If you’re anything like me, one of the best parts of the holiday season is spoiling your pets with gifts and treats.

While stashing gifts under the Christmas tree for my pets, I noticed something was missing from my ornament collection: them!

I made this quick and easy ornament to represent my dog, Flea. Follow these steps to make your own festive pet decoration.

Supplies

• Hot glue gun
• A picture of your pet (bonus points if it’s a holiday picture)
• Ink and a paw-print stamp
• Clips
• Small, wooden square (mine came ready to hang)

Directions

1. Prepare the base.

If your wooden board did not come ready to hang, you’ll need to hot glue a loop of ribbon onto the back of the board. If you have a drill, looping the ribbon through a small hole will be more secure. Most craft stores will have items like this pre-prepared, especially around the holidays.

2. Secure the clip.

Heat up your hot glue gun and then glue the clip to the top of the board. Press the clip down and allow it to cool and completely dry before moving on to the next step.

3. Add paw prints.

If your pet is agreeable to the idea, dip their paw in a nontoxic ink and then place the prints along the edge of the wooden board. This will make for a sentimental decoration for years to come. Flea is not a fan of having his feet handled, so I used a paw-print stamp instead.

4. Add the finishing touch.

Clip the picture of your pet onto the ornament. If you want to make it even more festive, you can add holiday-themed glitter or additional decorations before hanging your ornament. I decided to keep mine simple and ambiguous because I plan to display it in my home all year.

Halloween is a great time to test your creativity and make the perfect costume for your pet.

I get festive with my pets each year, with costumes ranging from cute to scary. This year, I decided to make a S’mores costume for my dog, Flea. Follow these steps to replicate this DIY project. There’s still time!

Supplies

• Scissors
• Cardboard box
• White fabric (I used an old T-shirt)
• Marker
• Hot glue gun
• Brown fabric (optional)

Directions

1. Prepare your materials.

Start by cutting the sides off the box until you have 2 squares set aside. Cut the fabric into strips while you heat up the hot glue gun.

2. Decorate the cardboard squares.

If you are recycling a box like I was, use the blank side of the 2 cardboard squares you created. Draw a dashed line down the center of each square, and add rows of 2 dots on each side of the dashed line. This should start to look like a graham cracker.

3. Connect the graham crackers.

Using the white fabric strips you prepared earlier, hot glue straps to the inside of the cardboard box squares. Make sure your glue dries and cools completely before placing it on your pet to check the size. I added 2 straps, but you can add more if desired.

To add to the appearance of a Hershey bar in the center, you can use brown fabric to make your strips.

If you would like to make the costume more secure, loop an additional strip around the strap that will be closest to your dog’s neck. You can slip your dog’s collar through this strip so the costume will stay on.

4. Add marshmallow filling.

Hot glue strips of the white fabric you prepared earlier to the outside of the graham crackers. The “marshmallow” filling should appear to ooze over the dots on the graham crackers.

5. Try the costume on your pup.

Once the hot glue has completely dried and cooled, place the outfit on your dog’s back. If you added an additional loop of fabric to the top strap in Step 3, loop your dog’s collar through and readjust the placement of the costume. Your pup should look like a S’more!

For safety, always supervise your pet when using DIY costumes or toys. Here are a few more important Halloween safety tips for pets in costume.