One Man's Trash - Vintage Items Turned Christmas Decorations

Today I'll take you on a tour of some vintage items that didn't start their lives as Christmas decorations, but that's how I've decided to use them. First, we have a few toys that I picked up at a few local shops in July (and you should have seen the look on Ryan Barrett Walkush's face when I brought these "Christmas" decorations home in the middle of Summer!).

This is a 100% genuine Flexible Flyer sled. It has found a home for the holidays next to the buffet in our dining room. You can see from the photo that the main logo is a bit worn and the ropes have been broken and re-tied, but that just shows me that this was a well-loved toy in its day:

On the other side of that same buffet, I've placed my other big Summer find, a 1940's red, wooden Wonder Horse. Just like the sled, he's a little chippy, but he's found a good home. For those of you who might be wondering, I've named him Stevie. :-)

And you might have caught a glimpse of ANOTHER find that I brought home some time in the Fall. It's a Cheerwine soda crate that I've repurposed into a candle holder for the holidays. I simply added some greenery, glittered pine cones, half pint mason jars, and battery-operated tealight candles. Here's a closeup:

And here's the whole vignette:

When we were visiting Roxboro for Thanksgiving, we visited our favorite thrift store there: Eplus Thrift. I purchased some vintage buttons with a craft project in mind. Here are the buttons:

And here they are crocheted into a garland for our dining room Christmas tree:

And I thought I would leave you with one final item that is just a "treasure" that has been repurposed for the time being as Christmas decor. This lava lamp is one of the originals. I know this because it was my great grandmother's (from what I understand, some of her children bought it for her). This year, I acquired these three Christmas trees, and I thought it looked beautiful nestled in with them. The shape of the lava lamp is nearly the same as the trees, and when it lights up, the light reflects off the trees:

So, the next time you're in the market for some unique Christmas decor, look no further than your local antique store or thrift shop. Keep an eye out for items that will work well as Christmas decorations even if they didn't start out that way. And for the best results, make sure you're looking all year round (not just near the holidays).

Linking to My Salvaged Treasures Vintage Link Party