Deck the Halls—and Your Tree—with Ornaments from Thrifted Jewelry, Swapped Items
Sometimes the stars align when it comes to DIY projects. Thrifted costume jewelry is paired with items collected during a recent Goodwill Art Supply Swap event. The result? Unique ornaments you’ll want to display well past the holiday season since they are so elegant and interesting.
Here’s how:
Step 1: Check your jewelry box—or your Mom’s or Grandmother’s
I was inspired for this project by a small collection of old brooches I picked up along the way. One was the adorable ice-skating penguin pin, which seemed ideal for upcycling into a Christmas ornament. What do you have on hand that you no longer wear? See what you might borrow from the jewelry boxes of family and friends. Sparkling earrings, bobbled bracelets, and pretty pendants are all perfect for reuse this way.
Design Idea
Brooches seem to be a style must-have years ago and are no longer popular pieces. My late Grandmother had a wonderful collection that would have been great to transform into ornaments to keep her memory alive, especially during the holiday season. Do you have something special from a beloved family member you could reuse this way?
Step 2: Begin with a wooden base
Someone came to the Art Supply Swap event with a collection of these handsome wooden ornament bases. They were cut thin and lightweight and even had a holder for string or ribbon. I am so glad I picked them up for this project!
Check out Goodwill’s Art and Office Supply section to see if you might find something like them to use this way. Part of the fun of shopping at Goodwill is you never know what cool and unusual items you will find there to reuse and repurpose.
Step 3: Glue on the glitz
Remove any hooks from earrings or backs from brooches. Take apart your necklaces and bracelets, keeping the pendants and bejeweled pieces. Using quick-drying epoxy glue for added strength, secure a jewelry part of two on your wooden base piece. Allow plenty of time for it to dry.
Step 4: Brush on a background, secure your sparkles
Give the raw wooden background of your ornament some attention and some color. Consider applying a light layer of craft paint to add a warm, pretty hue or two. You might apply school glue with a paintbrush, then add sequins or glitter to your jewelry piece. You could even use your colored pencils to draw in some dimension and visual delight.
Expert Input
The epoxy glue left some stains on the raw wood background, so the paint, glitter, penciling, and sequins not only gave each ornament some pizzazz but also helped to hide the dried glue spots. I think the background treatments gave some of them a more finished look, too.
Step 5: Add on your hangers
An important part of any ornament is having a way to hang it on your tree or elsewhere in your home. Matching ribbons were used on some ornaments. Art wire was used for others, then twisted and curled into place. A rough twine was used, too, as a contrast to the elegance of the bling added.
What do you have on hand to reuse as an ornament hanger? String, cut fabric pieces or even reused jewelry chains will look really great too!
Step 6: Hang, share, enjoy
Place your thrifted jewelry/swapped supplies ornaments on your tree with other festive decorations. Tie one onto a gift to as a special accessory. Give several to loved ones and keep a couple for yourself, too. You deserve a special gift for your smart DIY talents and good reuse of thrifted and swapped items!
Happy holidays to all!
Similar Reads:
- DIY: You’re Such an Angel – Bulbs & Bottles Become Festive Décor
- My Goodwill Finds: Decorative Standing Letters as Holiday Decorations!
Tim Kime
Artist, Motivational Speaker, Life Coach
