How to Decorate a Tree With Recycled Christmas Ornaments

After the ornaments have been around for a few years, even the most careful wrapping doesn't stop the worn look that glass balls get. Sometimes there are a ton of rather sad looking ornaments that you don't really want to throw out and replace. You can recycle them really easily into new looking gorgeous balls in no time.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Glass balls
• Bleach
• Sink or bowl for soaking
• Ribbon, fabric scraps
• Christmas silk flowers
• Scissors, glue gun
• Craft paints

1. Take the hangars off of the balls. Put bleach-1 cup to 1 gallon of water-into your sink or bowl. Soak the balls for a while - the time will depend on the age and condition of the balls. Check them every 15 minutes to see if the finish is coming off. When they are clean, wash them in dish washing liquid and you're ready to work your magic.
2. Decide if you want a theme - say a particular color scheme or a particular type of decorating style. You could, for example, do all your balls in pink and white or with all silks or all natural elements. Once, you've chosen what you want to do - theme or no theme, you're ready.
3. Put all the goodies you'll be decorating with close by. If you want to use silks, you can thread Christmas greens and small poinsettia flowers or petals inside the balls. For pink and white, you can use pompoms small enough to fit inside the ball, filling it up as much as you want. Nature inspired balls can use bits of dried grasses, flowers, and seeds.
4. Use fabrics to jazz things up. Fabric can be cut evenly or with shredded ends and placed inside. Fold up the fabric like a closed umbrella. Use a flattened bobby pin or similar object to push it inside. Once inside, you can use the pin to gently open it up. Make sure it's not too big to open up. It is difficult to get fabric out but you can do it with the bobby pin and some tweezers to grab it.
5. Use ribbon with greens or fabrics. You can glue it around the balls in patterns but keep in mind it sticks better to itself than to the glass-especially over time. The glass balls with pretties inside just last longer.
6. Use your imagination! Get the family involved! Swirl a little glitter inside before you add your goodies - it will shake around your items. Bits of cotton balls make good fillers, as do cut up bits of red and white flowers or crepe paper(cut them like confetti). School colors, religious fabrics, Scottish tartans, and more will all make your tree beautiful and personal this year.

Tips & Warnings

• Have a whole bunch of things of hand to use - you'll use a lot more things than you'd think doing these.
• These glass balls are more fragile without a layer of paint outside so pack them especially carefully for next year.
• Sometimes the edges under the metal holders are a bit uneven so use caution with them.
• Be careful not to use anything inside that would be heavy enough to break the glass if it got jostled a little bit. Soft things are best.