Reuse Thrifted Glassware To DIY Christmas Decor That Will Take Your Breath Away

The most runneth-over aisles at thrift shops are clear to see — they're usually the ones where shelves are filled rim to rim with old glassware. However beautiful from another time, pressed glass and crystal bowls, plates, cups, platters, and knickknacks might sit for weeks gathering dust, passed over for their more striking and often more expensive colorful counterparts. That means there's more for you — but get shopping fast with a holiday trend taking over social media. With some imagination, you can stack thrifted glassware to DIY a unique Christmas tree. 

Think of this project as a new way to style some of the most common items you'll find at thrift stores in your home. These bespoke glass Christmas trees will bring a sparkle to your interior over the holidays, and one you won't see anywhere else. While you're out thrifting, be on the lookout for old tea cups and saucers to DIY more unique Christmas tree decor.  

The idea is to find pieces of glassware, like fancy bowls or plates, that can be stacked in a loosely conical shape. The widest part would, of course, be the base of the Christmas tree. For a bigger tree, you might opt for a giant punch bowl or turn a candlestick into the base. Candlesticks often come in a broad variety of shapes and sizes at the thrift shop. Use a glass one to keep the look consistent or find one in a traditional Christmas color such as gold or silver. You can even paint it for a specific look.

Begin to stack your glass bowls and plates, making sure each one is smaller than the last. A small candlestick makes the perfect topper, especially if it's in the shape of a star, as do bells (consider tying a bow around the handle), decanter and jar tops, angels, and footed drinking glasses turned upside down. If your base is a material other than glass, complement it with your topper. For instance, a metal accent, such as a bell with a brass handle, would match a gold candlestick base or find one with a wood handle to match a wooden pillar candle holder base.

The tricky part of this DIY is keeping it from getting lopsided. Use a level to make sure the surface you're working on is even and as you place each item so each layer is perfectly level. Finally, affix the items together with E6000 (another reason to keep this high-quality glue in your home), Gorilla Glue, or other strong adhesive. 

Add some festive lights the glass tree by placing remote-controlled, battery-operated LED lights or a twinkling string of lights concealed under the base of the tree. You can also wrap lights around the tree, as you would a life-size Christmas tree, using glue to adhere the string to the glass components. Another option is to tuck fairy lights right under the rims of the bowls and plates and glue them in place. Once your tree is shiny and bright with this thrifted DIY, all we can say is Merry Thriftmas!