Skip to Content

How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the Cheap

Sharing is caring!

I have been yapping for the last month about my Christmas tree.  I was going to put it up a month ago!  And then I had to put away all of my Halloween decorations.  And you know what a chore that was!   After that I had to work on Thanksgiving which was lovely.  But the Christmas tree was patiently waiting out in the stairwell in a box. Waiting!!  Oh poor Christmas tree. 

Well enough of my bluster, I am done and am happy to show you how to upcycle your Christmas tree on the cheap!  

And now for the back story.  Last year I had decorated the tree with everything but the kitchen sink.  It was nice and very sentimental but I realized many of those ornaments were in tatters.  It was time for a change.

Time to become selective!

Time to turn over a new leaf… er, a new color!

And so I opted to remove as much red as possible, and do the Christmas tree in white, metallics and green. Because I am not someone who follows trends!  Who’s with me on this one?

I also needed to do it on the cheap because who has money to throw away every year on new ornaments?  And who decided that we needed to have a new look each year anyway?
The tree next to the wall unit, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com

​I had seen an idea over at my friend Leanna’s blog, Of Faeries and Fauna Craft Co. where she had made a garland out of salt dough.  Her ornaments came out beautiful. Sheer perfection I tell you!  I was so enthused I decided to make my own…
Failed attempt to make dough ornaments, How to Upcycle your Christmas tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
Mine were nothing to enthuse about!  They came out black and some even blew up and looked like balloons.  I like to blame it on the stove.  I had just repaired it the other day and it was working too well.

How was I going to save the situation?  I certainly didn’t have money to throw around buying new ornaments!  Instead I chose to paint them with a copper color. 
Copper dough ornaments, How to Upcycle your Christmas tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
I painted them with chalky type paint and then for the second coat I used color.  In this case they were painted white. 
White and copper dough ornaments, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
Don’t they look nice next to my keys?  I had used them last year on my mini roasted Christmas tree.
White dough ornaments and white painted keys, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com

​The next task was the globes.  I had these for years in shiny blue and pink colors. Did I mention that I would put everything but the kitchen sink on my tree?  

To rectify that situation, last year I had decoupaged them with paper in red and beige. Here is a picture of last year’s tree.  I was very happy with the way the globes had turned out but this year I was going for a more toned down look.  Less red. 
Last years tree with lots of red, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
So what did I do to get rid of the red?  You got it, I painted over them using chalky type paint and then regular craft paint.  Here they are in the state-of-the-art assembly line drying. 
Drying the painted globes, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
You can see that they have loads of texture from last years’ decoupaging. 
Beautiful texture of the globes, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
White globes with twinkling lights, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
I also had a bunch of wedding favors that I shaped into wreaths and removed all signs of colored ribbons.
Wedding favors turned into ornaments, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
Wedding favors with ribbons, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
 
I used thin and thick gold ribbons to go around the tree. 

Gold ribbon, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
Thick gold ribbon and a key, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
And let’s not forget the star.  Last year it was a golden color with a sponge like effect. Well you know I was not going to leave it alone…

This is my whitewashed star, with hints of its former self underneath. 
The whitewashed star, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
At the bottom of the tree, nestled in between the empty boxes is the Nativity which is the reason all this is being done in the first place.  We must never forget that.
​ 
The Nativity, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
Globe and dough ornament, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
Oh and the string on the ornament was from an old tassel I had.  Just to be super frugal!
White dough ornament, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
The tree with the ornaments, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
No matter how hard I tried, I just could not get rid of the red.

Sentimental pieces have a way of always sneaking in, here and there. 
Red Santa, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
The tree with upcycled ornaments, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com
And that is how to upcycle a Christmas tree on the cheap.  It still has lots of color on it but it does not look like last year’s version which had everything but the kitchen sink.  

I am learning to downsize and work with less color. I don’t know if this is the right direction. Perhaps if the lighting was all white it would have looked better. Either way I  had a budget to work with and those lights are in next year’s budget.

So what do you say?  Did I pull it off, or was this metallic and white idea an epic fail? Don’t be shy.  And tell me what you decided upon for your Christmas tree. I need fresh ideas for next year.  

Merry Christmas everyone!
Ways to makeover your tree without spending a fortune, How to Upcycle your Christmas Tree on the cheap, www.theboondocksblog.com

​If you like what you see, share it with your friends, or save it on Pinterest.  Above is a Pinterest worthy image!

​If you really like what you see subscribe to my blog and get my adventures twice a week in your mailbox. The form is on the sidebar and your e-mail will never be shared with a third party.
Picture
More Christmas tree projects:
<< Repurposing Vintage Fabric for gift wrapping  HOME   Sweet Inspiration #36 >>   
                 

This blog is for entertainment purposes only; my DIY tutorials are not professional advice. Read my full disclaimer here.

I love it when I get your comments and I will try reply to them or visit you on your blog. ​Please do not add a hyperlink to your comment, otherwise we cannot publish it.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Runningonempty

Tuesday 4th of December 2018

A great outcome. Upcycling is very good for our environment. Your tree looks lovely. Since you asked, we are going blue, white and natural this Christmas. Been planning since August. Yes, we will do a bit of handmade. I’m running out of time, it’s December 2018 already! Cath

Mary

Tuesday 4th of December 2018

Cath you better get moving. I am pretty much finished and enjoying the fruits of my labor. I think your tree will look lovely I hope you post it on the blog so we can see it.

Michelle

Wednesday 7th of December 2016

Oh yes you definitely pulled it off Mary. I can only see the barest hint of red and it matches the silver, white and golds you've baked, re-purposed or blown up ;-) Christmas decoration can be so horribly expensive and you've used what you had a flipped the tree into a new chalky cookie dimension.

Mary

Saturday 28th of January 2017

I tried really hard Michelle. I think this may have been the hardest thing to do, hide the red at Christmastime.

Marjan Hoebeke-Pfaff

Wednesday 7th of December 2016

Hello Mary, your tree looks great! Now you can have a cup of tea, put some soft Christmas music on, put your feet on, relax and enjoy the Christmas Season! Have a lovely day, Marjan P.S.: I like the copper biscuits ;-) P.S.2: Glad you didn't put the kitchen sink on the tree!!!!

Gail @Purple Hues and Me

Wednesday 7th of December 2016

Yep, you pulled it off, Mary! And it looks great! It's always fun to make your own ornaments! I need to take my own advice and make enough for my trees, but I've had my mostly purple ornaments for over 30 years and don't want to go to the expense of replacing them. So I take comfort in making a few here and there each year. Hope you continue to enjoy getting ready for this holiday season!

Victoria

Sunday 8th of January 2017

Are your purple ornaments ball shaped? If you like a silver look, try using Krylon mirror spray paint on those purple ornaments to upcycle them. Or gold, silver, or copper paint would also work. Once painted, you can add sparkle with a simple pattern of glue lines dipped in glitter. My daughter Liesel made salt clay ornaments also, but hers were not baked, just air dried. She cut hers with a circular cookie cutter, then pressed shells or leaves against the clay, making an imprint. After they dried she left some plain and gave others a thinned paint wash to emphasize the patterned areas.

Doreen@foxdenrd

Wednesday 7th of December 2016

White is my fav color, especially against a dark green tree, so yes, you pulled it off!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.