Who loves Christmas in July? How about Christmas crafts in July? I am sharing 5 of my very favorites with you here today?
Is it really time? Are we really thinking about Christmas …. in July? Well, I sure am! I feel that it is always a good time to think about the most wonderful time of the year! I absolutely love Christmas and today I am sharing 5 Christmas craft ideas with you …. because I promise, we will blink and Christmas will be here.
It happens every year. I love to craft during the holidays and it seems that I have a million ideas running through my head. Sadly, I never, ever seem to be able to do them all! The reason? December is really busy and the days of December seem to fly by faster each and every year! One of the only solutions that I have found is to begin my holiday crafts early. And y’all, I did this last year and it worked! I managed to get So Many Crafts Done last Christmas! I am re-sharing 5 of my favorite Christmas Crafts from 2020 below!
Dying Bottle Brush Trees
These little guys were So MUCH FUN TO DO! In just a few easy steps, you can have a forest filled with trees that are all sorts of shades of white and cream. And then, if you are feeling adventurous, you can go on to have a colorful forest filled with trees in ANY color that your heart desires.
Here is a recap of the steps:
- Add two parts warm water and one part bleach
- Using tongs, dip your trees into the bleach mixture
- Swirl and flip them using tongs until you reach desired cream/white color
- Mix dye and water until you reach your desired color
- Dip your white/cream tree in the dye
- Let them sit until you reach the desired color you want
- Let them dry
Click Here to see the entire DIY.
Gilding Walnuts
I thought this was such a very beautiful way to display walnuts over the holidays. Again, this is an easy and pretty quick DIY. But, be warned … It does create a big mess. You may want to do this one outside!
Here is a recap of the steps:
- Choose the perfect walnuts to work with
- Apply gilding adhesive
- Allow adhesive to dry just a bit
- Apply the Gold Leaf
- Brush off the extra bits
Click Here to see the entire DIY.
DIY Bottle Brush Tree
It is no surprise that bottle brush trees are all the rage. It is so exciting to see new ones in all the stores and you can now basically find them in every shape and color. However, it can be even more exciting to make your very own bottle brush tree. Now, this DIY took a little longer to do and it was a bit more difficult than others … but it was so worth it.
Here is a recap of the steps:
- Take the sisal out of the package and comb it out and cut to desired length
- Prepare your wire by cutting it to proper length and securing clothes pins to each side
- Create a wire circle with the wire and clothes pins
- Slide sisal in between the wire circle
- Use the clothes pins and twist the wire
- Fluff and adjust sisal as needed while twisting
- Twist until all the fibers are secure
- Shape sisal into a tree using scissors
- Choose a base and secure tree into base
Click Here to see the entire DIY.
Distressing Ornaments
During the holidays it is easy to find bunches and bunches of new ornaments – for cheap! As you know, I love all things old and weathered so I tried my hand at distressing NEW ornaments to help make them appear older! This was fun and easy and only requires a few supplies! The ornaments I tried this process on didn’t really change all that much which I liked. The subtle difference was all the character that these new ornaments needed.
Here is a recap of the steps:
- Purchase new glass ornaments
- Remove hardware from the top of the ornaments
- Pour nail polish remover into a vessel and then dunk the ornaments into the remover
- You may have to physically hold down the ornaments
- After about a minute or two, remove ornaments and wipe off the excess liquid
Click Here to see the entire DIY.
Christmas Village In A Tree
So this isn’t necessarily a DIY – but I really loved the way this turned out. I wanted to share it now so that (if you indeed wanted to recreate this look) you could be on the lookout for these stubby trees EARLY. I shared this last year and so many of you said that you couldn’t find the tree anywhere. I got mine very early in the Christmas season at Home Depot.
Here is a recap of how I put it together:
- Locate your items, including the tree
- Layer little puffs of batting into your tree to represent snow drifts
- Add in Putz houses and other Christmas Items accordingly
- I finished my tree off with a grouping of vintage ornaments hanging only towards the bottom of the tree
Click Here to see all of the details.
Quick Tip:
You may want to consider shopping for your holiday decor soon – especially if you enjoy vintage Christmas decor. While many antique malls don’t have a wide selection of holiday merchandise out now, you may be able to find what you are looking for online – even in the summer months. This can work in your favor too because many times sellers will have their holiday decor priced more affordably when it is the off season.
