The holiday season is upon us, and it's time to start thinking about how to add some festive flair to your celebrations with a few DIY holiday craft projects using lapel pins. Lapel pins are a versatile accessory that can be used in a variety of creative ways to add a touch of holiday cheer to your home, gifts, and outfits. Here are some ideas for how to use lapel pins this holiday season. Read on to discover fun DIY holiday lapel pin projects!

Christmas DIY Projects & Ideas: 

Use lapel pins to spruce up your holiday table settings by attaching them to napkins or place cards. Choose pins with a holiday theme, such as snowflakes, reindeer, or Christmas trees, to make your table look more festive. Start by choosing a pin design that matches your holiday theme. Using a simple white plate and a solid-colored fabric napkin works best. Set your table, make a few simple folds in the napkin, and fan out on the plate. Carefully place the pin in a prominent place as an accent. Be sure to tell your guests that the pin is theirs to take home as a favor.

Add flair to your holiday gifts by attaching a lapel pin to the ribbon or wrapping paper. Choose an enamel pin that matches the recipient's interests or personality to make the gift even more special. With gift wrapping, you can go elegant and sophisticated or glitzy and over-the-top! You can keep it classic, like in the photo below, with a simple solid color paper and solid bow. Here we tied a lovely satin ribbon with an overhand knot and then pushed the pin into the center of the knot. Be sure to secure the pin with the clasp it comes with. This secures the bow and adds an extra little gift for the recipient.

Create a festive lapel pin wreath to hang on your front door or use as a centerpiece. Choose a variety of pins in different holiday colors and designs and attach them to a wire wreath frame for a unique and eye-catching decoration. For an easier DIY project, try using a straw wreath. In the example below, we chose to only use the holly berry pins mixed in with a few sprigs of baby’s breath for contrast. To ensure your pins are secured, we used a hot glue gun, added a small drop of glue to the back of the pin, and firmly pushed it into place. You can also glue the flower sprigs or simply push them into place to secure them.

Use lapel pins to decorate your holiday stockings. Pin them to the cuff or toe of the stocking to add a pop of color and personality. This is one of the easiest ways to add personality to a plain stocking! You can add just one pin or several. Here we added a fancy Christmas tree pin to add some bling to a classic stocking.

Attach lapel pins to a holiday-themed garland to make it even more festive. Choose pins in colors and designs that match the garland to create a cohesive look. While you certainly could use a traditional evergreen garland and use the same techniques as making a lapel pin wreath, we love the handmade look of Christmas bunting garlands! Here we took scraps of fabric in coordinating Christmas colors and sewed 5-inch triangles. We cut two triangles of fabric in the same pattern with the printed sides together on the inside, then sewed them together leaving a small hole at the widest part of the triangle. Next, we inverted the material so the “right side” of the fabric is now on the outside. Using a small skewer, we pushed out the points. After all our triangles were sewn, we took a package of ½” wide double-fold bias tape in a dark green color. Our package of bias tape was 10 yards long. We opened the fold of the bias tape and inserted each triangle, the widest part, into the tape opening. We secured the triangle in place with a stick pin and used a sewing machine to run a sewn edge through the top, concealing the small open hole used to reverse the fabric pattern. Be sure to measure how long you want the garland to be and how many triangles you need before you begin the project. Once done, choose an assortment of fun holiday pins and insert one in each pendant in the center. This is a really fun project to do on a cold, snowy day!

Use lapel pins to decorate your Christmas tree by making ornaments. Attach pins to ribbon or string and hang them on the tree for a unique and personalized touch. Here we used real candy canes and tied a small piece of green pipe cleaner to the post of the pins, twisting to secure. Then we wrapped the pin and pipe cleaner around the candy cane to make a fun edible ornament. Other options are using a solid color satin ornament with a foam core and pushing several pins around the ball to decorate. You can even cut out shapes of felt like stars and snowflakes and push a lapel pin in the center. We love a red star's crisp, clean look with a poinsettia pin in the center! Simply punch a small hole in the felt shape and tie it with a ribbon to finish.

Create a lapel pin advent calendar to count down the days until Christmas. Attach a different pin to a piece of cardstock for each day of December and hang them on a wall or bulletin board. Another fun idea is to make a hanging advent calendar. All you need are 24 small paper bags. We used numbered stickers from a craft store and adhered one to each of the 24 bags. Under each label, we decorated with a Christmas pin punched through the bag, secured it with the clasp, and filled each bag with candy and tiny toys. After folding each bag tightly, we used clothes pins to secure each bag onto a piece of thick twine. This project is simple but will give the recipients 24 days of fun and excitement as they wait to open one bag each day. All you need to do is hang the treat bags high enough so there is no peeking!

