DIY Holiday Decorations with Vintage Jewelry

Posted on December 03, 2015 by Mary Hood | 0 Comments

The holiday season is a wonderful time to get crafty. Sharing crafts (and decorating duties) with family and loved ones can make for special memories. It's especially fun to gather folks around and make an event of it--cookies and festive music included! 

The following are a few ideas for creating your own holiday decorations with unused or vintage jewelry. These decor ideas require fewer new materials than many standard holiday crafts and provide an opportunity to repurpose some old baubles. For most pieces, you'll just new a glue gun and a few household items. So grab your glue gun, and let's get started! 

DIY Eco-Friendly Holiday Decorations with Vintage Jewelry

Plant your old jewelry to add a little extra holiday sparkle in your home.

Add some dazzle to your houseplants by “planting” sparkly brooches in the soil. You can glue your pins to thin, metal planters so they stick up or wrap them around the planters using a thin crafting wire (as shown in the photo).

Create a beautiful holiday symbol or Christmas tree with vintage brooches.

Option one: Frame a felt- or cloth-covered corkboard, and pin brooches or earrings to the corkboard in the shape of a tree or other holiday symbol. Alternatively, use a hot glue gun to secure pieces that are prone to fall out. Remember, if you’re using hot glue, the art will be more permanent, so it will be harder to pull off a brooch if you ever want to repurpose it for something else. Pin individual beads to the foam to fill in any blank spaces.

Option two: Wrap a foam tree or shape in lace or pretty cloth and secure with a pin. Next, pin or hot glue your vintage costume jewelry to the foam. This would make a fun centerpiece for a holiday meal or the perfect addition to a holiday-themed mantle. You can wrap pearl necklaces around the shape or pin individual pearl beads to the foam to fill in any blank spaces.

Dress up plain ornaments with old chains and charms.

Give simple ornaments new life by draping them with gold necklaces and chains or even hanging pendants and charms from them.

Decorate a vintage brooch to an ornament.

Using strong wire cutters or pliers, remove the pin from the back of the brooch. Glue the brooch to the center of the ornament. For a bit of Victorian frill, incorporate some pretty ribbon or lace, as shown in the photo here.

Alternatively, completely cover or collage a foam ball/ornament with a variety of sparkly brooches. It will beautifully reflect any holiday lights!

What are your favorite eco-friendly holiday crafts? 

Photos: MakeZine, C. Dianne Zweig, Ebay, The Paris Market Place , Chain Maille Jewelry Patterns, Moonlight Eternal Jewelry, Frontgate

Posted in brooches, decor, DIY, eco-friendly crafts, holidays, vintage

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