Upcycled Holiday Decorations and Crafts!

December 10, 2019

While the definition of “upcycling” is to repurpose things you have lying around the house, many of the DIY craft ideas floating around on the internet require materials you would never have on hand! So, the criteria for our upcycled holiday decorations is that you should need to buy no more than one item, assuming you have the basics at home (hot glue gun, a few paints and glitters—as well as your truly found materials).

DIY Food and Wine Decorations for The Holidays

Chances are you’ve got a few boxes of pasta in the cupboard—maybe bowtie or rotini. You will not believe the elegant Christmas decorations you can make by using uncooked pasta, a hot-glue gun, and some paint! This Crafty Panda YouTube video shows you seven different easy and fun decorations to make. 

While you’ve got the pasta out, how about some wine to go with it? Wine corks, that is! HGTV shows you how just a few corks – either painted or left “natural” – can be glued together to make a lovely tree ornament.  And if you enlist the help of crafty kids, it will make a special gift for Grandma!

Kids Love the Small Stuff!

Crafts are the perfect way to bring the family together, and kids will love making these miniature Christmas crafts. Tiny button trees from Recyclart are imaginative and simple enough for even the youngest crafters to put together – with a little help. Kids of all ages will love creating little pinecone elves made from items gathered from outside and in the house. HGTV walks you through the process with this tutorial.

Or you can take those pinecones, role them in glue and glitter – Camila Rojas shows you how in an easy to follow YouTube video – let dry and wrap with burlap ribbon and rustic twine. She’ll show you how to make a bow with a needle and thread, bunching up the middle where a knot would go, embellished with jingle bells. So slick!

What to Do with Puzzles with Missing Pieces

Everyone has them, and no one knows what to do with them! Here’s a way to repurpose those useless jigsaw puzzle pieces—by making these delightful candy cane decorations with easy-to-follow instructions, or try you hand(s) at these inventive HGTV snowflake napkin rings. All you need are the puzzle pieces and white spray paint glued to basic rings for festive table décor! 

It’s hard to believe these stunning tree ornaments are handmade from stray bits and pieces lying around the house! They do take a bit longer to make, but the stylish results are worth the effort! The craft behind these beautiful string ornaments is similar to the papier mâché process but with more delicate results. All you need is string, balloons, and a matte medium which is a kind of liquid glue – like matte Mod Podge® — available at your local craft store or through Amazon. 

Light Up Your Holidays with Upcycled Soup Cans

You will swear these vintage-inspired luminaries are the real thing! Yet they are made from upcycled soup cans, distressed with bleach, and crafted with thorough step-by-step directions from nostalgiecat.com. Light up your mantle, outdoor walkways, or anyplace you want a little holiday shimmer!

Maybe the most ambitious project of all, this magazine cross can also take on other shapes—a Christmas tree or a star. While it does take the better part of a day to create, the only materials are magazine pages and some regular white glue. This cross contains one full magazine of paper—folded, rolled up, and glued together! 

Fill Your Home with Holiday Crafts at Southshore! 

This is the time of year for staying at home with family and friends, and Southshore is the perfect place for your holiday activities! See how fun Life at the Lake can be with beautiful new homes from Century Communities, Richmond American Homes, and Toll Brothers, and picture yourself in your very own dream house! With ranch and two-story models available, new homes are priced from the upper $400s to the $700s.