Reuse Old Costume Jewelry To DIY A Sparkly Christmas Tree On A Budget

There's no question that the holidays can get expensive. However, the internet has made some aspects of the season a little less pricey, at least when it comes to the decor. With clever hacks like using Dollar Tree items to make jumbo Christmas bells, you can find so many ways to elevate your space without spending all your money. And we've got another decorating tip for Christmas on a budget: create small decorative Christmas trees out of foam cones and costume jewelry. 

Anyone who loves a little sparkle should definitely try out this DIY. Creating a festive design built from old costume jewelry, you can get the traditional tree shape but with a vintage, bejeweled twist that is sure to catch everyone's attention when they come to your house. By attaching the jewelry to the foam cone, you'll make a decoration that looks like an expensive, antique piece.

Jewelry collections can easily accumulate dust in any home. This is because, even if you wear your jewelry often, most of your pieces have to hang out in jewelry boxes or drawers between uses. Rather than relegating your sparkly items to a hidden alcove, you can keep them out and double them as holiday decor, saving you money on those little details that add up. You can find similar sparkly knick-knacks at retailers, but why buy when you can just make your own?

Reusing old jewelry is a great way to breathe new life into your tired home any time of year, but especially during the holidays. The great part of this particular hack is that you can get as creative as you want with it. Size, shape, design, color: All of these factors will depend on your preferences and jewelry collection. 

You'll need to start by picking up a foam base. You can find Floral Foam Craft Cones at Dollar Tree for $1.25 each or grab the 10-pack of Crafare Foam Cones on Amazon for $8 if you want to make more than one jewelry tree. If desired, you can paint the cone before adding your jewelry to ensure the finished product is cohesive and aesthetically-pleasing. Latex or water-based acrylic paint should work on Styrofoam without flaking off.

Next, you'll need to choose the items you want to use on your tree. You may either have some costume jewelry you wear or some old pieces that you never donated or didn't want to part with. If you love to find thrifted treasures but don't have anywhere to use them, this tree is a great way to get them out of storage, too. Why not use antique and thrifted jewelry to make a group of small trees that play into a vintage holiday decor? If you're not going to wear the jewelry in the future, consider disassembling the pieces and removing the chains.

Pick out the pieces you want on full display and start adding these to the cone first. You can pin earrings and brooches into the material, tie necklaces around, and use blue tack to stick on gems that need adhesive so you don't ruin them. These methods are useful if you plan to take apart the trees after the holidays to wear your costume jewelry again. Alternatively, if you don't plan to use these pieces for what they were originally intended for, you can use a hot glue gun or super glue to adhere them to your foam.

Once the jewelry is attached, use faux florals, inexpensive gems, or faux pearl strands to fill in the gaps and elevate your costume jewelry even more. Feel free to get creative with the design and add any personalized elements you desire. This allows you more control over the color scheme, helping you match your design to your aesthetic. Furthermore, if you have lots of costume jewelry and want all of your Christmas decorations to look cohesive, you could use some as ornaments on your large Christmas tree. Just hang or pin them onto the branches to add extra interest. And, the next time you find an old piece of costume jewelry, don't relegate it to the donation pile, or worse, the trash bin. Instead, save it to create holiday decorations that will last and make your home sparkle.