Upcycled lid Christmas tree ornaments

Christmas ornaments in January? Who wants to see that? Yeah, I know, I know. But if you're like me, you're filing these sorts of ideas away all year. And this one takes a bit of pre-planning to save all those lids. So here goes.

I actually ran across this idea years ago here, and have been saving bottle caps and jar lids for a long time, because I knew it would be a perfect activity for Elise and I to do together.

I drilled holes in all of the lids from the underside. (I used a 5/16" bit.) Many of the plastic lids have a small indentation in the center so you don't even have to eyeball it. The metal lids are a bit tougher, but really, this is all pretty easy to do. Just make sure you're drilling on a surface that you don't mind messing up (like a thick scrap of wood).

This should all be pretty self-explanatory, but I lined up a selection of lids from smallest to largest and Elise strung them on pieces of jute twine. We finished off the bottoms with chunky wood beads I bought at the craft store to resemble the tree trunk.

We also made some in bright colors and the ever-popular black and gold. That one's mine!

Last minute DIY advent calendar + FREE printable number tags!

Want to make a cute advent calendar for your kids? Lucky for you I've designed a set of free printable number tags that will make this a super quick and easy project!

Do you have paper lunch bags? What about envelopes? Either will work.

Download these printable tags! >>
For personal use only, please.

Click on the link, then select File > Download to save to your computer.

Print on white or kraft card stock, though plain white office paper will also work just fine in a pinch. .

Trim on the dashed lines, then clip, staple or tape to the paper bags or envelopes -- whatever works. (This is supposed to be easy!) Then fill your bags with treats or other surprises. You can make this as simple or complicated as you wish.

These labels will work for alternative advent calendars that replace prizes with winter-themed books or activities too!

This year I wanted to take a different approach to filling our calendar than I have in years past. We are drowning in "junk" toys, so instead, I bought this Christmas cookie play set. (We have the regular version of this cookie set, and it's a long-time favorite of Elise's.) I'm going to divide it up, and each day, she'll get another piece.

Really running behind and don't have anything to fill the bags with? You only really have to keep one step ahead of the kids. Just sayin'.

More advent calendar posts:
Fabric advent calendar tutorial part 1 >> part 2 >>
See what I've used as fillers in the past >>

Recycled gift wrappings

This year is finally the year when I eschewed traditional wrapping paper in favor of using up all the odds and ends I've been hoarding. The random pieces of packing and kraft paper, leftover ribbons and other assorted bits. What's the point in saving things if I never use them?

The flowers were all made from those plastic mesh produce bags. For tags, I punched large circles out of card stock I already had. None of it was "Christmas," but I just used patterns and colors that coordinated.

I didn't have enough materials to cover our entire gift list, so I used remnants of normal wrapping paper from years past for the others. And that can be marked as an accomplishment too. Usually, I crack open new rolls each year because I don't like to repeat the prints. It's my weird wrapping quirk.

Also in the eco-friendly category are these reusable drawstring gift bags I made. It can be considered a small extra gift, or the recipient can wrap something else up and pass it along. I had grand plans to make a bunch of them in all sizes, but time got the best of me this year and I only made a couple small ones. Put it on the to-do list for 2013!

7 Last-minute DIY Christmas gifts

Reusable cloth napkins for everyday use + FREE printable gift tag

Back-painted glass picture frames

Mod Podged tile map coasters

Fabric wrapped photo frame

Back-painted mirrored year painting

Kid hand print art

Decoupaged clip boards

Folded paper Christmas tree garland (from adding machine tape!)

This is our first year with a full-size Christmas tree (we used to decorate a mini tree), and I thought I'd have a difficult time filling it up. Turns out that was a pretty silly thought, as I probably have enough ornaments for at least two trees. But I was missing one thing: garland.

I ran across a roll of adding machine tape from years ago and knew I could turn it into something. A little bit of playing around with different folding techniques and I came up with this easy geometric garland.

I'm no origami teacher, so this is a little hard to explain in still photos. I'll admit, it looks complex. But play around with it, and you'll find it's pretty simple. You're just alternating between straight and 45-degree angle folds. Get into a groove, and you won't even be thinking about which direction you're supposed to fold.

Repeat, repeat and repeat some more. I did a whole tree's worth of folding while watching a movie. It's a mindless sort of activity.

You can unfold it to see how it's coming, but I preferred to keep everything folded up until the end. Easier to manage.

I like how geometric and modern it looks. And the way the light shines through and casts interesting shadows. But what's even better? No guilt about sending it to the recycling bin after the holidays.

If you don't have adding machine tape at home (and really, I don't know why you would), it's available at office supply stores for a couple of bucks. I only used about half a roll on my tree, so a single roll should be plenty even for giant trees.

