So, you’re getting holiday cards by the dozen; how does a hip girl (or guy) prove their holiday popularity without a mantle upon which to place them?

Not to worry. Surely you have a doorway. Welcome to your next Norman Rockwell-esque home project.

A quick and easy insta-mantle:

Step One: Buy a pack of wooden clothespins at the dollar store, Target, or any major grocery store. Like all good things, they come in bulk. The smallest size is something like a 100-pack. I honestly don’t know how households function without clothespins. But that’s another story.

Grab twine or some sort of string, too. Sparkly holiday ribbon provides a double whammy: pretty decoration + functional space to hang stuff. Any substantial string will do, but no fish wire, since clothespins don’t hang well on so tiny a line.

Step Two: Pick a doorway. Wider is better, but regular-sized works swell. 

The entry way to the dancefloor! Ignore the junk headed for Goodwill piled up near the shoes.Step Three: Use hammer and two nails. If said doorway is a high-traffic walkway, be sure to nail just wider than the actual doorway so bustling bodies don’t bristle your USPS holiday love. Mine’s a french door situation, sans doors, so it’s wide enough for the cards to fall along the edges. Cut three pieces of twine/string to approximate lengths between your nails and then between nails and floor on both sides.

Nailing just above (not directly into) the door frame is a good idea.

Step Four: Weights optional. A very special 5-year old made these for me and J. I just couldn’t resist using them to anchor the twine.

No fancy knots required!However, these do make a rather tempting cat toy (beware!) Alfie the orange cat thinks December is the most wonderful time of the year for sure.

Step Five: Clip cards as they arrive in your mailbox to your newly constructed twine/string frame. 

These three came in the mail today, our first cards of the season!Step Six: Host a dinner party to show off your holiday popularity, and, of course, craftiness. Consult these ladies for stress-free dinner party tips and recipes.