DIY Cardboard Gingerbread Mantel

This post may contain affiliate links.

I tend to keep a lot of my Christmas decor the same from year to year, it’s just who I am. We are all about tradition around Christmas and I love that! But there are a FEW places I get free rein to change it up however I want– and the kids won’t be sad about it! This year, I was really wanting something light and fun, that reminded me of childhood– and I landed on this DIY cardboard Gingerbread mantel idea! 

 

If you know me, you know I’m not one to go out and buy a whole new slew of decorations just because of a new idea, that’d be way too often and way too expensive! So, I started DIY-ing it up! 

I started with some big boxes I had laying around. It’s Christmas-time and with all the shipments everyone gets around this time of year, you should have some boxes of your own just waiting for a bigger, better purpose! 

After deconstructing my boxes a little to get a solid, flat space, I drafted up my little gingerbread man! Once he’s loosely drawn out, it’s pretty easy to just get to cutting! 

Once your first gingerbread man is done, you can use him to trace out the other! It doesn’t have to be perfect for sure, but you do want them to be similar! And once you’ve done that (you can make as many as you want and need for your space), it’s time for the fun part– making him come to life!! You can do whatever you want, but I personally just followed a picture I found online! Honestly – this DIY cardboard gingerbread mantel idea is so simple and affordable, anyone can create their own version of cardboard candyland!

Now to decorate with them! Again, I wanted these for my mantel, so I nailed them up there into the door I use to cover plugs above my fireplace! I also added some cardboard candy canes into the mix, because it felt more like a gingerbread wonderland! 

And the cardboard fun doesn’t stop there. I cut out little cardboard circles with the scraps, painted red triangles on them and wrapped them in saran wrap– BOOM, little Christmas candies! I hung up a garland behind my cardboard creations along with a DIY garland made from ping-pong balls layered in! I always believe more is more, but especially with Christmas decor, more is more! Layering is where it’s at! I wrapped some houndstooth (because houndstooth is my favorite color) deco mesh around some simple old white paper, and then mixed in a little DIY plastic bag garland a made a couple years ago!

The rest of my house is, as I said, normally kept pretty similar from year to year, but I do switch it up a tiny bit, move traditional pieces to new places, and try to stick to a feeling or a theme! 

For the kitchen, I used some of the same cardboard cutouts and creations to bring life to the space! Easy peasy and so budget-friendly! 

And what’s a kitchen without a tiered tray? I love a tiered tray like this on the island because it looks good from every angle and every side! Mixed in is some candy, some mugs, some thrifted finds, and some DIY’s. Together, it creates a treat for the eyes! 

And don’t underestimate the decorating ability of cookie cutouts– they aren’t JUST good for making fun-shaped cookies! 

Oh… and the cubbies! One of my favorite places to decorate! This year I kept the inside of the cubbies fairly simple, so it could serve as the perfect backdrop to all of my kid’s Mark Roberts Santa’s! My mom gets each of my kids a new one each year, so we have a pretty solid collection going! 

And for the tree our favorite ornaments are the Old World Christmas ornaments! We like to collect ones that have a special meaning to us, or food, because why not! Food is always special! And of course Mr. Boo loves to hang out here– he’s my little kitty model! 

And to the right of our tree, is the bench and wall hanging I am constantly changing seasonally! Here I have a cute Christmas-themed bag with a cozy blanket inside! And on top is a sweet print of Christmas/Winter-like trees! I love a print, for anything, any season! And of course some swag to go overtop! More is more! 

Lastly, the dining room needs some love too!

I have a big old sleigh I got from Round Top a while ago, and what better centerpiece for Christmas! I honestly can’t think of one! The trees on top, some I purchased and some I DIY’d! You can check out the DIY stuffed trees HERE! I love a good DIY anytime I can slip one in! And never underestimate wrapping paper because that’s what my table runner is! Yep, WRAPPING PAPER! It’s not only good for wrapping gifts, but your table too! 

And you can never go wrong with some beautiful plates and silver! It’s perfect for any season, Christmas included! 

Same for brown bottles– great for any season but look especially darling around Christmas-time! 

Decorating for Christmas can be somewhat exhausting, especially when we have so many decorations we do every single year! But seeing the finished result, being surrounded by the Christmas spirit, it really is magical. 

And I think that makes it all feel worth it. 

Plus, how many more years do I get before my kids could care less if we decorate or not!? For now, I’ll be making my cardboard gingerbread men with a smile on my face!