Some of the popular and collectable Christmas decor items include:
- Vintage Santa Mugs (click here to check some out)
- Vintage Blow Molds (click here to check some out)
- Vintage Gurley Candles (click here to check some out)
- Vintage Ornaments (click here to check some out)
Also, once we do hit the beginning of the holiday season, dealers and designers and collectors are usually out shopping very early in the season. This is because they want to have the best selection. Remember to get out there early if you are looking for something specific to add to your home!
Christmas In July Giveaway
In true Christmas spirit, I want to do a little giveaway! I want to gift one lucky winner a little vintage Christmas surprise box: I am thinking a vintage Santa mug, a few old ornaments, and a little surprise from me! Simply comment on this post below to enter. I will announce the winner on my Instagram stories Tuesday (after my weekly email goes out) so be sure to follow along there. Click here to follow me on Instagram if you are not already!
Merry Christmas Y’all!
*this post contains affiliate links
Nostalgic Santa Display
Vintage Christmas Tins: Easy Styling Tips and Tricks
Rustic Christmas Mantel With Honeycomb Ornaments
2021 Christmas Home Tour
Love all the ideas for Christmas!
Love a Christmas giveaway in July!!
Love these ideas and to start Early!
Lisa
Wow fun ideas! Thanks!
Love all these ideas!!
Emily you are one talented woman. I love your vignettes.
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing!! 🎄
You have the most amazing ideas. Can’t wait to try some of these before the hustle and bustle of Christmas this year!!
Can’t wait to try the bottle brush tree DIY 😍
I love thinking about Christmas decor all year round! I’m going to a flea market today, thanks for the reminder to look for some fun pieces now!
I remember watching you distress the ornaments and dye the trees on Instagram. I would love to try to make the bottle brush trees, I have the knobs. Also the village tree is awesome! I learn so much from you.
I’ve always love your holiday & non-holiday items. A great inspiration to my vintage hunt collection. Thank you!
Emily, hi!
The bottle brush trees and distressed red ornaments are sheer genius. And don’t even get me going on the magic of a good Santa collection.
And while I’m at it, I need to tell you that you’re my favorite home / vintage / collecting blog. And not just because you’ve got a contest going. I could sit with your beautiful photos all day …
It’s always a relaxing adventure when I stop in.
I started following you several months ago and now I feel like I know you! LOL I do love your posts and you have similar taste in decor as I do. We are thinking about taking a trip down to the antique store where you have your booth!
I absolutely love the tree DIY. I have several knobs that I have been wanting to do something with and this is perfect. I just love your style. Please keep sharing
Love it all Emily!!!
I can’t wait to see what displays you come up with this Christmas! 😍
You really have me dreaming about ideas to try this year for Christmas. Especially, putting a little tree in my ironstone bowl on my bathroom washstand 🌲
Love it all. Christmas in July or anytime of the year is for me.
Love to check out what you are doing every day!
My favorite is the village in the tree you are so thoughtful thank you Emily
I love your vignettes. I just added to my Christmas decor two mini Santa mugs.🥰
Thanks Emily. You are always so inspiring. I have been working on my Santa mug collection since I first saw your Instagram last fall.
I love Christmas in July and all year long. Love the DIY crafts in your Friday favs.
Thank you for gathering these all in one place!! I loved them all when you worked on these last Christmas, but I never got around to any new decor just year… I hope to be able to this year! 😊 I love the Christmas village in a tree, we inherited my husband’s family Christmas village snd this will be the perfect way to display it!!! 😍😍
I love all of these ideas. I can’t wait to try the distressed ornaments. I think the silver ones look like mercury glass!
These are all such great ideas. I am going to have to try distressing some ornaments. You always have the best displays. I love following you on Instagram 💕
Love the bottle brush tree ideas! I did a “tree farm” in my faux fireplace last year for the holidays. I also changed out my Christmas decorations to vintage. I am definitely going to use the new ornament distressing tip that you shared. They will go great with my vintage shiny brights🙂
I love your suggestions especially creating vintage ornaments
Christmas in July? Why, yes! Christmas anytime works for me. I really enjoy your style/design ideas. Thanks for your efforts for all of us.
I can’t wait to pull all my new stuff that I got this summer for Christmas. I love the village. Gonna need to try and do this.
Christmas in July is the best!!
I love searching for vintage Christmas decor! Thank you for the tips!
Christmas is 168 days away, and I am already excited about it! I got to explain to my little nieces what Christmas in July was recently! Can’t wait to see all your Christmas styling and DIYs this year, Emily!
