Upcycled Spindle Christmas Ornaments
Fun and Colorful Upcycled Spindle Christmas Ornaments
Creating upcycled ornaments for the Christmas tree is one of my favorite things to do, and when I found some wooden spindles at a thrift store I knew they would make perfect spindle Christmas ornaments.
I’ve created many upcycled Christmas ornaments over the years, but it’s been a long time since painting has been involved. I had forgotten how much I enjoy it, and I think I’ll be doing more decorative painting projects in the future.
The best thing about them is that you don’t have to be an artist. Especially since you don’t have to paint with just brushes.
I’m joining a bunch of creative bloggers for the Do It Over Designers blog hop. I’m sharing my project with you first, and you can find links to all the talented creators at the end of this post. Be sure to visit and check out all the fabulousness. I’m sure you’ll be inspired!
Wooden spindles
For this Christmas ornament project you’ll need some wooden spindles. Any spindles that you love will do, as long as they’re not too big. I found the ones I’m using at a thrift store. 13 spindles in a bag for $5. They’re bare wood and about 5″ long.
If you’re using spindles with a finish on them, they would need a good sanding before painting. But since mine are bare I was able to skip that step.
I already had everything else that I’m using for this project.
Supplies needed for upcycled spindle Christmas ornaments
- wooden spindles
- acrylic paints
- brushes
- decoupage medium
- white glue
- beaded trims
- painter’s tape
- paint pens
- metal eye hooks
- ornament caps
Painting wooden spindles
This is where the fun starts. You can paint your spindles any colors that you like. I chose to create two tone spindle ornaments using acrylic paints.
used gloss enamel paints because if you make a painting mistake with the decorative details the gloss gives you a few seconds to wipe it away with a damp paper towel. That would be more difficult with a regular flat acrylic.
I painted five in different color combos. I painted the narrow sections first, let them dry, and then painted the larger areas. Two coats did the trick.
Decorating the wooden spindles
To decorate my upcycled spindle Christmas ornaments I’m using some paint pens, plastic beaded trims, and some metal ornament caps.
I’ve saved many caps over the years from broken ornaments. You never know when they might come in handy.
You can just decorate the spindles with the paint pens any way you like. If you’ve ever seen vintage ornaments the decorative details are never perfect, because they’re hand painted.
So these don’t have to be perfect either.
Basically I’m just doing dots, lines, and petal shapes. Easy peasy.
Once a spindle is decorated it needs a top coat of some kind. Decoupage medium works great here. I used a gloss medium. It goes on white, but dries clear. And it gives the finished ornaments a nice shiny look.
Adding trims to wooden spindles
Once the decoupage medium is dry it’s time to add the finishing touches. The beaded trims add that extra something that my spindle ornaments need to make them really Christmassy.
White glue works beautifully for this, because it dries clear, and it’s easily applied into the indented areas with a toothpick.
Narrow painter’s tape holds the beaded trims in place while the glue dries. This is a good time to glue on the ornament caps. If you don’t have ornament caps, you could add some kind of trim, or use paint to look like caps.
Once the spindle ornaments were dry, I drilled small holes into the tops to add eye hooks. You could also use a small finishing nail and a hammer if you don’t have a drill. You just need a little hole to get the screw-in eye hooks started.
DIY Upcycled Spindles Christmas Ornaments
And here are my finished upcycled spindle Christmas ornaments. These were so much fun to create because you can really just do whatever you want.
Now I just need to decide what to use to hang them when our Christmas tree is up. I like jute twine because it kind of disappears on the tree, so I’ll probably use that. We’ll see.
The green one was the first one I finished, and I think it’s my favorite because it’s the simplest. I went a little of crazy on the others, just playing around with colors and patterns. But that was part of the fun. The paint pens make is so easy to just create without thinking too much about it.
There are no rules here. And those are the best projects; the ones where you can just wing it and do whatever you like.
I hope this project has inspired you, and now for more inspiration be sure to check out the other Do It Over Designers listed below.
Little Vintage Cottage
Modern on Monticello
Purple Hues & Me
Sum of Their Stories
Tea and Forget-Me-Nots
Vintage Style Gal
The Apple Street Cottage
Birdz of a Feather
Exquisitely Unremarkable
Color Me Thrifty – that’s me! – Upcycled Spindle Christmas Ornaments
It would be greatly appreciated if you would pin this project to your favorite Pinterest board, and also share it with your friends.
