As a December 26th baby, I feel a special connection to Christmas- even if a birthday at this time of year is pretty underwhelming. Coupled with my love of repurposing and upcycling, it should come as no surprise to anyone that combining the two (upcycling and Christmas) is something I look forward to each year. And while I haven’t done that many of them, repurposed ornaments using upcycled materials are an exceptional favorite holiday craft.Read more ›
Crafting and Decorating with Vintage Christmas Ornaments
December 8, 2025 · By · Leave a Comment
Vintage Christmas ornaments are as popular as ever, aren’t they? Antique store vendors can’t keep enough of them in their booths and modern makers are recreating their designs. We just can’t get enough of those vintage glass ornaments with their mercury glass patina in a rainbow of colors. Thankfully, there are tons of ways to display vintage ornaments that go way beyond your Christmas tree.Read more ›
Tinsel Wreath Ornaments from Mason Jar Lids
November 21, 2025 · By · Leave a Comment
Years ago, I thrifted a bag of mason jar lids that led to the creation of these mini wreath ornaments. And while they were perfectly cute, my style has really evolved since then. So when I found yet another bag of lids, I decided to make ornaments that were much more my vibe: mid-century modern-inspired Tinsel wreath ornaments.Read more ›
Icicle Ornaments with Vintage Glass Beads
December 23, 2024 · By · 2 Comments
Years and years ago, I made a set of icicle ornaments with some vintage glass beads that I’d gotten on Etsy. But for whatever reason, I never posted the tutorial here on my website! So, I got them out of storage with the rest of my Christmas decor this year…took some fresh photos…and am FINALLY adding the project to my blog today.Read more ›
Upcycled and DIY Christmas Ornaments
December 8, 2024 · By · Leave a Comment
Ornaments are a favorite craft project to work on as Christmas approaches. There are so many items you can upcycle into DIY Christmas ornaments, and an ornament party is a fun way to spend an afternoon with friends and family. Here are some sweet and whimsical upcycle ideas for handmade ornaments using items from the thrift store or tucked away in a drawer or cabinet in your own home.Read more ›
Plaid Cooler Ornament from a Wooden Spool
December 6, 2023 · By · 12 Comments
For as long as I can remember, I have coveted a miniature Skotch Kooler. Originally from the “My Merry” line of vintage toys, it is as cute as it gets. And since I continued to come up empty-handed, I decided to see if I could recreate a plaid cooler from a wooden spool.Read more ›
Christmas Ornament Hooks for Mini Ornaments
December 2, 2022 · By · 27 Comments
Many years ago, I published this post about a set of Christmas tree baskets that I had thrifted. The project itself was not, admittedly, overly amazing. But I included a quick discussion on how I made some Christmas ornament hooks for the mini ornaments that I hung on the baskets.Read more ›
Wooden Snowflake Ornaments
December 21, 2021 · By · 11 Comments
This, my friends, is a non-thrift store craft project, which I rarely ever do. But I have a very good reason for it. You see, I’ve partnered up with Upcycle Arts, the Creative Reuse Center here in Charlotte, NC. They happened to have a huge stockpile of donated clothespins and asked me to create a project with them. And with Christmas looming ahead, I decided to make some wooden snowflake ornaments with them.Read more ›
Wood Ornaments with Paper Coasters
December 3, 2019 · By · 20 Comments
Each year as Christmas rolls around, I get all excited about coming up with a new DIY ornament project. And this year, I decided to play around with paper coasters. You know the kind I’m talking about, right? Well, I wondered if they could be paired with wood ornaments into something fun for the tree.Read more ›
Wooden Spindle Ornaments from a Coffee Mug Tree
November 18, 2018 · By · 13 Comments
Last year, I upcycled a coffee mug tree into a tabletop Christmas tree. At the time, I had set aside the remaining “arms” or wood spindles for another project. Well, I’m happy to say that I’m FINALLY upcycling those coffee mug tree arms now. And I’m turning them into wooden spindle ornaments !Read more ›
