favorite garland is on my staircase,” Astra says. Pinecones and red berry clusters adorn the branches, while the dramatic ribbon adds a focal point.

DIY word art Christmas decor — “Seeing how much my family enjoys it when they get to the house and see everything decorated—it’s my favorite,” Astra says.

DIY crafting has different levels of expertise. Astra is a natural artist, but refining her DIY skills was a process of trial and error. “Before I knew how to cut, I didn’t have a lot of great woodworking skills,” she says. Her biggest tip for DIYers is to always measure. For example, if you’re building a sign, first decide how big you want the final piece to be, and then size your letters or stencils accordingly. Find the empty spot you want to decorate; then size your DIY craft to fill it.

Christmas tree bench and word art — Mix-and-match pictures, calligraphy and wood signs make for a nicely textured wall gallery. It stays personalized and looks professionally done.

DIY Christmas lyric art — If you have more than one large Christmas tree, it’s always nice to provide seating near it so people can admire the beauty in comfort. Astra cozied up this bench with a cranberry-red tassel blanket and tree pillows.

Learn from others too. DIYers form a close-knit yet incredibly open community. It’s all about finding what you love to make and sharing your joy with others—no wonder it melds so well with the Christmas season. “Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday,” Astra says. “I start decorating on Halloween! I love having my family here and getting to celebrate with everybody.”

dining room with Christmas greenery and chalkboard — A large statement sign above Astra’s Christmas tablescape in the dining room sets the mood for a merry holiday feast.

Decorated versus Cluttered

How does Astra make her décor instantly Instagram-worthy? “It’s a fine line between clutter and intentional,” Astra says. “I usually start with a focal piece and then build around it, adding things as I go until it looks right to me. As long as you love it, there’s really no wrong answer.” When you’re tackling a Christmas tablescape or sprucing up an empty side table, remember that the end goal is not perfection, but to create something that brings you joy.

kitchen with garlands and Christmas greenery — Astra kept most of the kitchen décor above or below the counters so she’d have plenty of space to prepare food during the Christmas season.

Astra Spanbauer of Red Brick Faux Farmhouse — Astra’s Christmas spirit is abundantly joyful and full of love for her friends and family. “Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday,” she says. “I love having my family here and getting to celebrate with everybody.”

A Woodland DIY Christmas Farmhouse

Come Christmastime, Astra’s home rivals a small Christmas tree farm. She sets up six large trees—8 feet or taller—and sprinkles 20 or so smaller trees throughout the house. As for whether she prefers artificial or real greenery? “Artificial!” she laughs. “I am not a plant lady.”

Oklahoma City kitchen decorated for Christmas

farmhouse kitchen shelving with holiday greenery — Astra DIYed her kitchen renovation herself, from painting the cabinets to adding a subway tile backsplash, rustic open shelves and other farmhouse touches.

This year, Astra decided to use more ribbon in her tree décor. “The cool thing about ribbon is that it’s relatively inexpensive and you can change it up every year,” she says. “I still have my regular Christmas bulbs and décor pieces, but I use a lot—a lot—of ribbon.”

vintage filing cabinet decorated for Christmas — The vintage filing cabinet provides the perfect opportunity for Astra’s “Merry Christmas” banner. Alongside the burlap ribbon, the vintage nostalgia really pops.

Kids room decorated for Christmas — No one appreciates the wonder of Christmas like children. Let them celebrate with their own specially decorated room—it’ll make their Christmas!

Astra decorates her large trees to complement their surroundings. The tree in the kitchen area sees a lot of holiday action, so it gets the full glam treatment with glittery, golden ribbons. The living room and office spaces have simpler, cozier vibes, so Astra makes their trees more traditional with burlap and red ribbons. But it’s the tree in her bedroom that’s the most special of all. “It’s my favorite tree because it has all the little tchotchkes and keepsakes that my kids have made over the years.”

On Christmas day, Astra’s family will gather for a time of love, laughter and plenty of DIY Christmas cheer.

Christmas coffee station — “I get to host Christmas at my house for the whole family,” Astra says. “After every dinner, someone always wants coffee.” This prompted Astra to create a self-serve station that double-functions as a coffee bar and a décor statement.

Silent Night sheet music decor — Astra dolled up this tree with some glittery gold and silver ribbons, and the effect is bold and brilliant.

DIY Christmas word art — In her bedroom, Astra doubled cozy upon cozy with farmhouse holiday signs and lots of texture in throw blankets and festive pillows.

Want more DIY Christmas ideas for your home? Check out DIY Christmas Tree with Vintage Fabric. For more holiday home inspiration, take a look at this cozy Christmas cabin! Of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to get your daily dose of farmhouse inspiration!