How to use your vintage collections in Christmas decor

Do you love chippy and rusty? Do you think you can’t use your flea market and thrift store treasures at Christmas? That you have to create that holiday feel with all new traditional Christmas decor? Well, this year, keep your collections out, and upcycle them to create a funky flea market holiday theme. Vintage Christmas decor can involve vintage Christmas collectables such as cards, ornaments, or linens. But, it can also mean using the flea market finds you have gathered over the years and add greenery, ribbon, ornaments, or even a few candy canes to give them that holiday feel.

In my front room I have shelves on one end of the room. I have a few of my rusty tins I have collected over time on one, and dressing this shelf for Christmas was as simple as adding a few Christmas greenery picks from Michaels. Easy Peasy.

I have several old coffee tins that I have picked up for just a few dollars over the years. When I go to estate sales, I always head to the garage or barn first. These are usually filled with nails, and you get to keep those too! Filled with a miniature Christmas tree or greenery, they add a little whimsy to your Christmas decorations. These would be great to hold Christmas treats such as candy canes or ornaments as well.

This red and blue one would look great with shiny red Christmas ornaments.

My color scheme for the bedroom is yellow and sage green. I found a chippy green table last summer, but it wasn’t until recently that I found the perfect yellow fence piece to go over it. Yellow a Christmas color? It is when you add a wreath to it. Sitting on that table is a child’s green rocker. $5 at a junk shop sitting on the front porch in a pile of other stuff. They were probably going to throw it away, but said $5 when I said I wanted to buy it. The rockers wouldn’t stay on. One had broken and a piece was stuck in the hole in the rocker. I took it home, threw the rockers away, and cut the legs down a little so it would sit level. Now, it holds an old tin, and a picture of my granddaughter’s at the beach. I added a little North Pole sign and now it’s Christmas decor!

This little Christmas elf is not vintage. I bought him at Michael’s a few years ago. ( with my 50% off coupon of course!) A child of the 1950’s these elves were popular then and I have collected a few. He sits on the table beside my bed with a Christmas sign welcoming the Holiday in.

A friend gave me this old bicycle rim. It sits on my chest of drawers with an old green basket and this picture of my sweet mom and her older sister. They were raised during the depression and have their flour sack dresses on. Both have passed away and I cherish this photo I found in my mom’s belongings.