Trash To Treasures

I've been a "Trash to Treasure" girl for as long as I can remember. (I'm sure if you ask my ex husband, even he will agree).
I have come up with some creative ideas using TRASH to create beautiful Christmas treasures.

Lightbulbs - When a lightbulb in burnt out, SAVE it. I use white acrylic paint and paint the entire glass part white. I then paint the "plug in part" a metallic gold color or metallic silver. Take various colors of paints and paint the "white part" of the bulb. Paint stars, stripes, splatters, shapes, objects, whatever your heart is content with. Buy some gold string and hang from your tree.

Toilet paper tubes - wrap them in festive wrapping after inserting some fun little gifts, candy or nuts inside. Tie curling ribbons on the ends and place all over the house in clusters. You can also use paper towel tubes too.

Soup cans - decorate in festive gift wrap or fabrics. Scrapbook patterned paper works well too (I know from experience) LOL Modge Podge the paper/fabric all over the outside of the soup can. Tie a beautiful ribbon around the outside. Fill with cinnamon sticks for a scented smell - or poke holes in the can and create a candle holder. Fill with pens and pencils for a festive look on your desk or do a coffee can sized one to hold cooking utensils in the kitchen. There are at least a dozen more things I can think of to use these for. You can make a handle for your soup can by hot gluing the end of a pipe cleaner to either side of the can. Be sure it sets well.

Milk Jugs - huh you ask? Oh yes, oh yes! I have ideas!! Make a Holiday Luminary with your Milk jugs. This is an easy decoration to make that will light up the night for your holiday party or your frontstep at home. All you need is:
1 gallon plastic milk jug , 6 cups of sand, scissors, colored construction paper/used wrapping paper or other scrap paper, tape or glue, 1 votive candle. How do you make it? First, be sure and clean out the milk jug with water and soap so that no milk residue remains. Now, cut the top off of the jug so that you still have the entire handle, but so that the front top part of the jug is open. Place about 1 inch of sand in the bottom of the jug. Fold the construction paper/wrapping paper/or other scrap paper around the jug and mark the shape on the paper. Cut out the paper to match the shape of the jug, then cut out a holiday design in the center of the paper using the scissors. If you are using plain scrap paper, make a holiday design on the outside to make the luminary more decorative. Tape or glue the construction paper to the outside of the jug. Place your candle in the sand so that it is placed in the center of the jug. Set the luminary outside by your driveway or on your porch. Light the candle in the luminary to welcome holiday visitors or passers by.
Make several and line the driveway or surround your porch with them or give them as gifts. Have fun!

Jars - Whether it's mayo, peanut butter, jelly or chip dip - clean the jar thouroughly and remove as much of the label as you possibly can (sometimes peeling the label and then running it through the dishwasher will work well). Now, what to do with these jars? Well, they can be used for all sorts of things - first, you can use them as "gifts in a jar" which will be discussed later on. You can place candles inside and use them as a candle holder, paint them, stuff them with holiday ribbons and items, etc.
We made "snow globes" last year with a few. We used water, glitter and some little floatable confetti. We glued a little plastic snowman in the lid and glued the lid to the top of the jar. Amazingly they still look pretty cute this year. Anyway, you can do lots with them. I made on and glued a plastic cross inside and used gold glitter. They are simple to make and are really pretty and most people pick them up when they come over.

Anyway, that's all for now!