Zero Waste Gift Ideas

Christmas ornaments hold a special place in our house. We have tons sure, but each one has a story or a special person behind it. The handmade ornaments are especially beautiful to us.

There are two activities I get excited about every holiday season.

One, I get to make handmade gifts. I get to do it throughout the year some, but during the holidays it’s non-stop projects for those I hold dearest.

Two, I get make upcycled Christmas ornaments! In the past, I’ve made them for my family as part of my waste less Christmas gift plan, but there’s only so many branches on a tree. Now, I make them as bulk Christmas gifts for co-workers. With that being said, I can’t wait to show you my favorite upcycled Christmas ornament ideas.

Hand-Dipped Marbled Christmas Ornaments

Originally, I found a tutorial with a picture frame wreath, but I decided the ornaments were awesome on their own. These are super fun to do and take no time at all, if you need a bulk gift. Plus, most of us have some plain Christmas ornaments that seem worn out, scratched up. If not, they’re an easy material to find at a thrift store.

To start, fill a small tub with water. Then simply make a pool of spray lacquer in the lid. When you’re ready to dip the ornament, pour the spray lacquer in the water and dip the ornament.

You only have a few seconds to dip the ornament before the spray lacquer dries. There are many ways you can approach this project. You can add multiple colors at once, or do a second coat once the first coat dries. Dip the ornament straight in or twist the ornament to get a swirled effect.

Materials Needed:

• • Tub of Water
  • High Performance Spray Lacquer
  • Worn out ornaments from home or a thrift store
  • Hangers

Aluminum Mini Blind Christmas Ornaments

I stumbled across these at a thrift store, when I was looking for mini blinds for another project. I got them because they were ‘cool’ but little did I know, they held so much potential. Regular mini blinds do not curve, they just fold. These however, have unlimited potential.

I’ve made pumpkins, but I wanted to see how they would do as Christmas ornaments.

Materials Needed:

• Super Glue
• Wooden Clothes Pins
• Scissors
• Aluminum Mini Blinds

Cut sections of the aluminum mini blinds and curve the ends to meet in the middle. Keep the edges round, glue and clip each section with a clothes pin.

Cut a longer section and bend into a triangle or three sided shape, glue and clip with a clothes pin. Finally, make a rounded section, glue and hold with a clothes pin. Let them dry overnight.

When you’re ready, stack the wings and glue them on top each other. Then hold with a clothes pin. Let it dry.

Finally, stack the wings and head onto the body, glue and hold together with a clothes pin.

Add a hanger and then hang it on the tree!

Light Bulb Snowman and Penguin Christmas Ornaments

I saved these for last because they are my absolute FAVORITE Christmas projects. I save light bulbs, sometimes from the trash, all year just for this project.

Materials Needed:

• Light bulbs
• Scrap Fabric
• Black Craft Paint and Brush
• Orange craft paint or paper
• Accessories
• Glue

The fun thing about these Christmas ornaments, is they’re fun to customize and make your own. There are two options that I do every year, but if you’re a better painter than me, you can totally expand your horizons and make whatever you want.

For the snowmen, I leave them unpainted and just make small black dots to make the face. This time, I cut out some cardboard from a cereal box and cut some triangles for the carrot nose. I mixed red and yellow paint to make the orange. Once the paint was dry, I decorated with some scrap fabric I had from old jeans and previous projects. Then tie a string, piece of ribbon or jute to hang on the tree.

For the penguins I paint the black body with a couple of coats. I cut out little feet and 2 triangles for the little beak. After the paint and glue are dry, I use scrap fabric for a hat and scarf. Then tie a string, piece of ribbon or jute to hang on the tree.

Broken Furniture Christmas Ornaments

If you’re a hardcore fixer upper, I’m sure you have a stash of misfit furniture pieces around. These ornaments are perfect go-to ornaments to use up all those pieces. See the video below to see how easy they are. It’s even a great project to use little bits chalk-based paint, such as Amy Howard at Home that you might have left over from other projects.

Check out the video here:

K-Cup Christmas Ornaments

I know, I know, but k-cups are part of our world, so even if you don’t use them yourself, it’s always nice to have ideas to use them if you come across a huge pile in your office trash. I found these adorable upcycled K-cup Christmas Ornaments. They have Santa hats, reindeer, and snowmen. If you are a k-cup user, I suggest doing some research and find an alternative. If you’re like me and aren’t in control of their use, this is a good alternative since they can’t be recycled.

Check out these cute upcycled k-cup Christmas ornaments here.

Do you make upcycled Christmas ornaments? Leave a comment below and tell me what your favorite upcycled Christmas ornaments are and the materials you use!

Holiday Planner for a Stress Free Christmas

The holidays are a magical time full of traditions and the joys of the season, but it’s also one of the busiest times of the year. Between family get-togethers, parties hosted by friends, the baking, cooking and shopping there is just so much to keep track of. A holiday planner is a great place to store all the information you need to keep your holidays running smoothly so you can just worry about enjoying the festivities, which will also help reduce waste.

This holiday planner bundle has 25 plus pages calendars, menu planners, budget trackers, gift trackers, holiday activities, and more for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Pin these Christmas Ornaments for later!

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