I love to take leftover craft supplies or small trinkets from thrift stores and give them new life. (Make sure to check back here next week for my roundup of our best “Upcycled” posts from this year!) Here’s a quick how-to project you can work on this week, for any last-minute gift or decorating needs, as well as some examples of making the most of what you have on hand for holiday fun.
While looking for supplies at my local Salvation Army this month, I picked up some vintage Christmas bulbs. I love the shape of these lights! At 49 cents for a pack of five bulbs, I realized that these could become very inexpensive ornaments and/or gift toppers quickly. The solution? Glitter.
How-To: Vintage Glitter Bulb Ornaments (GLITTER WARNING ALERT)
To make these, I started out by tying a piece of baker’s twine to use as an ornament hook. I took some Elmer’s Glue and “painted” a thin, but even, layer all over the bulb. With the bulb all prepped, I took some of Martha Stewart’s craft glitter and covered the bulb thoroughly. (Make sure you place a plate or bowl underneath your work surface so that you can reuse any leftover glitter.) Tap off the excess glitter. To dry, I held the bulb for a few minutes before carefully placing on a piece of wax paper. I also hung some from an old lingerie dryer – this will work so long as you didn’t use too much glue, as it will drip while drying. Let these dry for a few hours and you’re good to go. Once I had the lights down, I did the same glitter technique to some other thrifted ornaments that were scratched.
Greens Wreath
Did you trim your tree and find yourself with a stack of cut greens? I turned ours into a wreath for the mantle. You can create this by buying a twig wreath form from your local craft store and simply wrapping cut pieces onto the form with floral wire. Overlap to the wire-wrapped parts to cover them. If the pieces are a little dry, make sure to hang the wreath in an area where dropped needles aren’t a concern or are easy to clean up. I added some scrap ribbon to the bottom for color.
Beaded Ornaments
I went to several cookie-making parties this weekend and was excited to see guests making their own beaded ornaments! I know I tend to have all sorts of bead odds ‘n’ ends in my craft closet. How many of you have made bead-and-wire snowflakes? They’re easy to make and very pretty up on your tree. My boyfriend’s mom sent over these handmade Ukrainian spiders to hide in the tree along with a card explaining the legend of the Ukrainian spider. Again, just some light-duty gauge wire and beads are all you need to make this holiday tradition. Check out this tutorial to learn how to make your own spiders.
What kind of holiday items do you make out of leftover supplies?
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