‘Making It’ Gets Festive With Holiday-Themed Fireplace Challenge

’Tis the season to be jolly! And spooky! And patriotic! At least that’s the case on the July 15th episode of Making It.

The eight contestants remaining on the crafting competition — cohosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman — are tasked with designing funky fireplace mantels inspired by favorite holidays. (Leif Erikson Day, anyone?) Executive producer Pip Wells previews what to expect from the evening’s handmade tales.

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Halloween

Two contenders tackle the day of tricks and treats, with one intricately carving foam to create a cartoonish stone fireplace and a massive, eerie jack-o’-lantern as a centerpiece. Working LED lights give the pumpkin’s mouth a glow and illuminate the witch hat lamps. This competitor’s challenges? “Narrowing down what to include,” says Wells, along with differentiating from the other nearby hex-cellent craftsperson.

Chrismukkah

Christmas and Hanukkah blend in a harmonious display as wooden Stars of David hang from bold evergreen branches flanking both sides of the fireplace. Atop the mantel, hand-painted recycled wood blocks become a Brooklyn streetscape, a Jewish twist on the traditional Christmas village. (The latter earns an “Awww, that’s cuuute!” from Poehler.)

(Credit: Evans Vestal Ward/NBC)

Fourth of July

Nothing’s more American than baseball and barbecue, so one challenger incorporates both! “Real balls make an American flag,” says Wells of a display that assembles more than 100 halved and painted balls to form a framed Old Glory above the fireplace; the hearth and firebox are fashioned like a stainless-steel grill. It’s a big effort, but all the players brought their A game.

Making It, Thursdays, 8/7c, NBC