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Recycle Tutorial: Refurbish Old Christmas Ornaments

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December is here!!! Christmas is just 25 days away, don’t get panic! If you haven’t had time or being thrifty to go for Christmas Tree ornament shopping, may be this is a great tutorial for you…. turn your old ornaments to one as good as new

We did not followed the tradition, we didn’t had thanksgiving meal, we didn’t do any thanksgiving activity, definitely no black Friday and no cyber Monday!!! Instead, I spent my day with my kids decorating a Christmas tree. I am thrifty and sentimental in certain things, my faux 5′ Christmas tree is as old as my seven year old daughter, same as majority of the hanging ornaments. I found many ornaments became tarnish and spoil after many years of reuse. Looking at how badly those ornaments’ surfaces has discolored and worn out, it’s time to give them an uplift. Of course, not all can be refurbished, I still have to throw away some broken pieces and add in some new one, but at least I can keep it to minimum.

As an example, I glittered an old candy cane to make it as good as new or even better and prettier. Get the how to after the jump.

To be precised on the material for this example, I used:
1. Old plastic candy cane ornaments
2. Pearl white glitter
3. Craft glue
4. Red 1/4″ Ribbon
5. Gold hanging string
Tips: line your table with old newspaper to make cleaning easier after glittering.

Take out damaged red plastic strip and hanging string from the candy cane.
Make sure the bare plastic candy cane is free from grease.
Brush a layer of craft glue to the candy cane.
Sprinkle the pearl white glitters onto the candy cane evenly.
Wait until it’s dry.
Apply a few drops of craft glue onto the wrong side of the red 1/4″ ribbon.
Wrap the ribbon around the candy cane.
Set aside until the glue dries.


With this method, you have got a new glittered candy cane for your Christmas tree, doesn’t it look better than the original one
You can try on other ornaments as well, I made another one with my discolored and oxidized jingle bell ornament.

This year I made my own Holly Berries as I am not going to use any plastic holly leaves and fake-looking berries to ruin my Christmas decorations. I am using felt to make the leaves and combining it with artificial, but real-looking berries I found in a florist shop. This particular holly berries is for a wreath that I am giving away to my friend. It is not only limited to wreaths, you can make these berries to decorate your Christmas Tree, Stocking, on the wall or just anywhere you like.

Stocking sounds like a good idea to me as I am going to make them for my kids, so I might decorate them with these holly berries as well… Will show you the stockings later once they are done. Let’s come back on how to make this Felt Holly Berries.

Material:
1. Green and White felt
2. Artificial red berries
3. Fabric Glue
4. Sewing thread and needle
5. Some ribbons
6. Scissor
optional (only if you want to glitter the leaves)
7. Green glitter powder
8. Sharp end tooth pick
9. Tea spoon
Cut the green felt with holly leave’s shape of your style, 2 pieces. Apply fabric glue at the border.

Attach the green felt to the white felt. Reserve at least 10mm of space in between them. Wait 5-10 minutes until it is tacky and the joint won’t shift.
Cut them out from the white felt with 5mm border.
Pinch one of the ends and sew it with thread and needle.
Do the same to other leaves.

Sew both pinched sides together. Sew in the artificial berries just like the photo.
If the joint is not stable. Put a few drops of glue behind the joint, leave it to dry.

Tie a ribbon and attach on it. The basic holly berries is done!
….You can also add some glitters on the leaves….
Prepare and get ready the optional material and the holly leaves before sewing it.

Carefully drip a few small drops of fabric glue onto the leaves where you want to glitter it.
Use the tooth pick to smooth out the glue evenly to create the pattern.

Sprinkle green glitter powder onto the glue area.

Use your spoon or finger to spread it if it doesn’t cover up nicely. Press a little so that the glitter powder sticks better.

Shake off the excessive glitter powder away.
Turn it to the wrong side and lightly knock it with your finger for the stubborn glitter powder to come out.
Use a tooth pick to brush them out if necessary.

All the none glue area should be clean with no glitter powder left.
Follow the sewing instruction above to continue with the making.


Voila!!! Holly Berries!!!

