Anti Dollar Tree Holidays Decor ideas

For all three projects, we will be using these tin can lids as a base. But you can also use old cardboard or any flat scrap material you have. 

Ornament one with pistachio shells

For the first ornament, I glued the pistachio shells onto my tin circle with hot glue. 

Start in the center and add the shells close to each other as you go outward. The result looks like a lotus flower. To finish it up, I used braided twine to wrap around the edge and some scrap fabric to cover the back.

If your style is more glam or you like bright colors you can spray paint it or add colorful ribbons. And if you absolutely have to, go ahead and buy them at a dollar store. 

Ornament two with yarn scraps

I have some macrame cord cut-offs from an old plant hanger project. I didn’t throw them away because I thought I could put them to use and this is a perfect project to do it.

I glued pieces of the cord onto a tin lid starting from the outer edge and moving into a center until the whole thing was covered.

You can use leftovers of old yarn, old shoelaces, or strips of fabric. I imagine how cool it will look with the frayed strips of denim, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any to try this time.

Finish your ornament by adding a loop, covering a backside with some scrap paper or fabric, and adding embellishments.

To dress up your ornament, you can use ribbon, different color yarn, old buttons, beads, or even small unwanted or broken toys. I used a pompom ribbon I already had on hand and a sea shell that I used as an ornament last year. 

Ornament three with paper scraps

This one is a little more time-consuming but it’s totally worth it! You will need some scrap paper. It can be old magazines, newspapers, leftover gift wrapping paper maybe even old letters, or old paperwork you no longer need to keep. 

I used an old book and I assure you it’s not a valuable one at all. Growing up around books and a craft of hand-binding books I would be the first to question this idea. So please, don’t go and buy an old piece of literature at a thrift store before you look around your house for an actual scrap paper you can use for this project. And if you really want to use book pages please make sure it is not something someone else can actually read and enjoy. 

I cut my paper to about 4×5” then rolled and glued the cones. I ended up using about 40 cones for this project but it will look great even with 30-32 cones. I glued the first layer of cones around the rim leaving about 1-1/2” space in the center. I glued my second layer of cones in the center of the tin. I used a total of 32 cones for the two layers and it already looked great! You can stop here and dress up the center of your ornament with something pretty. 

If you want your ornament to look even fuller you can add a third layer of cones. Make them about 1″ shorter than the other ones and glue them in the center.

Finish your ornament but covering a backside with the same paper, adding a loop, and dressing up the center with a piece of old jewelry, seashells, beads, or anything else that fits your theme.

Enjoy the sustainable holidays!

Here you go, three absolutely FREE and beautiful DIY Christmas ornaments. None of these ideas are new or unique but we hope you got inspired to look at what you already have that you can use to create them rather than going to a dollar store. 

Leave us a comment below this post or YouTube video what is your favorite sustainable holiday project you’ve created in the past?