Trash to Treasure: 25 Fun Christmas Upcycles
These 25 trash to treasure Christmas projects are packed with budget-friendly ideas for upcycling everyday items into amazing Christmas decor.
I love a good trash to treasure project any time of year and Christmas is no exception.
In fact Christmas may actually be my favorite time of year to come up with fun upcycled projects. It’s just so incredibly satisfying turning old scrap wood and castoffs from the donate pile into beautiful, festive Christmas decor.
And it definitely beats fighting the crowds in the Christmas decor aisles on a busy weekend!
Each of these trash to treasure Christmas projects is inexpensive, environmentally-friendly, and incredibly creative. And most can be made from items you already have in your home.
Plus they’re just fun to make!
25 Trash to Treasure Christmas Projects
These trash to trash Christmas projects use a variety of cheap or free materials including scrap wood, glass jars, picture frames, old Christmas cards and more. With these creative ideas, get ready to turn your old cast-offs into amazing Christmas decor!
Use scrap wood to make rustic wood burned Christmas trees. If you already own a wood-burning tool, this is basically a FREE project!
This sweet Christmas centerpiece that I made for our home is one of my favorite trash to treasure Christmas projects. It was so inexpensive to create using common thrift store finds.
This DIY wooden Christmas tree is so creative and unique. It uses old knobs and hooks and is made from architectural salvage. What a conversation piece!
Check out the tutorial for this super cool DIY Christmas tree made from plastic spoons.
This DIY buffalo plaid Christmas wreath is the perfect blend of traditional and modern. Even better, it was made from a plaid shirt that was ready to be donated!
Save those burnt out lightbulbs! You are going to want to turn them into a DIY Christmas banner.
Repurpose old wood into a festive Christmas tree that you can hang indoors or outside. Look how pretty it is on this front door!
Learn how to make a DIY Christmas terrarium from an empty glass pickle jar. Add a family photo for a personalized gift idea.
Make a pretty Christmas music wreath with Christmas carols from old hymnals, or you can use this free download.
Learn how to make a super cool wooden Christmas tree using an old furniture leg. Isn't this just adorable?
Rustic Christmas Countdown Clock with an Upcycled Tree Charger
Make a festive DIY Christmas countdown clock with an upcycled tree charger.
Upcycle an old silverware tray for the holidays by turning it into a festive shadowbox with bottle brush trees.
Make a reusable DIY advent calendar from an old frame that you can use year after year.
Keep an eye open at thrift stores for an old metal tray, or even a wood tray. See how Jen from Girl in the Garage repurposed a metal tray into a fabulous farmhouse-style wall hanging.
Get the step-by-step tutorial for repurposed pallet snowflakes. You can sometimes find pallets for free making this a budget-friendly project.
How to Make Personalized Christmas Ornaments with Nostalgic Memories
Do you have any leftover tiles? Turn them into personalized Christmas ornaments for a thoughtful gift idea.
These tiny aqua mason jar ornaments are the perfect addition to any farmhouse style Christmas tree. This simple tutorial shows you exactly how to make them.
Learn how to use leftover yarn to make a pretty Christmas tassel tree that you can frame for instant wall art.
Instead of throwing out those scraps of wrapping paper, upcycle them into a Christmas wrapping paper tree. This is such a cute idea.
These wine cork Christmas planters make the sweetest tree ornaments. If you are not a wine drinker, you can always ask a friend to save theirs.
A few dated wreath ornaments found in a thrift store were given new life with color! Don't you love the aqua deer in the center?
We all love a good upcycled wood project! This scrap wood Christmas wreath sign will make a beautiful addition to your holiday decor.
These vintage-style ornaments are fun to make and a great way to use old Christmas cards.
Use scrap pallet wood to make a really pretty star tree topper. Whether you leave it natural or paint it, you can easily customize it for your own tree.
Turn old Christmas cards into the cutest holiday gift bags. What a great way to upcycle!
Seriously, I love seeing how creative people can be.
And now I’m pretty sure I’m going to spend the afternoon diving into my own junk stash and scrap wood pile and making a few new festive projects for my own house!
More Christmas Decorating Ideas I think you’ll like:
- DIY Flocked Christmas Tree: How to Flock Any Tree
- 21 Easy and Creative DIY Christmas Ornament Ideas
- Cheery, Cozy Christmas home tour – filled with lots of ideas for making everyday items Christmasy
- 21 Creative Gift Ideas for Crafters and Makers
I’d love for you to pin this post on Pinterest!
There are so many great ideas in this post. I will definitely pin for later. I really like the advent calendar from the old frame. Thanks for including our ornaments in your post. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you! I love the ornaments – such a smart idea!
I love this post. Thank you! Have a great Thanksgiving.
Thank you! You too!