Tasha Tudor Christmas: 13 Handmade Cottage Decor Ideas Straight Out of a Storybook

Tasha Tudor Christmas traditions feel like stepping inside one of her storybooks, and you can bring that handmade magic into your own home. Tasha Tudor illustrated nearly 100 books and lived in an old style farmhouse in Marlboro, Vermont, where Christmas was all about things made by hand. Fans still love touring homes styled after her, like this Tasha Tudor inspired holiday home tour on YouTube. What made her Christmas so special? Paper Advent calendars, cookie ornaments, ribbons, little animals and cozy kitchen rituals. Here are 13 Tasha Tudor Christmas ideas that turn any house into a storybook cottage..

A Hand Drawn Tasha Tudor Christmas Advent Calendar

Every October, Tasha Tudor began drawing a brand new Advent calendar for her family, and her children took turns choosing the theme, from a village of field mice to a town full of corgis. You can make one the same simple way her family still shares. Take two sheets of card stock. On the top sheet, draw or print a cozy winter scene and cut little three sided doors with a craft knife. Glue it onto the back sheet, then draw a tiny surprise behind each door, like a star, a mouse or a cookie. Color it with pencils for that soft storybook feel. Is there a better way to start a Tasha Tudor Christmas than counting down by hand..

You will need: two sheets of heavy card stock, colored pencils or watercolors, a craft knife, a cutting mat, a glue stick, a ruler.

How to make it: 1. Draw or print a winter village scene on the top sheet. 2. Cut 24 small three sided doors and fold them open slightly. 3. Glue it to the back sheet and draw a tiny picture behind each door.

An Advent Calendar Gallery Wall

Here is a lovely tradition from the Tudor household. On the first day of Advent, all the old calendars from past years were hung up again, so the house filled with years of memories at once. If you make or buy a new paper calendar every year, keep them flat in a folder and bring them all out together each December. Clip them to lengths of twine with small wooden clothespins, or set them in simple wooden frames along a hallway. Mix in vintage calendars from flea markets if you are just starting. It becomes a family history wall that grows every year, and visitors always stop to look closely. Which year will you start yours?

You will need: old paper Advent calendars, jute twine, small wooden clothespins, small nails or hooks, or simple wooden frames.

How to make it: 1. Stretch two or three rows of twine across a wall or doorway. 2. Clip the calendars on in order by year. 3. Store them flat in a folder after the season.

A Hanging Wreath With Long Ribbons

In the Tudor home, the Advent wreath hung from the ceiling on long ribbons, which looks wonderful over a kitchen table or in a doorway. You can make the same look without any flame at all. Start with a small fresh fir wreath, then tie four long red silk or satin ribbons evenly around it and gather them at the top on a hook in a beam or ceiling. Instead of candles, add four small wooden or felt ornaments, red apples or little brass bells around the top. Let the ribbons hang long and loose for an old world feel. A wreath like this makes any Tasha Tudor Christmas kitchen feel like a painting. Where in your house could one hang?

You will need: a 14 inch fresh fir wreath, 4 long red silk or satin ribbons, a ceiling hook, small felt or wooden ornaments or brass bells.

How to make it: 1. Tie four ribbons evenly around the wreath. 2. Gather them at the top and tie to a ceiling hook. 3. Wire small ornaments or bells around the top of the wreath.

Tasha Tudor Christmas Cookie Ornaments

A tree hung with cookies is pure Tasha Tudor Christmas charm. Real gingerbread works if you poke a hole for the ribbon before baking and let the cookies dry out fully for a day. For keepsakes, use salt dough instead: flour, salt and water rolled and cut like cookies, baked low until hard, then painted brown and sealed with Mod Podge so they last for years. Hearts, stars, little houses and animals all look sweet. Thread them on thin red ribbon or baker’s twine. They fill a small tree quickly and smell wonderful if they are real gingerbread. Bake a few extra to give away in a little tin. Will yours survive the season, or will someone sneak a bite?

