Photo By: Susan Teare Fill tarnished-silver servers with moss, berries, evergreens, pinecones and succulents to create a charming hostess gift or to use as a centerpiece. Upcycle old costume jewelry into sparkling tree ornaments. Add beads and ribbon to stiff jewelry wire to hang the pin or brooch. Have an old wool sweater you can’t part with? Then hang it on your front door. To make this wreath pouch, felt the sweater then cut the sleeves and neck off. Use embroidery thread to sew the bottom, sides and neckline together and prevent fraying. Then stuff the bottom with paper bags and add florals, evergreens, berries and pinecones. Find more wreath projects >> Use wood siding to make holiday garland for the mantel. Paint designs on each shingle then seal it with polyurethane. If you're lucky, the siding pieces will still have nail holes in the top. Thread with wire to string the shingles together then adorn with greenery. Cut old jeans into oversized stars.

Sandwich a folded piece of ribbon in between two star shapes and then stitch a fun pattern across both pieces to hold them and the ribbon together. Add a vintage piece of jewelry – an old earring or brooch – for some extra bohemian flair. Making an ornament out of an old toy is child’s play. Use a hot-glue gun to secure a piece of sturdy ribbon to the truck then fill the truck’s bed with a pinecone or some greens. A piece of picket fence was cleaned up then used as a canvas for some holiday art. A couple of upholstery nails and copper wire make a charming way to hang to this welcoming winter craft. Go green and save money by wrapping gifts in brown paper bags. Use doilies or outdoor faucet handles as stencils to create snowflake patterns. Print your favorite holiday and family photos then glue them onto the front side of a discarded cereal box or piece of cardboard. Cut the photo in a tag shape and then hole punch the top. Finish by threading a pretty ribbon through the hole.

Use the tags for gifts, as place card holders at the dining table or hang them on the Christmas tree.ways to decorate your room for christmas Old tree stands are plentiful at thrift stores and garage sales. exterior designs for mobile homesGrab a trio and turn them in vase holders. wholesale wedding stuff for cheapWe spray painted these white, added glassware then filled them with holiday flowers, evergreens and berries. Who would have thought an old frame and a repurposed ice skate would make such a perfect pair? Dig into the recycle bin for this project. Wrap a tin can in ribbon and secure it using decoupage glue. Then fill the can with dirt and a succulent or holiday plant.

Clip a photo or name tag to the can to use as a place card. When it’s time for your guests to go home, they can take the plant as a holiday favor. Simple silhouettes on vintage wood is the perfect combination. Cut reclaimed wood into squares and sand them smooth. Decorate with holiday designs (use cookie cutters stencils) and then seal the paint with decoupage glue. When they’re dry, stick felt rounds to the bottom. Take inspiration from the beautiful outdoors this winter by crafting a holiday wreath from birch bark and pinecones.  Repurpose dessert and candy dishes as candleholders. Line the containers with pieces of birch bark. Then place a large candle in the middle of the container (make sure the wick is above or at level with the top of the containers). Then pour in dried cranberries or coffee beans. Old sweaters, some scraps of wood and a few crafting supplies was all it took to make this trio of lollipop trees. This project took just a couple hours to make and cost less than $15.

Get the step-by-step instructions >> Old necklaces were cut apart and the beads were reused to make these pearly ornaments. The beads were threaded onto straight pins and then the pins were inserted into Styrofoam balls. Not sure what to do with that leftover electrical wire in the basement? The solution is simple, make a holiday ornament. Next time you walk along a shoreline, gather a pile of driftwood to make this rustic star. This easy, budget project only costs a few dollars to make — scrap plywood was used so the only expense was the hardware to hang up the star. When I was little, my family and I would drive down to a local Christmas tree farm every December. It was a magical time for me and my siblings. We would run around and see who could find the biggest trees. The pine scent and festive atmosphere made it one of our favorite times of year. It was less fun for my mom, who knew it was only a matter of time before the tree started shedding dried pine needles everywhere (needles she would have to clean up).

After another Christmas or two, we stopped decorating trees for that very reason. Are you tired of a real Christmas tree, too? Why not make your own? Over 50 million Christmas trees are purchased every year and 30 million of those go straight to landfills! Creating your own tree can be fun and a great way to go green for the holidays without sacrificing any Christmas cheer. One of the easiest ways to make your own Christmas tree is to use things from the garden, like a tomato cage. You can find tomato cages very easily in any kind of home improvement stores or places such as Walmart and Target (although they may be in seasonal aisles). They range from anywhere from 3 to 6 feet or more, and they are less than 4 dollars! If you take one and flip it upside down, you notice it already starts to look like a tree itself. Now you can either place it into a pot with soil to give it more of a traditional look, or you can just leave it as it is. I suggest the pot because once you’re done you can’t even tell that it’s homemade.

If you stick with a pot, use some metal wires or old clothe hangers and bend some pieces to secure the cage in. Once that’s all set, you can buy some garland and wrap it around in a spiral motion to cover each and every part of the cage. Then decorate it with some Christmas lights and ornaments. These Christmas “trees” are very easy to clean up and look just as nice if you take the time to decorate them. Smaller ones give a unique feeling to the room. You can decorate small tables and areas where you would relax. Make any room in the house feel like Christmas! Another interesting alternative is the ladder tree. After my family stopped decorating Christmas trees, I joked with my brother about decorating a ladder instead. I never thought someone would actually do it! It’s another easy alternative if you want to try something new last minute. Just don’t walk under the ladder 1. Gather your tomato cages and lights. A 6 to 10-foot string of lights should cover a 3-foot-tall tomato cage.

I went for a more minimal look with these trees, so be sure to use a longer string of lights or multiple strings if you want your trees full of volume. 2. Once you have your supplies, flip the cage upside down so that the forks that would normally go into the ground are facing up. I’ve found that it’s easiest to twist the wires together to create the top of the tree. It does get rough on your hands, so I recommend using gloves or pliers. Once you have the top formed, thread the female end of the lights into the top. 3. Then begin to wrap the lights around the cage from the top down. I wrap the top multiple times in a ball like fashion to make sure the top is nice and well-lit. This is also a good way to try to hide the plug end of the string a bit. 4. Continue to wrap the lights down the cage. I found it’s easiest to step on the cage or place your knee on it while I use my arms to get the lights around the cage. If you have a helper, it may be easier to have one person hold the lights while the other person spins the cage around.