Martha Stewart Farmhouse Christmas: 15 Cozy DIY Ideas Inspired by Her 1805 Turkey Hill Home

A Martha Stewart Farmhouse Christmas starts with a story many people never heard. Long before the magazines and the TV shows, Martha and her husband Andrew bought a tired old 1805 farmhouse on Turkey Hill Road in Westport, Connecticut, and restored it room by room. That house later became the model for the studio of her TV show, Martha Stewart Living. Think about that for a second. The kitchen that taught millions of us to make wreaths and set pretty tables began as a real family home with creaky floors and drafty windows. This gallery collects 15 cozy ideas inspired by that old farmhouse look: fresh greens, white ironstone, scrap wood, vintage kitchen finds and simple handmade touches. None of them need a big budget. Most use things you already own or can find at a yard sale. Put the kettle on and let’s bring a little Turkey Hill charm home..

Martha Stewart Farmhouse Christmas Starts With Boxwood Wreaths on Every Window

Picture a white farmhouse on a snowy morning, every window wearing a small green wreath tied with red ribbon. That simple, repeated look is the heart of a Martha Stewart Farmhouse Christmas, and it is easier than it looks. Fresh boxwood stays green for weeks, smells lovely and costs very little if you buy a bundle from a garden center. Hang one wreath in each window, all the same size, and the whole house suddenly looks calm and planned from the street. Why not start with the kitchen window this weekend..

You will need: Fresh boxwood bundles, 10 or 12 inch wire wreath frames, green floral wire, pruning shears, red velvet ribbon, clear removable hooks.

How to make it: 1. Cut boxwood into 5 inch bunches of three or four stems. 2. Wire each bunch to the frame, overlapping so the stems are hidden, all in one direction. 3. Tie a long ribbon loop at the top, hang it from a removable hook on the window frame, and mist with water once a week to keep it fresh.

Martha Stewart Farmhouse Christmas Ironstone Tureen Centerpiece

White ironstone is the quiet star of an old farmhouse kitchen. Plain, heavy and a little crazed with age, it shows up at flea markets for a few dollars when it has a small chip. Fill a big soup tureen with cedar, holly, pine and a few white grocery store roses and you get a centerpiece that looks like it came from a magazine shoot. Keep it low enough so guests can still see each other across the table. Do you have an old dish waiting in the cupboard for this?

You will need: An ironstone tureen or large white bowl, a block of floral foam or crumpled chicken wire, cedar, holly, pine sprigs, 5 or 6 white roses, pruners.

How to make it: 1. Place wet foam or a ball of chicken wire inside the tureen. 2. Build a loose green base with cedar and pine that spills over the rim. 3. Add holly for color, then tuck the roses in last, spaced in a soft triangle.

Martha Stewart Farmhouse Christmas Feather Tree

German feather trees were the first artificial Christmas trees, made in the 1800s from dyed goose feathers wrapped on wire branches. Their sparse shape is perfect for showing off tiny ornaments, which is why they suit a Martha Stewart Farmhouse Christmas so well. You can make a small version from green craft feathers, florist wire and a dowel. Set it on a side table in a little white box and hang your smallest glass balls on it. It is the kind of piece people ask about every year.

You will need: A 24 inch wooden dowel, 18 gauge florist wire, green craft feathers or feather boa, green floral tape, a small wooden box, tiny glass ornaments.

How to make it: 1. Cut wire branches in three lengths and wrap each one with feathers and floral tape. 2. Drill small holes up the dowel and push the branches in, longest at the bottom. 3. Glue the dowel into the box base with adult help for the drill and glue, then add mini ornaments.

Cookie Cutter Wreath on the Kitchen Door

Every farmhouse kitchen has a drawer full of old metal cookie cutters. Instead of hiding them, wire them into a wreath for the kitchen door. Stars, trees, hearts and little gingerbread men catch the light and tell everyone that this is where the baking happens. Mixing shiny and slightly rusty cutters gives it that collected over time feel. Finish with a red and white baker’s twine bow and a sprig of pine. Which cookie cutter shapes would you put on yours?

You will need: 15 to 25 metal cookie cutters, a 12 inch wire wreath ring, thin craft wire, wire cutters, baker’s twine, a pine sprig.

How to make it: 1. Lay the cutters around the ring to plan the pattern, overlapping edges. 2. Wire each cutter to the ring and to its neighbor in two spots so it cannot spin. 3. Add a twine bow and pine sprig at the top and hang it on a door hook.

