16 Upcycled Christmas Decor Ideas

Amazing upcycled Christmas decor ideas to transform ordinary items into beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces!

The holidays are just around the corner, and it’s time to make a few Christmas items to sell in my antique booth and to decorate at home.

I’ve been adding new upcycles to this blog post each year, and I hope these thrifty ideas inspire your next holiday project.

The crafts below use supplies from my craft bins and thrift store items I collected. So let’s dive into my salvaged box of goodies!

1. Vintage Chalkboard Christmas Sign

How cute is this chalkboard sign? I happened to find a vintage chalkboard, but any wood-framed chalkboard would work great for this DIY. Here are a few I found on Amazon with similar proportions… 8.5″ x 12″ and 10″ x 14″.

I used my Cricut Maker to cut a stencil, but a store-bought stencil will work too.

2. Old Strainer Turned Holiday Wall Decoration

Vintage utensils are easy to find at most antique stores. If you come across a masher or strainer, especially one with a red or green handle, upcycle it into a beautiful holiday wall decoration by hot gluing floral picks, a bow, or any other embellishments you like.

3. Holiday Wood Ring Wreath

This wood ring wreath was a true trash-to-treasure project. I bought this rustic rocking horse and wood ring for $2 at the antique store last year. I believe the wooden ring is from an old chair.

I used wire and hot glue to hold the greenery. Then I wrapped the base with white twine and hot-glued my rocking horse to the center.

4. Gingerbread Cookie Cutter Candle Holder

I’ve always been drawn to these cute gingerbread cookie cutters. My mom had them, and we would make gingerbread cookies every Christmas with them.

Of course, I didn’t find all five at the same time. I collected them along the way on different trips to antique stores. Some were pretty beat up. To give them a new life, I spray-painted them sparkly pink and used wire ribbon to string them together around a clear glass vase.

5. Distressed Paperback Book Stack

Turn paperback books into a beautiful rustic book stack by distressing them with chalk paint!

This cute stack of books is easy to make with just a few supplies. For more details on how to make them, check out the full tutorial here –> How to Distress Dollar Store Books with Chalk Paint.

6. Holiday Yardstick Magnets

Cut up an old yardstick and make these beautiful holiday magnets. Get all the details on this easy DIY here –> DIY Holiday Ruler Box Magnets.

7. Tart Tin Christmas Trees

Repurpose new or vintage tart tins to make these beautiful Christmas Trees. There’s also a Valentine’s Day version of this craft. Get the details and links to the supplies here –> How to Make Repurposed Tart Tin Trees.

8. Scrap Wood Stocking Holder – Free SVG File

This beautiful stocking holder is made from a 2×4 that I had in my garage. We don’t have a fireplace mantel to hang Christmas stockings on, so this holder works perfectly for our family. If you’d like to make one, check out the complete tutorial and get the free art here –> DIY Farmhouse Wood Signs – Free SVG Files

9. Christmas Card Holder

Make a beautiful Christmas card holder using inexpensive stretch canvases.

Supplies: Two stretch canvases (mine are 11×14 size), a roll of wide wire ribbon (about 2.5 inches wide), 2-inch mending brackets, a screwdriver, a set of battery-powered string lights, a hot glue gun, acrylic paint, chip brush, and velcro (or another way to secure the string lights battery pack to the back of the frame).

To make the cardholder, start by removing the canvas from both frames. Use 2-inch mending brackets to secure your frames together at the back as shown below. You may need shorter screws than the ones that come with the brackets.

Next, paint your frame any color you like, then wrap your wire ribbon around the center and make a bow for the top. If you need help making a bow, check out this video from Julie’s Wreath Boutique. Use hot glue where needed.

String fairy lights horizontally to clip your cards onto. I secured the battery pack for the fairy lights by hot-gluing velcro to the back and hid it along the bottom behind the ribbon. When selecting a spot for your battery pack, just make sure the on/off button is easy to get to.

Tip: Swap out one of your wall art frames for the season and you won’t even need to make a new hole in the wall to hang it.

10. Upcycle Christmas Tree Box

I found this wooden Christmas tree-shaped box at the thrift store for a couple of dollars. It was ugly but I thought it would make a cute ornament storage box. This would be a great box to store your most treasured ornaments safely. Here are before and after photos…

11. Holiday Globe Refresh

I thought this tabletop globe could use an update for the holiday, so I added Santa’s sleigh and reindeer!

The sleigh and reindeer pieces were cut from black cardstock using a cutting machine. Check out more details on this project here –> Santa’s Sleigh Floral Pick – An Easy Cricut Craft.

12. DIY Flocked Christmas Tree

I was given this 24″ Christmas Tree and thought it needed a little snow.

To start, I hot-glued floral foam into a thrift store wicker basket. Then I removed the tripod base from the tree and hot-glued the tree stem into the foam.

For a flocked look, I used chalk paint and an old chip brush to dab it on the ends of the branches. The process was a bit messy, but it worked well. I put this little tree in my antique booth, and it sold the next day!

13. Rustic Christmas Tree Crate

Pick up an old wooden crate at the thrift store, or make one out of scrap wood to add a little farmhouse charm to your holiday decor!

The design features black vinyl for the type, and the tree graphic was stenciled on with green acrylic paint.

14. Snow Scene Dome

Cheese domes are another thrift store item to look for. Hot-glue bottle-brush trees in varying sizes to a circle of cardboard or foam board and glue faux snow around the edges.

15. Reindeer Basket

This basket came together after taking apart an old gun rack! Check out all the photos and get more details on this fun project here –> Upcycled Reindeer Basket Made With Thrift Store Finds.

16. Milk Glass

I find a lot of vintage milk glass dishes at yard sales and thrift stores, and I love the fluted shape of this dish. For a little holiday charm, I added a matching gnome and floral.

17. Upcycled Tins

An old lunch box or a tin with a hinged lid can be repurposed to store Christmas supplies or turned into a fun Christmas Countdown!

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RELATED CRAFT IDEAS:

• How to Distress Dollar Store Books with Chalk Paint
• Glass Gem Votive Candle Holders
• 10 Creative Ways to Upcycle & Display Vintage Tins
• How to Make Vintage-Style Clipboards

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Watch A Video

Link to the full tutorial here –> How to Make a Jingle Bell Wreath