A Green Christmas, Part 2: Repurposed and Thrift Store Finds

My love affair with thrift stores naturally carries over to my green Christmas make-over.  What I wasn't counting on was having just as much fun finding new and creative ways to use items that I already had on hand as well.

The footed candle urn in the photo above is perfect for holding mini ball ornaments. Topped off with a white wooden snowflake it makes the perfect holiday statement piece for my entry table. These were all items that were already around the house. Don't worry about the creativity bug not biting because a great way to get ideas is at your local library. They have a TON of holiday decorating books that will help get your creative juices flowing (and we all drink that juice!).

Dining room table center piece

This big Italian pottery bowl full of shiny silver ornaments is a replica from a photo in a Southern Living holiday book. They had their ornaments nestled on top of aqua tinsel which was adorable but I couldn't find that specific color of tinsel at the thrift shop.  I did find a bag of shiny aqua shred for $2 that, along with the aqua icicles, does the trick quite nicely. The bowl and everything in it is from Savers.  After the holidays, that bowl is going to make a fantastic pasta dish.

This is the first year I actually have a mantle to decorate and I could not wait to deck it out! The only problem being that it is a very clean-lined modern piece of architecture and throwing a whole lot of crap up there would make it look, well, like crap. To counter this I used a lot of clear glass. The glass snow jars were a project from last week that you can check out here.

These three beauties were part of a wedding candy bar. Once they were no longer needed, I swooped in and got them for $20 on Craigslist! It took a little negotiating but because so many apothecary jars were being sold I was able to get a deal. Wedding reception center pieces make fabulous holiday decorations that you can get at a great price. The teal and silver ornaments came from Bookoo, which is a website similar to Craigslist.

This banister garland was repurposed from holly strands that I used to hang on the kitchen windows of my old house. The red berries didn't go with my color scheme so off they went.  In their place, I attached white flower sprigs that I had found at Goodwill for $1. Since the berries and flowers had the same attachment parts, the switch was easy. The aqua flowers and dried fruit are decorations left over from last year that easily tuck into the ribbon. Since I couldn't find used white ribbon, it was necessary to buy one. Costco had a 50 yard roll of wire ribbon for $7. Fifty yards is an insane amount of ribbon, however, these are all of the projects that I was able to use it with:

The upstairs and downstairs banisters with the same repurposed holly from the old house.

                                             The red berry wreath found at Savers for $5.

Trimming the tree. I have never used ribbon as tree garland before and I am in love with it! It makes the tree look so effortlessly elegant. I've dropped $30 on tree garland before that hasn't made the tree look this good and the ribbon garland cost pennies!! Live and learn, I guess. Since there is still more than half the roll of ribbon left it will be put to good use wrapping presents but I am getting a head of myself- that will be for another post.

As long as the ribbon is properly stored (roll up nicely and secure with string) it should last you multiple seasons. Make sure to label the ribbon when it is put away so you know what strand is for the tree and other specific locations.

Remember- library books are a great starting point for new ideas, especially with items that you already have around the house! Thrift stores have a wide array of holiday decorations for unbelievable prices that are not only wonderful for your wallet but for our planet, too.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!