Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Upcycled Crystal Ornaments! Pretty! Easy! Vintage Chic!

Hi!  Today, an ornament tutorial.  Vintage, cut-crystal ornaments, to be precise.  And of course - they're upcycled.



Aren't they nice?  And crazy simple to make.  Here is the DIY.


Dig up a crystal salt or pepper shaker.  Got one stashed among the family china?  If not, they're easy to find at thrift stores or yard sales.


The only other supply you need: a basic ornament hanger.  (A hundred for a buck at the dollar store.  Or make your own from any old craft wire.)  Grab a hanger and straighten out one side.


Thread the straight end through the shaker top, and make a U-bend as in this photo:


Now thread the bent end up through the opposite hole in the shaker top.  Crisscross the two wires.  And twist them together.  Here's the progression:


Snip off the extra wire, and presto!  You're done!



For extra cuteness, bend some squiggles in the wire, like so:


Hang them on a tree of some kind...

So chic!

Now here's one more idea.  Fill the shakers with something lightweight and colorful.  Suggestions:

 Plastic beads.
Mardi Gras necklaces.
Crumpled tissue paper.
Ribbon.
Glitter.

 And voila - custom colored crystal ornaments.



If you have some vintage crystal shakers in your family, hang them on your tree and enjoy a new use for an old heirloom.   Or give them as meaningful family gifts.

After the holidays, you could always convert them back into salt and pepper shakers...but I think I'm leaving mine like this.

I hope you enjoyed this one!  Want some more cute and easy upcycled Xmas ideas?  Check these out.





And hey, while I've got you considering crystal salt shakers, one more really cool way to upcycle them:
That's it for now.  Later, gators!


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23 comments:

  1. CREATIVE KHADIJANovember 17, 2011 at 3:17 AM

    Oh waooo..these are so cute & yessssss after holiday you can enjoy these in your kitchen again :)
    you are totally smart dear Mich!!! all the best :)

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  2. imsteelefullofscrapNovember 17, 2011 at 3:35 AM

    I made some also and made them into snowmen like Mammie Jane did I also added pearls and rhinestone buttons cute idea for the tree

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  3. lisbonlionessNovember 17, 2011 at 4:16 AM

    Totally digging them for outdoor use! Unexpected and darn pretty- like my favourite LA nutjob :D

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  4. Mad in CraftsNovember 17, 2011 at 4:57 AM

    These are fabulous! Tweeting! :D

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  5. OrloSubitoNovember 17, 2011 at 5:22 AM

    amazing!!!!
    Es increible lo que se te ocurre, son fantasticos:-D

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  6. DivyaNovember 17, 2011 at 5:27 AM

    cute...you know what ...you can pour some glitter powder into it and watch it shimmer in the light..you can also add a ribbon or easier- pony tailers(elastic fabric hair srunchies)around the neck of the bottle for added charm..or simply stuff some fabric into it(a print maybe) for some fun...you probably thought of all these anyway...but as I am so excited with this idea n as I dont celebrate Christmas, am rambling now :(

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  7. UnknownNovember 17, 2011 at 5:58 AM

    Michelle I am in LUV! Such a fab idea (and so easy too)! You rock man!

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  8. AmyNovember 17, 2011 at 6:22 AM

    Beautiful...but not too heavy for the tree?

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  9. SaraccinoNovember 17, 2011 at 7:26 AM

    They are so sweet! I would love to have a reaaaaaaaaaaaly big one to be useable as a lamp shade ^^

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  10. Periwinkle DzynsNovember 17, 2011 at 7:50 AM

    what a great idea! so bummed I let MIL give away a dozen of these shakers in the summer, I couldn't figure out what to do with them :(

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  11. MelissaNovember 17, 2011 at 8:42 AM

    You are entirely brilliant...sad thing is when I went on a cleaning spree, I think I got rid of most of mine!!

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  12. Pam @ FripperyNovember 17, 2011 at 9:57 AM

    Oh I love this. I bought loads of shakers to hold my glitter but they aren't as practical as the original containers. Now they have found a purpose in life!!!

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  13. Betsy@My Salvaged TreasuresNovember 17, 2011 at 2:22 PM

    These are the cutest things!! I always have my thinking cap on trying to come up with something new to do with these strays....I'm not thinking hard enough. Brilliant idea. I really like the ones with the beads in them:-)

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  14. AnonymousNovember 17, 2011 at 5:38 PM

    This is super cute. I thought of a tiny variation, instead of putting beads in them you could stuff colored tissue paper in them. I always have tissue paper on hand and it is very lightweight and would keep the weight of the ornaments down for hanging on a live tree. I am so putting salt and pepper shakers on my thrift store watch list.

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  15. Lorraine November 17, 2011 at 9:10 PM

    Oooh, I love this idea. Reminds me of the clear ornies we filled with shredded metallic paper - the stuff like Easter grass. I could see them with a ribbon and charm around the neck. From the looks of the comments, you've certainly sparked a lot of great ideas with these. TFS

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  16. SunnyNovember 18, 2011 at 12:16 AM

    absolutely love this idea...and it's so simple. can use all the colorful buttons & beads lying around in my closets

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  17. LP aka A Crafty Southern ChickNovember 19, 2011 at 8:27 PM

    This is so smart, and so pretty! I'm pinning this to my "to-do's" !!!

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  18. JillNovember 20, 2011 at 4:58 PM

    Another brilliant Idea Michelle! I'm going to be looking out for some of these in the charity shops this week!

    Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
    Hope you have a great week!
    Jill @ Creating my way to Success
    http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

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  19. Gayle Page-RobakNovember 20, 2011 at 10:41 PM

    This is a wonderful, a terrific idea, so simple yet so beautiful. TFS.I have joined your followers list and would love to have you to join me as well. Hugs, Gayle
    http://atastefultouch.blogspot.com

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  20. MimiNovember 21, 2011 at 10:52 AM

    I love crystal and this idea is amazing! I'm heading out the door to some thrift shops right now! Thanks for sharing at Round Tuit :)

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  21. Daffy's DreamNovember 22, 2011 at 6:57 AM

    Wow!superb as every time...Still use them in the kitchen; very clever idea!

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  22. zakkalifeNovember 24, 2011 at 9:31 AM

    I bet they look really pretty when the Christmas lights shine on them. Clever idea as always.

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  23. JillNovember 27, 2011 at 1:29 PM

    Just stopped by to let you know that I featured these ornaments on my round tuit post this week!
    Round Tuit 77
    Thanks again for linking up! Hope you have a great week!
    Jill @ Creating my way to Success

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