Vintage Christmas Craft Week: Bottle Brush Tree Santa Planter

I just love these bottle brush tree planters I have seen all over pinterest lately and decided that this year I would finally make one.  This is a great project to use damaged or less than perfect vintage Christmas findings for.

What You Need

-vintage Christmas planter, I used a bank that had been broken and glued back together

-bottle brush tree, I thrifted this later one (probably from the 70s), but you could used a new one from the craft store

-decorations, I used a pick that I got at Michaels last year and some mercury glass beads

Step 1

Unscrew your tree from the base (if the base won't fit into the planter or in this case, the slot opening for the bank, otherwise the base will probably fit into the planter)

Step 2

Place your tree into the planter.  You might need to elevate it depending on how deep your planter is.  Secure with glue.  You can opt to forgo the glue if you want to be able to separate the tree from the planter. 

Step 3

Decorate!  I chose to not glue anything in so I can change the design and add to it once I find the perfect little Christmas ornaments.

This was a very quick and cheap project, since I thrifted pretty much everything except for the pick, which I got on clearance last year at the end of Christmas.  For now, this will do, but I am definitely on the hunt for some smaller ornaments to really fill it up like the ones pictured above.

Vintage Christmas Craft Week: Vintage Felt Owl Ornament

I love owls and when I thrifted this guy a few years ago, I knew he would be easy to recreate.  Many of these came in kits and you can make it 3D like mine above or you can just cut one and make a flat one.

Free Vintage Felt Ornament Pattern Download

| vintage felt ornament lot via eBay |

The pattern is formatted to fit a regular 8.5" x 11" paper.  Please feel free to link to this page, pin this page, or direct your friends here.  Please do not re-post, re-distribute, or sell this download in whole or part anywhere else.  Pattern may be used to make items for sale, but please give credit to Livin' Vintage.
I'd love to see any creations you come up with!

Vintage Christmas Craft Week: Felt Christmas Table Runner

A few years ago, a dear reader sent me this vintage felt table runner as a Christmas present.  I absolutely love it and wanted to create a pattern to share it with all you!

Free Vintage Felt Christmas Table Runner Pattern Download

The directions are on the pattern, but it's pretty easy.  Pick out your felt, cut the runner and pieces, glue, embellish, and enjoy!

Please feel free to link to this page, pin this page, or direct your friends here.  Please do not re-post, re-distribute, or sell this download in whole or part anywhere else.  Pattern may be used to make items for sale, but please give credit to Livin' Vintage.

If anyone makes one, I would love to see it!

Vintage Christmas Craft Week: 1930s Crepe Paper Bells

I've been wanting to do a week of tutorials for a while now and what better time than Christmas to work on some fun crafting projects?  All this week, I will be sharing some holiday themed how to's, patterns, and some retro Christmas crafting project ideas.

To start the week, I am sharing this nifty idea for hanging bells made from crepe paper, circa a 1930 Dennison party book.

Vintage Christmas Mood Board 2013

| vintage christmas mood board |

This week I am starting to decorate for Christmas and I put together a little mood board via pinterest to get me into the holiday spirit.  Stuffed reindeer, mercury glass, bottle brush items, aluminum trees, blow molds -- these are just a few of the items I am really lusting for this year.

I fell in love with this light bulb wreath over the summer and I finally found the last items on my supply list; so I will be putting this together this week as well.

What vintage christmas items are you falling for this year?

Holiday Card Exchange

When I saw Leilani's call for addresses for a holiday card exchange on Tuesday, I knew instantly that that was something I wanted to do too!  What a great idea -- kudos to Leilani!!

I've always loved Christmas cards.  I remember as a little girl going with my mom to pick out our cards for that given year.  Always one of my favorite traditions of the season and one that seems to have lost popularity, at least with my generation.  Let's bring it back!

Want to get in on the action too?  Let's exchange cards this Holiday Season!

Send me an emil with your address and I will send you a vintage or retro Christmas card.  

Want to send me one too? I'd love it if you did!

Click the contact me button below and I'll email you my address.

Lately | Kitschmas Edition

A few weeks ago, the thrift stores started to put out all their holiday items and so started the hunt for new-to-me treasures for my holiday decorating.  Above is the first Christmas purchases of the season!  The spaghetti santa is in rough shape; both of his feet have been glued back on and some of his paint has rubbed off; but he was only $1 and I plan to make one of THESE with him.  I got the candles for the bulbs, aren't they neat?

I took advantage of the Veteran's Day sale Joann Fabrics was having to stock up on some holiday fabric.  The poinsettia and candy cane fabrics are going to be made into Christmas Swirl dresses, which I am SO excited about!  There was only one yard left of the sweet deer fabric, so I got it anyway and am putting it away for now.  I think it would make an adorable little girls dress, don you?  The brown print is what I am making my Thanksgiving dress out of.  See more of that soon!

   

Aren't these deer ornaments cute?  And oh so retro!  I found them at Target, which by the way, has quite a few retro Christmas items this year.  The aqua one is being used in a craft project I will be sharing next month on the blog and the brown one will make its way to my tree.

I just picked up these bottle brush trees yesterday at the Royal Oak Flea Market for $5 total.  The taller one has a lot of little embellishments in it, like mercury glass ornaments and mini reflectors.  The smaller one is tiered and haven't ever seen one like it before, so I had to get it for my collection.  I think I might finally have enough to start THIS kind of display.

I thrifted this little guy last week and was so thrilled to have pulled it out of the bottom of a basket of ornaments at the thrift.  I had been eyeing similar ones online.

What have you been finding?

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