In recent years, there’s been a growing trend toward farmhouse furniture and décor. Personally, having grown up the grandkid of farmers and a lover of all things countryside, I’ve loved the beauty and simplicity of this trend and all the fun, colorful, rustic pieces coming out of design studios and brands.
I also love the tutorials I’ve found for crafting my own farmhouse outdoor Christmas décor ideas and am eager to share them with you. If you’re looking for some fun, easy, attractive outdoor DIY decoration projects for this holiday season, you’ve definitely come to the right place.
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Buffalo Plaid Tree
Made in a Day offers us this great tutorial for these beautiful, rustic little buffalo plaid trees you can put anywhere in the house or on the porch. You’ll use foam, dowels, wood slices, and, of course, that cozy plaid fabric in your favorite shades.
Decorative Sled
A super simple, vintage idea is grabbing an old wooden sled and adding some decorative pieces (or something like a door swag) in your favorite holiday ribbons and embellishments. Then, just prop the sled up by the door. Voila! In less than 30 minutes, you’ve got an eye-catching piece everyone will love.
Evergreen Swag
Speaking of door swags, here’s a lovely one you can make for that front door, back door, or that decorative sled piece. It’s made of evergreen branches, pinecones, and ribbons for the perfect natural look in that beautiful décor.
Birdseed Ornaments
I love the idea of decorating with something useful, too – like these birdseed ornaments. The birds will love them (and so will the cats, if you hang them where the kitties can keep watch!) and they add a truly rustic, natural-feeling touch to your outdoor holiday décor. I’d recommend hanging them on a post, on the edge of the balcony or edge of the roof, or a bare tree easily seen from the windows.
Pro Tip: These will also make a great gift for friends and family, so make up some extras to pass out!
Joy Door Letters
The season is all about joy – so a giant sign made of oversized letters could be the perfect way to send out that reminder to passing neighbors. This tutorial from Uncommon Designs shows you where to find your supplies and how to craft them into this lovely door hanging.
Simple Pinecone Branch Door Swag
For super simple door swag, try grabbing some branches with pinecones on them, trying them up with a ribbon, and hanging them from the door, roof overhang, or anywhere else you’ve got a hook. It will take you five minutes or less and adds that perfect natural Christmas touch without much effort or expense.
Reclaimed Wood Rustic Industrial Tree
Ever since sitting down at a coffee shop in Chicago and discovering the tables were all made from reclaimed old barnwood from Indiana, I’ve kind of been obsessed with reclaimed wood. This amazing wooden Christmas tree made from reclaimed wood only adds to that obsession! Use the tutorial provided and tweak it out with your own special touches for an amazing, gorgeous piece you can put anywhere.
Tobacco Basket Wreath
For a rustic, old-fashioned Southern-style farmhouse piece, consider this DIY tobacco basket wreath. You just need an old tobacco basket, some ribbon, greenery, berries or other embellishments, and some hot glue. Craft the wreath together with the glue and hang it on the door. It won’t even take an hour.
Lighted Tree Holiday Sign
For the perfect big touch for the front yard or porch, this marquee sign of a large wooden tree outlined with lights is a fantastic choice. You just need some scrap wood, paint, a drill, and some lights and voila – the dazzling, brilliant sign!
Mason Jar Sconce
If you want to add some mood lighting to the front porch or back deck and want to do it with some Christmas cheer, this amazing Mason jar sconce is the perfect way to do it. You’ll need some scrap wood and stain, a mason jar, and some candles to whip up these beauties. And apart from drying time, they won’t take much time or effort at all if you know your way around a saw.
Spool Wreath
Here’s a charming idea that helps you upcycle those old spools from sewing projects past. You’ll simply wrap them with some yarn or baker’s twine or ribbon and attach them to a wreath form. Voila! Easy, beautiful, and homey!
Super Simple – Sleds by the Door
Exceptionally simple, this idea is a winner for anyone looking for a beautiful, rustic, fast, and easy touch for the holidays. Simply locate some old wooden sleds (eBay, Etsy, Freecycle, Craigslist, thrift stores – any of these might have some!) and prop them up by the door. No muss, no fuss. Just set them and instantly your front door has an inviting, holiday feel.
Wood Burned Garland
This wood-burned garland is so cute and inviting! You’ll need a wood burning kit, some wooden Christmas trees (or snowflakes or snowmen, or whatever else you can find and love!), some twine, and wooden beads. In no time you’ll have a gorgeous, unique holiday garland perfect for hanging from any porch overhang or tree.
Farmhouse Galvanized Buckets
With this tutorial from Lil Blue Boo, you won’t need any chemicals to craft these farmhouse galvanized buckets and jugs for your outdoor holiday décor. Follow the additional link for aging the buckets and jugs, then come back for the stenciling tutorial and tips.