Love,
Leslie
@atticpatina
Ahhhh, Christmas…love love love to look for blow molds, stand up Santas, and of course Shiny Brites! More please!🎄🎄🎄
Thanks for sharing your DIY projects. I love looking for vintage Christmas items.
I love the village in a tree. Putz houses are just too cute and that would an excellent way to show off a “small village.”
Love your Christmas in July DIY ideas! My favorite time of year too:)
I love your little Putz house tree. I found one of those last year and put it on my front porch with starfish and shells since I’m at the beach.
Hi Emily, I love Christmas and it always goes too fast. Love how you do your displays! Still look through the magazine with your home, just beautiful.
Sooo creative!!!! 👍🏻😊
Love a Christmas giveaway in July!!
Love Christmas!!! Thanks for sharing your ideas!!
Such cute ideas! I am definitely going to trying aging some ornaments!
Such great ideas! I actually HAVE dyed some bottle brush trees…they weren’t vintage, though. Tim Holtz has an amazing line of crafty stuff to recreate vintage things. ☺️
Christmas. The most wonderful time of the year. Even in July
Fun to see what the giveaway will be 🎅🎅🎅
I just have to say your such an inspiration for me and my moms shop and such an amazing resource to learn! You are one of the few blogs I read and I look forward to watching your stories daily!! ❤️
My husband’s birthday is On Christmas in July (7/25) so it always makes me start thinking about ideas/crafts. Thanks for inspiration!!!
Love the Christmas in July focus!
Love to follow along with you! I gain so much inspiration from your knowledge of all things old!
Love your Christmas vintage diy ideas! Thanks so much for sharing! Makes me excited for the holidays! 🎅🏻
Emily, so many great Christmas ideas. I love Christmas in July. And in Dec.💛❤😂
I aspire to collect & style like you!
Love all your finds and ideas! My absolute favorite account😍 I hope to make my way to GA from FL one day to see your booth!
🎄🎅🏼
I love Christmas in July! I’m always on the look out for christmas decor while I’m out at a antique store or my favorite thrifting!
Your Christmas treasures are my fave!! 🎅🏽🤶🏼
I absolutely love all your vintage Christmas ideas and decorations! ❤️💚
Love everything about this. The vintage Christmas stuff and Christmas in July. I loved reading the post and plan on doing the Christmas village and Christmas trees. Even if I don’t win thank you for the ideas.
Oh this makes me so excited for Christmas. Definitely want to try distressing the ornaments.
Always looking for my first Putz house and of course more Gurley candles.
Such fun ideas! I love your style! You influenced me to buy more santa mugs! Can you ever have enough?😂
Your photos and ideas are always so inspiring.
I love how you display your vintage Christmas!!!
I’ve been thinking of Christmas ideas lately. Your tips have now spurred me into action! Thanks, Emily.
I love all the vintage Christmas things!
New to your blog, but love all your Christmas craft tips!
I’m a huge Santa lover, collector and enjoy putting them out each year. Thanks for your inspiring ideas. I love following your blog.
I love Christmas in July and I’m excited to try the DIY bottle brush trees! And of course the giveaway. 😊😊
Lovely and inspiring! Thank you for Christmas ideas. I love just looking at the Christmas eye candy. Thanks.
Thank you for taking the time to do these. Very enjoyable!
Love all the things Christmas! Especially in July! Thank you for all your wonderful inspiration.
Love a Christmas in July giveaway!!
Such great ideas!! Love it!!
Doesn’t get any better than vintage Christmas!
Love the tree village! I will try that this year. I’ve done it in the past but didn’t use the snow so it didn’t look as good.
Thank you for putting me in the Christmas spirit in July. Oh what fun it is 🎄!
Love all your diy.
I’m so ready for Christmas! And this post has me more excited! Thanks Emily!
I love ALL of your Christmas ideas, Emily!!! I tried the distressing of ornaments last year and absolutely LOVeD them when I was done! ❤️ The sisal was out of stock last year and I was unable to find it locally so I am really excited to get a head start on that craft this year because I think they are THE cutest trees!!!! ☺️
Love love love all
Your Christmas ideas!!!
So excited for Christmas this year so I can display my new vintage items. Following you on Instagram has really inspired me!
Love all your DIY Christmas decor..love love the bottle brush trees
I love Christmas in July!!
Vintage Christmas is my fave. Thanks for the links!
Thanks for the inspiration! I actually found a great Santa mug this weekend at a Christmas in July sale!
Oh Yay – that makes it so much fun …. to find them off season!!! Enjoy him my friend!