You will need: gingerbread or salt dough, cookie cutters, a straw for holes, white icing or paint, Mod Podge Matte for salt dough, thin red ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Cut shapes and poke a hole near the top of each. 2. Bake until firm, then decorate with icing or paint. 3. Seal salt dough with Mod Podge and hang with ribbon.

Corgi Cookie Cutter Crafts

Tasha Tudor adored her Welsh corgis and even created a whole storybook world called Corgiville, which ended with her final book, Corgiville Christmas. Corgi crafts are a playful way to honor her. Use a corgi cookie cutter on air dry clay to make ornaments and gift tags, then paint them in warm orange and white. Poke a hole before they dry, and finish with a bit of twine. You can also trace the cutter on felt and stitch soft corgis for the tree. They make great gifts for dog lovers, too, and a set of six fits nicely in a small box. Does someone in your family have a corgi, or at least wish they did?

You will need: a corgi cookie cutter, air dry clay, a rolling pin, a straw, acrylic paint, Mod Podge, twine, or felt and embroidery floss.

How to make it: 1. Roll clay and cut corgi shapes, poking a hole in each. 2. Let them dry, then paint and seal with Mod Podge. 3. Thread twine and hang or tie onto gifts.

A Little Mouse Village Display

Some of Tasha Tudor’s most loved Advent calendars showed little field mice going about their winter chores. Recreate that sweet world on a mantel or bookshelf. Felted wool mice are easy to buy or make, and they look adorable tucked into tiny scenes. Collect the tiny pieces all year long. Use matchboxes as beds, thimbles as buckets, spools as tables and moss as snowy fields. Add a mini tree, a twig sled and some tiny wrapped gifts. Guests will lean in to find every detail, and you can change the scene a little each week of Advent. It is the kind of display grandchildren remember for years. What chore will your mice be doing this Christmas?

You will need: small felted wool mice, matchboxes, thimbles, thread spools, moss, twigs, miniature trees, scrap fabric.

How to make it: 1. Lay moss on the shelf as the base. 2. Build little scenes with matchboxes, spools and twigs. 3. Place the mice as if busy with chores.

Noah’s Ark on the Mantel

Each December the Tudor family set an old Noah’s Ark out on their long mantel, a tradition that feels both festive and timeless. Wooden arks and toy animals turn up at thrift stores and antique malls, and new handmade ones are easy to find. Set the ark in the center of the mantel, then line the animals up two by two marching toward it through a garland of fresh greens. A few small battery fairy lights tucked in the greens make it glow at night. It is a cheerful display that children love to rearrange, and it fits the slower, simpler Tasha Tudor Christmas spirit. Could your old toy box hide some wooden animals?

You will need: a wooden Noah’s Ark and toy animals, a fresh or faux evergreen garland, battery fairy lights, pinecones.

How to make it: 1. Lay the garland along the mantel and tuck in the lights. 2. Set the ark in the center. 3. Line the animals up in pairs walking toward it.

An Old Fashioned Tasha Tudor Christmas Creche

For the Tudor family, the season began on December 6, St. Nicholas Day, when they set up the creche. A simple wooden nativity is a peaceful addition to any home, and the Tasha Tudor Christmas look keeps it rustic and natural. Set the figures in an old wooden crate turned on its side for a stable. Line the bottom with real straw and moss, and tuck a little greenery around the edges. Thrift stores often have lovely carved sets for a few dollars. Place it on a low table where children can see it up close, and add one figure each day if you want to build the scene slowly. Would your family like to start the season on December 6 too?

You will need: a wooden nativity set, a small wooden crate, straw, moss, evergreen sprigs.

How to make it: 1. Turn the crate on its side to make a stable. 2. Line it with straw and moss. 3. Arrange the figures and tuck greenery around the edges.

St. Nicholas Day Shoes and Treats

St. Nicholas Day on December 6 is an old European tradition the Tudor family loved. The night before, everyone sets out a shoe, and by morning it holds small treats. It is a gentle, low cost way to stretch the joy of Christmas across the whole month. Line up clean clogs, boots or slippers by the door or on the stairs. Fill them with clementines, walnuts in the shell, a candy cane and one small wrapped gift. A sprig of greenery on top makes it pretty. Adults love finding a full shoe just as much as kids do, so do not leave anyone out. Which shoe would you set out?