Use lapel pins as part of a holiday-themed DIY headband/barrette project. Attach pins to a plain headband or barrette to create a fun and festive accessory. Everyone loves a festive and fun headband to wear while opening presents on Christmas day! Here we took the classic reindeer felt headband and added a few pins to add sparkle and interest. To replicate this cute look, be sure to purchase reindeer headbands that are reinforced with wire so they can stand up to the weight of the pins. Another option to glam up your holidays is to make simple holiday barrettes. For this project, we suggest pins with a magnetic, flat back. We like a big barrette for this fun look. Just remove the magnetic back on the pin and use a strong glue, like a super glue or epoxy glue to adhere the pin to the barrette. Make sure the glue is completely dry before wearing your new flashy barrette!

Create a holiday-themed charm bracelet. Choose charms with holiday symbols or colors and attach them to a chain bracelet for a unique and personalized accessory. While not technically a lapel pin project, this DIY project is so easy and is tailored for that special person on your gift list. PinMart has gorgeous, monogrammed charms as well as ones with fun and meaningful themes. All you have to do is choose what type of bracelet you want. We offer expandable bangles as well as traditional chain link ones. The fun part is choosing what word to spell out and how to decorate!

Make a lapel pin Christmas card to send to loved ones. Attach a pin to a blank card or use a pin as a decorative element on a handmade card. For this project, we found lots of blank card options from our local craft stores and Amazon. Besides white, they had off-white and light brown options as well. We brought out the crayons and markers and had our kids draw Christmas trees on the front of the card. The cards are a great size for kids to draw on as they are big enough to get the idea of what they are drawing but not too large for them to get bored trying to fill the space. After they were done, we carefully poked a hole through the front of the card with the point of an ornament pin and secured it on the back with the clasp. Note: you may find it easier to sign and write a note on the inside of the card before you add the lapel pin. This project is wonderful as a gift for grandparents as they get a special drawing and an adorable pin as well!

Use lapel pins to decorate your holiday apron for cooking and baking. Pin them to the pockets or collar of the apron for a fun and festive touch. This is less of a DIY project and more of a great holiday gift idea! We bought a festive red and white striped apron and put three fun Christmas pins on the top “bib” part. We then folded it up neatly. We used a flat gift box and placed the apron in the box with tissue paper and layered matching red kitchen utensils on top – think spatulas, ladles, and measuring cups. This is such a wonderful gift for the chefs in your life! PinMart also offers an entire selection of food-themed pins if you would prefer to deck out the apron for your foodie friends.

Hanukkah DIY Projects & Ideas:

 Decorate your Hanukkah sweater or scarf with a festive lapel pin. Choose a pin with a menorah or dreidel design to add a touch of holiday cheer to your outfit.

Use lapel pins as Hanukkah party favors for your guests. Give each guest a pin with a different Hanukkah theme, such as a latke or a candle, to make the party even more memorable.

Create a Hanukkah-inspired lapel pin display. Use a foam board or corkboard to create a backdrop for your pins and arrange them in a creative way. Hang the display in your home or office to celebrate the holiday all season long.

Wear a lapel pin to show your support for Israel during Hanukkah. Choose a pin with the Israeli flag or a symbol of Israel, such as the Western Wall or the Dead Sea, to show your solidarity and pride.

 Kwanzaa DIY Projects & Ideas: 

Kwanzaa is a special time for families and communities to come together, remember history, and celebrate African American culture. Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26^th to January 1^st every year. As many holidays do, Kwanzaa uses gift-giving for the festivities; traditionally, on the last day to exchange gifts called Zawadi.

Use lapel pins as a unique way to identify your Kwanzaa guests. Make custom pins with each guest's name and the Kwanzaa symbol that corresponds to their birth month.

Create a Kwanzaa lapel pin collection by designing a different pin for each of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Wear a new pin each day of the celebration to represent that day's principle.

Make Kwanzaa-themed lapel pins to give as gifts to friends and family. Choose symbols like the unity cup, the kinara, or the seven candles to create a meaningful and memorable gift.

Use lapel pins to decorate your Kwanzaa display. Pin them to your tablecloth's fabric or hold up a banner with the Kwanzaa greeting "Habari Gani."

Start a Kwanzaa lapel pin exchange with friends or coworkers. Each person designs a pin representing their interpretation of a Kwanzaa principle and then trades pins to create a unique collection.

Lapel pins are a versatile and fun accessory that can be used in a variety of creative ways to add a touch of holiday cheer to your celebrations. From decorating your home to creating unique gifts and accessories, there are endless possibilities for using lapel pins this holiday season. So, get creative and have fun adding some festive flair to your holiday traditions!

Holiday 4-Pin Set

$10.99

This Holiday 4-Pin Set includes our Hot Cocoa Mug, Cute Christmas Reindeer, Snow Globe, and Christmas Gnome Lapel Pins. These adorable and creative pins are...… read more