Vintage Enamel Colander Filled With Ornaments

A Martha Stewart Farmhouse Christmas loves a hard working kitchen piece used in a new way. An old white enamel colander with a red rim becomes a cheerful bowl for spare ornaments, and the little holes look sweet with greens poking through. Look for one at a thrift store or in your own cabinet. Pile it high with mixed vintage style balls and tuck in a few pine sprigs. It takes five minutes and makes a bare counter feel festive.

You will need: An enamel colander, 20 to 30 shatterproof or glass ornaments, a few pine sprigs, a striped tea towel.

How to make it: 1. Lay a tea towel under the colander to protect the counter. 2. Fill the bottom with larger ornaments and build up with smaller ones. 3. Push short pine sprigs through the holes and around the rim for a natural look.

Hand Stamped Linen Napkins

Plain linen napkins turn into heirloom looking table linens with a simple carved stamp. A little pine tree or sprig, repeated in dark green, gives the table that country inn look. You can carve a stamp from a soft rubber block or even a potato, and fabric paint makes the print last through many washes. Make a set of eight for your own table and another set as a gift. Who on your list would love a set of these?

You will need: Natural linen napkins, a soft carving block and carving tool or a potato and small knife, green fabric paint, a foam brush, cardboard, an iron.

How to make it: 1. Carve a simple tree shape into the block, with adult help for sharp tools. 2. Brush a thin coat of paint on the stamp and press it firmly onto the napkin over cardboard. 3. Let dry for 24 hours, then iron on the back to set the paint.

Chicken Wire Ornament Display Frame

An old picture frame with chicken wire inside is a classic farmhouse trick, and at Christmas it becomes a wall of ornaments. Hang your prettiest vintage glass balls on the wire with small hooks so they show like jewelry in a shop window. It is a smart way to keep fragile pieces off a busy tree with pets or little ones around. A short pine garland across the top finishes it. Lean it on a dresser or hang it in the hallway.

You will need: A large wooden frame without glass, chicken wire, wire snips, a staple gun, small S hooks, ornaments, a short pine garland.

How to make it: 1. Cut chicken wire slightly larger than the opening, wearing gloves. 2. Staple it tightly to the back of the frame, with adult help for the staple gun. 3. Hang ornaments with S hooks and drape a garland over the top.

Martha Stewart Farmhouse Christmas Barn Star From Scrap Wood

Barn stars have hung on country homes for generations, and a red one made from scrap boards says Christmas all season. This Martha Stewart Farmhouse Christmas idea uses leftover fence pickets or pallet slats, a little red paint and sandpaper to give it that weathered look. Hang it on the porch wall above a bench with a plaid throw and a bucket of birch logs. It looks great in December and can stay up all winter. Ready to dig through the garage for scrap wood?

You will need: Five scrap boards about 3 inches wide, a saw, wood glue, small nails, red chalk paint, sandpaper, a sawtooth hanger.

How to make it: 1. Cut five boards to the same length with angled ends, with adult help for the saw. 2. Lay them in a star shape, glue and nail the joints on the back. 3. Paint red, dry, then sand the edges for a chippy, old look and add a hanger.

Pine Roping With Red Bows Along the Porch Rail

Fresh pine roping wrapped along a porch railing is the kind of welcome that makes neighbors slow down. Add big red bows every few feet and weave in battery fairy lights so it glows softly at dusk. This is a classic look in old New England towns, and it is one of the easiest ways to bring that farmhouse spirit outdoors. You can find more cozy classics in our Martha Stewart Christmas crafts gallery. How many bows will your railing need?

You will need: Fresh or faux pine roping, zip ties or green garden twine, wired red ribbon, battery fairy lights with a timer.

How to make it: 1. Measure the rail and buy roping about 20 percent longer. 2. Attach the roping with zip ties every 18 inches, letting it swag a little. 3. Tie bows from wired ribbon, attach them at each post, and weave the lights through.

Herb Bundle Ornaments From the Garden

Martha Stewart is famous for her gardens, so herb ornaments feel right at home in a Martha Stewart Farmhouse Christmas. Small bundles of rosemary, thyme and sage tied with red twine hang beautifully on the tree, and tiny bay leaf wreaths look like little green rings. They smell wonderful as the room warms up and they dry nicely, so you can save them for next year. Kids can help tie the bundles. Which herbs do you have growing on the windowsill?

