So keep the hot cocoa coming and warm up by the fire with some of these DIY suggestions, all using glass. Repurposing glass is a fantastic way to add a touch of shimmer to your Christmas decorations this year. You’ll have your house ready in no time!
Why make homemade Christmas decorations from glass?
You might be wondering why it would be a good idea to create your own Christmas decorations from glass. What reason could there be to choose glass for creating your own Christmas decorations?
Actually, glass played an important role in the original Christmas story. We all know the three wise men gifted the baby Jesus with Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, the first Christmas gifts ever given. Although perfume might seem like an unusual gift for a newborn baby, it is most likely this was packaged in glass. Throughout history we have trusted glass to store and protect our perfumes. That makes this material even older than the Christmas story itself!
Glass is not just a packaging material that will keep your food or drinks looking and tasting good this Christmas. Glass is a material with countless advantages, from sustainability credentials to better health. Plus, it also brings an aesthetic of luxury. It looks appealing no matter where you place it, and its fragility brings a unique feeling of delicacy and sense of occasion, however you choose to use it.
To top it all off, aside from the beautiful aesthetic and historical relevance of glass, it is fully recyclable, making your Christmas prettier and more sustainable!
So, the question should actually be: why not make homemade Christmas decorations from glass this year?
There are many ways you can incorporate glass in your DIY Christmas decorations this year. Here are some ideas to get you started.
5 DIY Christmas crafts to decorate your house for Christmas
Christmas tree ornaments
Besides the all too familiar baubles and lights in every Christmas tree, why not get a little creative with the ornaments? There are a lot of entertaining and cute DIY Christmas ornaments you can make quickly and easily, and you may already have everything you need at home!
Snowman Ornaments
Celebrating baby’s first Christmas? Left over baby food jars can make great ornaments! Making this DIY for a snowman ornament is the perfect family activity to do as you stay warm and huddle around the fire.
What you’ll need:
• Clean and empty glass baby food jars
• White, black and orange paint
• Paint brush
Directions: Take your baby food jar and give it a few layers of white paint. Then use the back of a paint brush to dab a little face on the front. Add the final touch by painting the lid black, giving Frosty a little top hat. Lastly, screw a nail into the top, attach a ribbon, and let your lovely creation dangle in the tree!
Thanks Crazy Little Projects for this truly Christmassy gift!
Jar snow globe
Another way to use an old jar is simply the other way around!
With this little DIY snow globe you can get as creative as you want!
What you’ll need:
• Mason Jar Ornament Mini Bottle Brush Trees
• White Glitter
• Jute Twine
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Scissors
• Other decorations you want to add
Use hot glue to attach the little brush trees to the inside of the jar lid. After that, you take the glitter and pour a decent amount into the jar itself. After that, simply attach the lid back to the jar and turn it around. Tie a loop of jute to the top and your snow globe is ready to be hung in the tree!
Thanks to Joyful Derivatives for this creative DIY idea!
Christmas table ornaments
Of course, you don’t have to limit your creativity to just the Christmas tree. Christmas is about the food bringing people together just as much as it’s about the gifts, and there are a lot of different DIY Christmas table ornaments you can make with a simple glass jar to help set the scene.
Etched Snow Globe:
If you find yourself stuck at home in a snowstorm with nothing to do, try out this simple DIY to create your own special snow globe.
What you’ll need:
• Glass dome
• Etching cream
• Scotch tape
• Hole puncher
Directions: Stick tape with small hole punches onto the glass dome, and then dab etching cream in the punched holes. This will leave your glass dome looking snow sprinkled. Complete the snow globe by placing Christmas items you have laying around underneath the dome, such as mini houses or bottle brush trees.
Apartment Therapy – thanks for this genius idea!
Pinecone Candles
Finding candles for decorating this December will be easy if you have mason jars lying around the house.
What you’ll need:
• Mason jars
• Anything wintery but we recommend pinecones and lace
• Epsom salt
• Tea candles
Directions: Once you’ve glued lace and tied pinecones around the rim of the jar, fill it up with about an inch of salt for a snowy effect. Place a tea candle on top of the salt, and your candles will be shining up the night!
Thank you Crafts By Amanda for this DIY!
Outdoor Christmas decorations
Whether you want to share the Christmassy spirit with your neighbours or want to create something for yourself to come home to, outdoor ornaments are a must. And there is a lot you can do with a few glass vases or bottles. So here are a few Christmas decoration ideas for outdoors.
Christmas lantern
Probably the simplest homemade Christmas decoration that you can place anywhere is this DIY lantern.
What you’ll need:
• Glass vase or lantern
• Tree balls
• String of light
Simply fill the lantern or vase to the top with the Christmas balls that did not make it into your tree this year and let a light string find its way in between.
Bottled Christmas characters
Thanks to Live Enhanced for this great DIY idea!
For those of you who want to challenge themselves a bit more, you can decorate your old wine bottles into your favourite Christmas characters to hide out in your garden.
What you’ll need:
• Wine bottle
• Paint
• Craft rope
• Glue gun
Use the paint to recreate your favourite characters such as Rudolf the reindeer or Santa Claus on your old wine bottles. You can attach some craft rope with some hot glue as seen in the picture above.
Another idea is to paint the bottles in two or three different colours and add a letter to each. Decorate the bottle with some glitters or crafts rope, put them together and let them spell ‘Merry Christmas’ to bring some good wishes to anyone walking by!
Christmas decorations for the front door
Unique Christmas tree
For those of you who want to challenge themselves a bit more, you can create this Christmas tree for at your door, inspired by Funky Junk Interior:
What you’ll need:
• Mason jar lid rims (the thicker vintage ones work best)
• Twine
• Evergreen swag
• Hot glue gun and sticks
• Florist’s wire
• Pinecones
• Evergreen branches
• Door hook
Tie the mason jar lids together with twine in the shape of a Christmas tree. Put the tree flat on a table so you can easily use hot glue to stem each ornament to a jar lid. Be sure to let the glue cool off to ensure the ornaments are well attached. You could add a little Christmas ribbon or little stars to the twine to personalise your little tree!
Wire together some pinecones using florist’s wire. Wire together real evergreen branches and twist them together with the pinecones. Put this at the top of the tree to finish up! Your Christmas tree is ready to be hung up on your door.
Homemade nativity scene
Nativity scene in a jar
We all know the classic nativity scene in a crib of wood. But to make it a bit more challenging and creative this year, what about a DIY nativity scene in a glass jar? After a bit of shopping at the Christmas market or wholesale, recreate Jesus’ first birthday in the warmth of glass.
What you’ll need:
• Glass jar
• Snow powder
• Piece of rope
• Little Marie, Josef and Jesus
You can use fabric and wood pieces to create little puppets to play Mary, Joseph and Jesus, or get some small figures to add to the scene. Place them in the snow powder at the bottom of the jar. Hang a little star with a rope to the lid of the jar and you are done! Et voila: a small nativity scene you can place around the house to make your DIY Christmas complete.
Thanks to Sugar Bee Crafts for the inspiration!
What DIY Christmas decoration do you plan to make? And what other ways can will you use glass to bring joy and beauty to your house this year? Show us your creations by tagging us with @friendsofglass on Instagram, Twitter or on Facebook.