Thanks so much for reading and until next time,
keep on keepin’ on!
XOX
Oh these are outstanding! The colors are gorgeous and they really do look like classic shiny brites. How fun!
Thanks Kim! I’ve always loved vintage ornaments so it was fun to create these that are sort of an homage to them.
Wow, those are gorgeous Tuula! My favourite is the green too – but only because it’s my favourite colour lol! It’s amazing how well those caps fit – like they were meant to be on your stunning ornaments!
Thanks Sara! I was lucky that I had some saved ornaments caps that fit. It’s always fun to look in our stashes and find just what we need.
These painted spindles are absolutely stunning. I adore the colours you used and the painted designs are just gorgeous. They remind me a little of the “Roses and Castles” canal boat folk art, I don’t know if that’s an international thing or just a specifically British canal boat thing. My mum loved it and had a few pieces which she passed on to me. Anyway, I’m now looking round the house to see if we have anything that needs a little decorating like this!
Thanks Julie! I’ve never heard of that folk art, but I just looked it up and it’s amazing. I’d love to be able to decoratively paint that well. It’s so cool!
These are just gorgeous, Tuula. I love them all – the paint, the beading, the ornament caps – just perfect. I’m inspired…off to find some spindles!
Thanks so much Ann! I have to say they were the most fun I’ve had creating in a long time. There’s something very calming about decorative painting.
You never cease to amaze me with your repurpose creativity, Tuula! I’m am always blown away with what your create and your spindle ornaments are so cute and adorable! And you know I love the purple ones the best! Have a great Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Thanks Gail! Yes, I thought the purple ones would be your favorite. I’ve grown to love purple too. 🙂
These are just beautiful. What a pretty and colourful way to decorate a tree. Great idea.
Thanks Rachel! I do love playing with colors. Keeps me in touch with my inner child. 🙂
Those are so cute, Tuula. They feel Scandinavian to me. I was shocked at how the ornament caps fit so nicely, too!
Thanks Tania! And I have a Scandinavian background so that fits perfectly. lol. I keep ornament caps of all sizes when ornaments get tossed. I never knew why, but they sure came in handy here.
What a wonderful find Tuula! I would be so excited to find spindles like these at the thrift store. You have a very unique idea here, and I love it. Reminds me of old fashioned ornaments, which is right up my alley. I am not sure how I would fair in the painting department, but you did a spectacular job!
Thanks very much Cara! The trick about the painting is just to go for it and have fun. 🙂
These are amazing! I pinned them twice to two separate boards! It makes me want to go out and find some spindles to make versions of my own.
Thanks Donna! They were such a fun project and so easy.
These look like vintage European Christmas ornaments that you’d find in a Christmas boutique. They are beautiful! Thank you for this idea.
Thanks MaryEllen! They were such fun to create.
So cute!
Thanks Cheryl!
Beautiful and so clever.
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Carol!
I LOVE these, so cute! I’ve been looking for something to do with my spindles and this is it. Thank you for posting this right before Thanksgiving. I needed a fun project for after dinner
Thanks Carolyn! I’m glad my project has inspired you.
They turned out so pretty, Tuula! Love the hand painting. Enjoy the holiday season!
Thanks very much Lora! It was a fun project. 🙂
I love these, thanks so much for the idea & I’ll be on the hunt for spindles now. 😂❤️
Thanks Gloria! I hope you find some. 🙂
These do look like they were fun to do. To me they almost look Scandinavian. Love the colors and not sure why but I think my favorite is the Pink. I hope you’ll share your decorated tree again this year.
Thanks Debra! I agree with you about the Scandinavian vibe, and since that’s my background it works. Not sure about the tree. Two of out cats are very mischievous and for the last few years we’ve had to squeeze it on the front porch just so we can have one. It keeps it safe and we can see it through the kitchen window. But, unfortunately, not very good for picture taking. But we’re just happy we can have one at all. 🙂 The cats come first in this house. lol.
Oh, Tuula, these are so great! They really do look vintage! You did an excellent job on each of them. Sorry I’m so far behind replying. I’m just this far behind in reading my email! So because I am so far behind, I can wish you a Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!!!
Thanks Dona! A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you. 🙂