Cleaning out your attic or basement this summer? Instead of tossing all those old Christmas decorations, try looking at them in a new way and recycle them into decor you can use all year! Today’s guest post will give you some great ideas on how to reuse some of those old holiday items…
Whilst the attic is hardly the most desirable part of your house to be in during the warmer months, Spring and Summer often see us forced up there to indulge in some clearing out and space making. Whilst you’re coping with the stuffy heat up there and fighting your way through old boxes and past your holiday decorations, take a moment to stop and consider the latter. If you’re embarking on any design projects, you’ve just stumbled across a goldmine of potential materials that sits unused for 11 months of the year.
Did you know that almost 1,000,000 real Christmas trees are thrown away annually? Statistics from London show that almost 90% of these make their way to landfill, so here are a few tips to try to entice some more of you to re-use, recycle and upcycle your Christmas trees.
If you have an old, dead Christmas tree, don’t throw it away, these are a cute solution when in need of a cheap coat, umbrella or even hat rack. Of course, you’d have to remove all excess needles and trim the branches before the tree is going to be of much use to you, but after a lick of paint, it should be perfect for your home. Painting isn’t a necessity though, if you prefer the look of the natural wood, then do just that, keep it natural.
Items such as wreaths can also be recycled within the home as either a modern table decoration or a charming little photo frame. By decorating your old advent wreath you could also use it as a wall decoration, instead of buying an expensive oil painting, or an intricate tapestry, grab your tools and make the most of your old decorations.
Christmas lights or as they’re widely known “Fairy Lights” can be recycled throughout the year and used for many different occasions, whether it’s to decorate a gazebo for a wedding, lighting up a birthday party, or creating an eerie atmosphere during Halloween.
Although the best use for fairy lights all year round is in your bedroom. Fairy lights can be placed, on, stuck to, or wrapped around any surface. In the bedroom the most common place to find fairy lights would either be across the ceiling or around the edges of the a mirror or bed; these are particularly popular with young princesses!
Holding on to Christmas candles can be a wise move when times are hard, instead of throwing them away, they can be used as pleasant table decorations. If you’d rather not display your old candles, they can still come in handy when enduring long periods of time without power or lighting.
Stockings are a well-known Christmas essential, but Christmas isn’t the only occasion in which they can be used. Stockings are a charming way of keeping your tit bits and knick-knacks in one discrete place, whilst giving your room a fresh, chic appearance. (To all arts and crafters, you’ve just found a new ‘bit-box!’) However, if you’re looking for a more practical use, filling your old stocking and placing it at the bottom of a door or window, gives you a thrifty draught excluder. Not only would the draught excluder look good, but it also insulates your room, reducing your gas and fuel bills!
To make the draught excluder you will need your stocking, a sewing machine, something to fill your stocking with such as rice, lentils, or beanbag balls and if you’re feeling especially creative, go the whole hog and buy some ribbons to decorate your stocking with.
Creating a draught excluder is actually a lot simpler than it may appear to be. Take your filling, whatever it is that you have decided to use, and pour it into the stocking. Leave at least two inches at the top of the stocking so that you have room to seal it. Once the stocking is sufficiently stuffed, seal the 1 inch away from the edge using your sewing machine. Now that your stocking is shut tight, it’s time to decorate it. Your decoration can be as simple or as complicated as you like, but the easiest method would be to simply ruche the end that you have sealed, and tie a ribbon around it using a knot of your choice, but a modest bow would be adequate.
Overall there are many varied methods of recycling your seasonal scrap, and it’s often that you’ll discover that the most mundane, ordinary, notions are also the most practical and best looking. If you’re struggling for ideas and need a little inspiration check out your local hobby centres, as they are full of great ideas to help you reach your designing potential.
Simon Calvin is the creative force behind UK Christmas World, endeavouring to keep his seasonal spirits up all year round by re-inventing and re-purposing their stock (often to the chagrin of his manager!)
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