Shiplap Ornament Display
For a fun, unique way to spotlight your Christmas silver bells or tiny ornaments, check out this gorgeous DIY shiplap ornament display. You’ll get to upcycle some shiplap and use up those ornaments you can never quite figure out what to do with while adding a fantastic décor piece to the front or back porch.
This is a unique way to spotlight silver bells, or the tiniest of Christmas ornaments. With this DIY project, you’ll create a Christmas tree shape attached to a piece of well-loved shiplap.
Tiny Star Door Hanger
This door or wall hanger with tiny stars is the perfectly elegant farmhouse décor piece for any home. You’ll need a rustic branch and oven-bake clay for the project, along with a few hours of time to craft and bake the stars. And though the tutorial shows white stars, you can go with any colors you love to show off your holiday spirit.
Mason Jar Christmas Tree
If you’re not feeling the artificial tree and don’t want to pay the price of a full-size standard real tree, this Mason jar Christmas tree project is the perfect in-between. You can either follow the tutorial exactly (using a mini artificial tree) or grab some green branches from your yard to craft the mini tree (just remember to keep them watered!) or purchase a tiny tree from a nearby nursery. Then follow the tutorial for crafting the Mason jar décor piece for the project. Soon, you’ll have a gorgeous mini tree!
Tomato Cage Tree
If I didn’t already have the tomato cages in use for the indoor garden, I would totally craft this fun tomato cage Christmas tree for the front patch of grass!
To do it, find a planter large enough around to sink the top prongs of the tomato cage into some potting soil or moss upside down. Then, using a ribbon, tie the top prongs of the cage together. Cover the soil or planting moss with greenery, then string up all-weather lights and ornaments on the cage. Easy, inexpensive, and absolutely weatherproof, wherever you live!
Ice Wreath
Here’s a unique project I wouldn’t have thought of, but it’s perfect for the holidays in a colder climate: an ice fruit/décor wreath. Yep. You craft a wreath out of ice, filled with fruit or décor pieces for a unique, outdoor decoration in your favorite tree, on the porch, or elsewhere in the yard. You’ll use a bundt cake pan for the mold.
Mason Jar String Lights
The tutorial for this Mason jar string lights project is easy to follow and gives you a gorgeous “swag” of lights you can use just about anywhere outdoors. I’d recommend using some solar string lights so you can place it in inconvenient places, though, else you’ll be limited to spots where you can safely run an extension cord.
Hay Bale Christmas “Tree”
Okay, here’s a fun one the farmyard animals will enjoy after the season! Grab some hay bales, string lights, ornaments, and a giant star. Then, stack the bales into a pyramid or “tree” shape and decorate. Easy peasy! And the whole neighborhood will enjoy it as they pass by.
Rustic Snow Globe Jars
I love snow globes! But I’ve never liked most of the holiday ones I find available. They’re either kind of boring or look tacky. With this tutorial, you have the ability to craft large snow globe jars of your own that you can then use to decorate the front porch. I will advise not to use glass jars in places where deep freezes occur, though, as they’ll crack and break (not speaking from experience…at all).
Vintage Farmhouse Christmas Soda Crate Display
Another super simple but gorgeous farmhouse style décor piece for that front porch is this gorgeous, rustic stack of vintage soda crates as a display. You’ll need some old soda crates, a galvanized bucket, a mini tree, some lights for the tree, and any ornaments you want. Stack up the crates as tall as you’d like, then place the tree into the bucket and voila!
Simple Galvanized Chalk Pen Christmas Buckets
For another super simple décor piece, try these “Joy” buckets made from galvanized pails with chalk pens, greenery, and ribbon. It will take you about 10 minutes to construct them all and they’ll add a chic farmhouse touch to your front steps with ease.
Frosted Berry Watering Can
Here’s another simple decoration piece for the front porch or patio that will look like it came from an expensive catalog when in fact it just cost you a few bucks and about 5 minutes to construct. Find an old watering can (ideally a galvanized one), some frosted red winter berries on branches, and some holly branches. Arrange as desired and place in the can. Then set out where the world can enjoy your lovely creation!
Button Branch Ornaments
If you’ve got a glue gun and some twine, you can craft these gorgeous button branch ornaments for use around the porch roof life, any tree (they’re perfect for spindly trees that have lost their leaves!) or even on the tree indoors.
Additionally, you’ll need some wood sticks, wire cutters and wire, pine stems, and buttons. I’d personally go with bright buttons to draw attention to the gorgeous ornaments, but the tutorial demonstrates with more muted, earthy tones.