You will need: Fresh rosemary, thyme, sage and bay leaves, thin red twine, small wire rings or craft wire, scissors.

How to make it: 1. Cut 4 inch sprigs and gather three or four into small bundles. 2. Wrap the stems tightly with twine and leave a loop for hanging. 3. For mini wreaths, thread bay leaves onto a wire ring, overlap them, and close the ring with a twine bow.

Lighted Grapevine Balls in a Porch Urn

Grapevine balls are cheap, sturdy and look magical with tiny battery lights wrapped around them. Set three of different sizes in a big urn of evergreen branches by the front door and they glow like little moons each evening. You can buy plain grapevine balls at craft stores or make your own from wild vines. Choose lights with a timer so they turn on at dusk without a thought. Isn’t it nice to come home to a glowing porch?

You will need: Three grapevine balls in different sizes, battery fairy lights with timers, a large porch urn or pot, evergreen branches, potting soil or sand.

How to make it: 1. Fill the urn with soil or sand and push in evergreen branches all around. 2. Wrap each grapevine ball with lights, hiding the battery pack inside. 3. Nest the balls on top, biggest at the back, and set the timers.

Martha Stewart Farmhouse Christmas Wash Tub on the Porch

An old galvanized wash tub is one of the most useful pieces you can own for a Martha Stewart Farmhouse Christmas porch. Fill it with evergreen boughs, birch logs, red winterberry and pine cones, then set a rocking chair with a plaid blanket beside it. The whole scene says come in and warm up. Tubs like this turn up at farm sales and thrift shops for very little money. In spring the same tub can hold flowers, so it earns its spot all year.

You will need: A galvanized wash tub, a few bricks, evergreen boughs, 3 or 4 birch logs, winterberry branches, pine cones, a plaid throw.

How to make it: 1. Set bricks in the bottom for height and drainage. 2. Stand birch logs at the back, then fill around them with evergreen boughs. 3. Add winterberry for color and scatter pine cones on top.

Clove Studded Orange Pomanders

Pomanders are an old fashioned craft that fills the whole house with a warm holiday smell. Press whole cloves into fresh oranges in swirls, stripes or rings, then tie a few with red velvet ribbon for hanging. Pile the rest in a white bowl on the kitchen table. They slowly dry and can last for weeks. This is a lovely craft night for adults with a cup of tea, and you can read more about the history of homemaking icons like Martha Stewart on Wikipedia.

You will need: Fresh oranges, whole cloves, a toothpick or skewer, red velvet ribbon, a white bowl, cinnamon sticks.

How to make it: 1. Draw your pattern on the orange with a toothpick. 2. Poke small holes along the lines and press a clove into each one. 3. Tie ribbon around some oranges for hanging and set the rest in a bowl with cinnamon sticks.

Pine Cone Bird Feeders for the Backyard Birds

A real farmhouse Christmas includes the garden and the birds that visit it. Pine cone feeders are one of the oldest and easiest crafts: spread a cone with a little shortening or nut free seed butter, roll it in birdseed and hang it from a branch with twine. Chickadees and finches find them within a day. Hang a few where you can see them from the kitchen window. It is a sweet project to do with grandkids, and the birds will thank you all winter.

You will need: Large open pine cones, vegetable shortening or seed butter, birdseed, twine, a butter knife, a tray.

How to make it: 1. Tie a twine loop to the top of each cone. 2. Spread shortening into the gaps with a butter knife. 3. Roll the cone in a tray of birdseed, press firmly, chill for an hour and hang outside.

Martha Stewart Farmhouse Christmas Scatter of Clementines and Pine Cones

The last idea is the simplest, and maybe the most Martha Stewart Farmhouse Christmas of all. Scatter bright clementines, small pine cones, cinnamon sticks and star anise down a linen runner, next to a length of fresh greenery. The orange and brown look warm against cream linen and old wood, and the fruit is there for anyone who walks by. You can also pile it all into an old wooden tool caddy. It costs a few dollars and smells like the holidays. Which of these 15 ideas will you try first?

You will need: A bag of clementines, a dozen small pine cones, cinnamon sticks, whole star anise, a linen runner, a short evergreen garland or cedar sprigs.

How to make it: 1. Clean pine cones by baking them on a foil lined tray at low heat for 30 minutes, with adult help. 2. Lay the linen runner and the greenery down the middle of the table. 3. Scatter clementines, cones, cinnamon and star anise in loose groups, peeling one clementine for color.