How To DIY Vintage Christmas Ornaments

If you love adding a touch of vintage charm to your Christmas tree or amongst your holiday home decor, this DIY project is for you!

In this blog, I’m sharing how I transformed thrifted plastic ornaments and wood finials into beautiful, one-of-a-kind vintage-inspired decorations. Whether you’re looking to refresh old ornaments or create something totally unique, this easy and affordable project will add the perfect nostalgic touch to your holiday decor. Grab your supplies and let’s get started!

Items Needed:

Thrifted Plastic Ornaments
Wood Spindles or Wood Finials
Cordless Drill (optional)
Hot Glue Gun
Fusion All-In-One Paint – Algonquin *
Fusion All-In-One Paint – Cast Iron*
Fusion All-In-One Paint – Carriage House*
STAALMEESTER Fitch Artist Brush*
Dixie Belle White Wax*
Dixie Belle French Tip Brush*
Paper Towel
Ribbon
White String

*Product can be purchased directly through my website [www.juliesdesignsandsigns.com]

SHOP JULIES DESIGNS & SIGNS

I found these Christmas ornaments at the Goodwill bins and grabbed some cut-off spindles from my stash, along with a few wooden finials. If you don’t have spindles or the tools to cut them, don’t worry—these wooden finials are perfect for this project and make it much easier to put the ornaments together!

The first step is to pair up all of the ornaments to a wood piece.

For this first one, I added a bit of hot glue to the screw of the spindle and placed the ornament onto the screw.

For spindles that don’t have a hole in them, I used my cordless drill to create a hole the size of hte base of the ornament. If you prefer a simpler approach, you could skip the drilling and just use hot glue, but since I had the tools on hand, I opted for the cleaner look that the drilled hole provided.

I added a little hot glue to secure the ornament in place and fit it right into the hole.

I also came across a salt and pepper shaker in my stash that already had a hole in it, which I thought would be another great option for this project. So, if you have any wooden pieces with pre-existing holes or screws, you can definitely use them for this project without needing to cut down spindles.

Once all of the ornaments were glued to a wood piece, it was time to paint the ornaments!

For this DIY, I used Fusion Mineral All-In-One Paint in the colors Algonquin, Cast Iron & Carriage House.

I used an STAALMEESTER Fitch Artist Brush to paint the plastic ornament part. I did not paint the wood.

Algonquin is a light brown shade of color.

Cast Iron is a beautiful black.

And Carriage House is a muted green that pairs perfectly with the other two colors.

These three colors really go very well together!

Next, I used a Dixie Belle French Tip Brush and Dixie Belle White Wax to coat the entire piece—including both the plastic ornament and the wood spindles.

DIY Vintage Christmas Ornaments with Dixie Belle Products

This step helps tie everything together beautifully. I applied the white wax all over, then took a dry paper towel to gently wipe off the excess.

Below you can see the ‘before and after’ comparison so you can see the difference. The white wax really brings out all the details in each piece, giving it a cleaner, cohesive look.

Next, I wrapped white string around where the ornament meets the wood spindle to add a little bit more charm.

Using a hot glue gun, I applied a little bit of glue and then wrapped the string around a few times.

One thing I love about DIY is that inspiration can hit at any time. Like it did when I was wrapping this string around my finial, feel free to make this project your own! You could experiment with different paint colors, types of string, or even velvet ribbon for a beautiful, unique look. I’d love to see how you take this idea and make it your own!

I wanted to add a hanger to these ornaments, so I cut a small piece of ribbon and hot glued it to the bottom of the spindles.

For the finials, I used the same twine I’d wrapped around the top, tying it around the bottom to create a hanging option. This way, you can easily hang them if you’d like!

I styled these ornaments on my coffee table with a red book and placed a few in a large wooden bowl. I also hung some on my tree to show how they look displayed. While you’d ideally hang them on a larger tree, this gives you an idea of how they’ll look. You can also hang them on a hook or style them in various spots around your home.

I’m really happy with how they turned out—these colors look fantastic together! I can’t wait to make more and to see how you bring this idea to life in your own way! Click the image below to see how I styled them in this blog where I created this beautiful Christmas tree tray!

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