You will need: clean wooden clogs or boots, clementines, walnuts, candy canes, small wrapped gifts, evergreen sprigs.

How to make it: 1. Set out the shoes on the evening of December 5. 2. Fill them with fruit, nuts and a small gift. 3. Add a sprig of greenery on top.

A Holiday Puppet Theater

Christmas at the Tudor house often included a marionette show, and a tabletop puppet theater makes a delightful decoration even when no show is on. Cut a window in a sturdy cardboard box, paint it to look like an old wooden stage, and hang little red fabric curtains on a dowel. Paint a snowy village backdrop inside. Hand puppets or simple stick puppets bring it to life. Leave it on a side table during the holidays and invite guests of any age to put on a short show. It is the kind of handmade fun that made a Tasha Tudor Christmas so memorable. Who in your family would steal the spotlight?

You will need: a sturdy cardboard box, a craft knife, acrylic paint, red fabric, a thin dowel, glue, hand or stick puppets.

How to make it: 1. Cut a stage opening in the box and paint it. 2. Hang red fabric curtains on a dowel across the top. 3. Paint a winter backdrop inside and add puppets.

Tasha Tudor Christmas Kitchen Fruit Garland

Decorating the winter kitchen was part of the Tudor family’s holiday start, and a dried fruit garland fits that cozy, old fashioned mood perfectly. Slice apples and oranges thinly, pat them dry, and bake on a rack at about 200 degrees for two to three hours, flipping now and then, until dry. Thread them on twine with a darning needle, adding fresh cranberries or bay leaves between slices. Hang it across a kitchen window, an open shelf or a pot rack. It smells lovely, looks like something from an old farm kitchen, and costs only a few dollars. This simple Tasha Tudor Christmas garland can even be saved for next year. Why not make a double batch?

You will need: 3 apples, 3 oranges, a sharp knife, a baking rack, jute twine, a darning needle, fresh cranberries or bay leaves.

How to make it: 1. Slice fruit thin and bake on a rack at 200 degrees for 2 to 3 hours. 2. Let the slices cool and dry fully. 3. Thread them on twine with cranberries between.

Storybook Watercolor Christmas Cards

Tasha Tudor’s soft watercolor illustrations are instantly recognizable, and painting your own cards is a peaceful winter evening project. You do not need to be an artist. Simple shapes look charming in watercolor, even with a shaky hand: a red cardinal on a branch, a snowy cottage, a sprig of holly or a little mouse with a scarf. Fold watercolor paper into cards, sketch lightly in pencil, then fill in with loose washes of color. Keep lots of white space for that airy storybook look. Even a short handwritten note inside makes it feel extra personal. Hand painted cards become keepsakes people tuck away for years. Who on your list would treasure one?

You will need: watercolor paper, a basic watercolor set, a fine round brush, a pencil, an eraser, envelopes.

How to make it: 1. Fold watercolor paper into card size. 2. Sketch a simple scene lightly in pencil. 3. Paint with light washes and let dry flat.

A Tasha Tudor Christmas Cake Tea Table

Cutting the Christmas cake was part of the Tudor family’s St. Nicholas Day, and a vintage tea table is a lovely way to share that moment. Set a lace runner on a wooden table, then mix thrifted floral teacups and saucers. Put a fruit cake, gingerbread loaf or pound cake on a glass or ironstone cake stand in the center, and tuck holly sprigs around the plates. A teapot under a knitted cozy finishes the scene. Invite a few friends for an afternoon tea in early December and start the season slowly, before the rush of parties and shopping. Could this become a new Tasha Tudor Christmas tradition at your house?

You will need: a lace runner, thrifted teacups and saucers, a cake stand, a teapot, a Christmas cake or gingerbread loaf, holly sprigs.

How to make it: 1. Lay the runner and set out mixed teacups. 2. Place the cake on a stand in the center. 3. Tuck holly around the plates and pour the tea.