This set of three vintage-themed Christmas wreaths are a few years in the making, and I'm so excited about how they came out! Of course you can find all sorts of tutorials on how to make vintage ornament wreaths with Shiny Brite ornaments (check out Harris Sister Misty's vintage ornament wreath), but not only are they expensive to make if you have to purchase all of the ornaments, but vintage ornaments are also a little more in demand and if you're lucky enough to find a set in good condition, you might want to actually use them as ornaments.
But, there are all sorts of vintage materials that you can use to make a Christmas wreath, and the materials were what drove this project for me.
I found the three vintage plastic Christmas cookie plates at a thrift store last year for a whopping 50 cents (for all three). I remember we had trays like these when we were growing up, so I would date these circa the late 1970s. And you can't beat the graphics on them!
I knew immediately that I wanted to make a set of three wreaths with these trays featured prominently in the center, but I also wanted to find vintage plastic holly and poinsettias to go with the 1970s trays.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find the 1970s-era plastic greenery until this September when I scored a plastic holly wreath with poinsettias, a plastic holly candle ring, and a plastic Christmas tree wall hanging. Here they are with their thrift store tags still on them.
Now, before I get started on the DIY tutorial for these vintage themed Christmas wreaths, I will say that I didn't have the heart to break apart the Christmas tree wall hanging. Both the large wreath and the candle ring were missing pieces (chunks of greenery), so I didn't feel bad about taking those apart. So, if you happen to find broken or incomplete supplies for your wreath, remember that you're just taking them apart anyway, so you might be giving those items a new life!
Vintage Christmas Tray Wreath Supplies
- Pine wreath form
- Vintage plastic greenery (holly, pine, poinsettias, etc.)
- Vintage Christmas tray or cookie plate (plastic or tin)
- Chenille stems or wire
- Hot glue gun and glue
Directions for How to Make a Vintage Cookie Tray Christmas Wreath
- Fluff up your wreath and reposition any branches. Position a layer of branches toward the center of the wreath to help with holding the plate in position.
- Cut apart your vintage plastic greenery. "Dry fit" your greenery pieces around the wreath and make sure that you're happy with their placement.
- Once you're happy with how everything looks, just hot glue all the greenery in place.
- Hot glue chenille stems to the back of the plastic vintage plate.
- Position the plastic vintage plate in the middle of the wreath, using the layer of branches you moved toward the center to "hold" the plate in place while you work (moving some in front of the plate and some in back of the plate to "sandwich" the plate in between until secured).
- Wrap the chenille stems around the wire frame of the wreath on the back, checking the front of the wreath to ensure the plate is positioned how you want it to be before fastening securely.
- Fluff up the layer of branches around the front of the plate, ensuring that any cracks around the edges of the plate (which are common in these vintage plastic plates) are covered by the wreath branches or greenery.
And as it turns out, the vintage greenery matched the holly on the Santa cookie trays and the poinsettias on the poinsettia tray pretty well!
Notes:
- ornaments
- bubble lights
- light covers
- light reflectors
- Christmas corsages
- cupcake toppers or picks
- Christmas costume jewelry (check out Harris Sister Deanna's costume jewelry tree)
- small decorations
- figural stocking hangers
- small toys
- Santa, elf, or deer figures
- holiday salt and pepper shakers that are missing mates
- Christmas cookie cutters
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