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Wind A Star

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Unbelievable, Christmas is less than 2 weeks away!!!! I have so  many Christmas crafts in mind, gosh…. looks like I have to carry forward some of the projects to next year.

The Star is one of the best symbols to represent Christmas. I couldn’t help myself so I had to do another “Star” project after the “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star“. If Christmas Day is still another month away, and I didn’t get a viral attack which slowed me down, I would have come out with a sewing star, crochet star, perhaps weaving star etc….

I received some feedback from you that it is not easy to find the foam star I showed in my previous tutorial. So, I came out with an alternative to the foam stars and made of materials you definitely can obtain from the hardware shop and craft store… All you need for making this winding star are:

Material:
1. Wood plank
2. Hammer
3. Nails (prefer those with small head)
4. Star Patterns (download the patterns here with 4 different sizes)
5. Adhesive tape
6. Decorative wires….. floral wires, pipe cleaners, aluminium wire… etc…
7. Fastener Floral wire (Gauge 34) for fastening, you can use upholstery thread but make sure they are strong for you to pull and tie the wires together.

Arrange the star patterns on the wood plank and secure them with adhesive tape.

Hammer down the nails at the star tips. Each star has 5 tips.

Wind your wire follow the dash line on the pattern.
Pull the wire to straighten it while bending at the tip.

Bend the start end up to meet the finishing end as shown. Cut off excessive wire at the start end, but don’t cut the finishing end.

Bend the finishing end down 90 deg and tie the crossed wires with fastener floral wire. Wind the fastener wires 2 rounds on the joint and twist both ends together until they securely fasten the joint at the star.Hide the fastener wire.

Secure at least another 2 joints to stabilize the star.

Just like the way I glitter the foam star, apply glue all over the wires that you want to glitter. Dip or sprinkle the glitters onto the star.
Apply glue and dip or sprinkle again if necessary.

Insert the end onto the floral sponge while wait for them to dry.
Cut off the extra wire and tie a string then they are ready to be hang on the tree.
You can even add the stars on the old Christmas Tree Ornaments to give them a new look.

You can try other wires as well. I especially like the Pipe Cleaners Star as it is the easiest to make and the effect is “sparkling”….

You can even make this star and place it on the top of the Kanzashi Christmas Tree or any of your favorite table top Christmas Trees.

Try them out today and I would be more than happy if you show me your version!!!

Let us wish upon a star together that there would be peace in this world.

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Twinkle Star Ornaments

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I am having lots of fun applying glitter on Christmas ornaments this year.  You will see some glittering projects coming in a roll.
Since someone asked me how to make the star for the top of the Christmas Tree, I would like to kick-off with this tutorial!!!
I was singing my daughter’s favorite lullaby while making it…laa laa laaaa la…

“Twinkle twinkle little star

How I wonder what you are

Up above the world so high

Like a diamond in the sky

Twinkle twinkle…..”

Material:
1. Polystyrene stars (I used 20mm diameter and 40mm) of your desired size
2. Glitter powder
3. Craft glue / PVA glue / white glue
4. Floral wire gauge 22
5. Florist sponge

Insert a floral wire into the star.
Apply glue generously on the foam but not too much until it drips.
Wait for about 5 minutes until it gets tacky. You can save time by applying glue to other stars during this waiting period.

Dip the star into the glitter powder. You can also sprinkle the glitter powder onto the star, just put a piece of paper below to collect the glitter powder so that you don’t mess up with it. Switch off your fan too!
Inspect and make sure the star is fully covered by the glitter powder.
If not, dip or sprinkle again. Add glue if necessary.

Dust of excessive glitter by gently knocking the floral wire against the hand.
Insert the wire onto a florist sponge, leave it there until the glue dries.
Don’t touch the glitters before it dries.

This is how many of them I made after a while!!!
Tip: Do 1 color at a time so that you won’t get all the glitters mixed up.

Pull out the working floral wire from the star, apply glue at the hole and insert the Christmas Tree’s floral wire into the star.

You can transform these stars into Christmas Tree ornaments too, just apply some glue at the hole after pulling out the working floral wire, insert 2 ends of the string into the hole, add a little more glue if necessary. Let it dry and hang them onto the tree! That’s it, simple yay!!!!