Kitschy Retro Christmas Wreath with an Upcycled Food Tray

Funny story- throughout the past year, I found one plastic Christmas tray after another- some vintage-y, some less so. They were cheap and festive, so I bought several with no actual project ideas in mind. That is, until I found this kitschy Santa Claus tray- he had great vintage style, was round, and would make for a perfect retro Christmas wreath.

What a cutie!

I had a clear vision in mind- center my upcycled food try underneath a plain artificial evergreen wreath, decorate the wreath with kitschy vintage Christmas decorations, and hang! This post contains affiliate links for your crafting convenience.

Making a Retro Christmas Wreath with an Upcycled Food Tray

First things first, I used my power drill to create a small hole at the top of my vintage food tray. This would be where I would ultimately add a loop of ribbon for hanging. Then, using low-grit (rough) sandpaper, I gently sanded the flat rim of the tray.

Just a little hole for hanging…

Why sand it? To rough up the surface where I would adhere a wreath form, making it a better surface for glue to adhere to.

BUT, finding the perfect wreath form proved difficult. I tried 20”, 22”, 24” wreaths and so on- but it was a Goldilocks situation…too big, too small, etc. FINALLY, I resorted to plain wreath-making garland so that I could have my “just right” wreath.

Fingers crossed!

With wire cutters and my hot glue gun on standby, I created a perfectly (or near perfectly) sized “wreath” that framed my kitschy Santa tray. I used basic hot glue to attach the wreath to the tray edge.

Not perfect, but it’ll do!

NOW for the fun decorating part. I was sure that I’d find all kinds of classic plastic Christmas “bits” while thrifting, but I came up short. So, I turned to one of my favorite Instagram sellers, Vintage Junk in My Trunk, and purchased a huge box of Christmas bits from her.

Happy Mail from Vintage Junk in My Trunk!

First, I “floofed” up my wreath garland, moving the little branches/arms around to create a relatively “flat” surface” for my kitschy decor bits. Then, I arranged several of the vintage decor pieces from Vintage Junk in My Trunk on my retro Christmas wreath. When I was finally satisfied, I again hot glued them in place.

A little bit here…a little bit there…

Doesn’t that look fabulous?? Perfectly kitschy, perfectly retro Christmas…in fact, you could say it was a “Kitschmas Wreath”.

Ok, this is looking FABULOUS…

There was just one more thing to do- knot off a loop of ribbon to slip through the pre-drilled hole in my retro Christmas wreath! (The greenery hides the large knot.)

Last step for me, but you could totally do this earlier in the process!

And that was it- my retro Christmas wreath was ready to hang. It’s super lightweight, but everything felt sturdy and secure with just the hot glue.

I mean…I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!

I mean, c’mon…isn’t that the cutest thing? It joins a long line of upcycled Christmas wreaths in my arsenal.

Be sure to check out my entire collection of repurposed Christmas projects here before you go- for even more crafty inspiration!

Craft on and Merry Kitschmas!

S

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