Not only does this pretty sparkly ornament use a recycled book page it also uses a juice lid. Pop on over to Erin’s blog My Very Educated Mother to see the tutorial she posted on how to make a glitter covered recycled book page and juice lid ornament.
There is something especially lovely about Christmas decorations made from ordinary things that might otherwise have been thrown away. An unwanted book page, an empty juice-can lid and a small length of tinsel do not look particularly festive on their own, but together they can become a beautiful vintage-style ornament filled with texture, sparkle and nostalgic charm.
I have always loved crafts that give old materials a second life, and this recycled book-page Christmas ornament is a perfect example. The folded paper creates a delicate pleated rosette, while the metal juice lid provides a strong centre and gives the ornament enough structure to hang neatly on the tree. Once you add a vintage Santa image, a ring of deep red tinsel and a little glitter, it looks like something that may have been tucked away in a family Christmas box for decades.
This is also a wonderful project for using pages from damaged paperbacks, outdated reference books or books that are already missing covers and pages. You do not need to sacrifice a good or valuable book. Sheet music, old dictionary pages, photocopied text and scrapbook paper printed with vintage writing would all create a similar effect.
The centre of the ornament can be personalised to suit your Christmas decorating style. Use a traditional Santa portrait for a nostalgic look, add a copy of an old family photograph, cut out an image from a discarded Christmas card or use a child’s drawing to create a keepsake ornament. You could also replace the red tinsel with gold trim, narrow lace, miniature pom-poms or a ring of tiny beads.
Because most of the materials are recycled or inexpensive, this is a lovely ornament to make in batches. Create a matching set for your own tree, attach one to a wrapped gift, use them as handmade place settings or make several for a school fete or Christmas craft stall. Each ornament can look slightly different depending on the book page, centre image and embellishments you choose.
The finished decoration has plenty of festive impact, but the actual construction is quite simple. Once you have folded the paper into an accordion, the recycled lid h