If angles aren't your thing, try folding it another way. Or make fringe! Adding machine tape is such a good base material for so many different ideas.

Kid-painted Christmas tree ornaments

Like many people, I started a tradition of having my daughter make a Christmas ornament each year (plus a couple of extras for her grandmas). She's only two, so this was actually our first year, but I love the idea that she will have a huge collection of ornaments she made herself by the time she's grown up. (If I can part with them, that is.)

You've probably all seen these wood craft ornaments in stores for super cheap. I picked these up for something like 40 cents each. They have lines printed on them, I guess to suggest coloring them with markers, but obviously you can do whatever you want with them. And I decided we would paint them.

I was a little concerned about the craft paint not covering the printed lines, so before getting started, I removed the hanging ribbons and sprayed them with a white spray primer.

After that was dry, it was time for Elise to paint them. I gave her some pearly white craft paint, and she pretty much covered the entire trees. She did miss a couple of spots the first time around, so I coached her to fill those in, but all the brushstrokes were hers. We did one side at a time so that the fronts would have time to dry before the backs were painted. I love the gloppy texture dabbing on the paint created.

After the pearly paint was dry, I helped her add the red dots on the ornaments. I do have to admit I had a hand in getting them to land on target, but she was holding the brush.

I think she did pretty awesome! Simple and not overdone. 

After all the paint was dry, I added her name and the year with a fine-tip sharpie marker. I'm excited to see what this collection looks like in 20 years.

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This is part of my 2011 Handmade Gift Challenge.

Ornament exchange: Shimmery frame ornament

My favorite type of Christmas ornaments don't scream Christmas. While they look right at home on the tree, they also look great on their own and can be displayed year round.

So when Ann Marie at White House, Black Shutters decided to host an ornament exchange, I decided to make an all-year type of ornament. I think my recipients should have gotten them in the mail by now, so I'm moving ahead with this post!

While brainstorming, I came across these photo frames I had stashed away. They already had hangers on the backs, so turning them into an ornament was an easy leap. I used them to make bridal shower favors earlier this year. They worked really well, so when I saw the frames go on clearance, I picked up a couple of extra packs.

I like these frames first because they were cheap ($1.25 for three! on clearance), but secondly because they are sturdy with real glass and a nice circular opening. They were kind of ugly straight from the package, but I don't let that disguise a simple silhouette.

I wanted to cover the frames with something sparkly, but not necessarily glitter. These "microbeads" (found near the glitter at the craft store) were just what I was looking for. Shimmery, not glittery.

I primed the frames...and that's when my experimenting began. I tried several different ways to stick the beads to the frames (different glues, etc.) but in the end, I didn't use glue at all!

I painted the frames with a champagne-colored spray paint and after the first thin coat, I defied all spray painting rules and doused the fronts with a thick coat. Sorry I don't have any photos of that as I was working quickly, but I used the thick coat of wet spray paint as my "glue."

I sprinkled the microbeads all over the surface and let the paint dry for several hours. (I did this in the lid of a shoebox to contain the mess.) Then I shook off the excess and carefully brushed off stray beads. After mostly removing all of the loose beads, I sprayed the frame with a a clear sealer to make sure they stayed stuck. (This technique works for messy shedding glitter too!)

After tying on some ribbons and adding a scrap of wrapping paper as a placeholder for a photo, they were ready to ship to my ornament exchange partners.

I think they look like a million bucks! Or at least way more than the $2-3/each they probably were. (Hard to quantify things like spray paint). I'm definitely going to have to make a few more. Love the gold/silver shimmer.

Quick no-cost front door wreath refashion

While we don't do a lot of outdoor holiday decorations, I do like to hang a simple wreath on the door.

A couple of years ago, I put together this little number with a dollar store wreath and some plastic ball ornaments, but it had clearly expired. I'm going to delude myself and pretend that sitting in a box for a year made it look like this, and that it looked better when it was on the door last year.

Anyway, while I would love to go out and buy a fresh pine wreath (and I know they are not all that expensive), I thought it best to save the money and work with what I had in the house. I've declared it a make-do Christmas as far as decorations go.

I stripped the previous wreath of it's ornaments. Looking better, but a little scrawny.

Then I found some pine garland (a hand-me-down from mom) and decided to bulk up the wreath with that. I just wrapped it around the dollar store wreath, then tucked all of the branches in for a slightly neater look.

I threaded some wide ribbon through the wreath and stapled the ribbon to the top edge of the door. Our door is solid wood, and I've found using just a regular office stapler works well.

Initially, I put a bunch of plastic snowflakes on it, but it looked crazytown. That's when I settled on the lonesome dove. It's a bit plain, but simpler looks better from the street.