Shabby Chic Basket Ornaments

I made these miniature shabby chic Christmas ornaments this year and they came out so pretty!

Guess what I used to make the little baskets?

Toilet paper rolls!!

Yup. These mini basket ornies came from these plain old tubes!

Yes, I sprayed these tubes with a soap and bleach solution and let them dry before I used them.

I crashed my stash for all kinds of smalls and neat laces and trims for this project. If you are anything like me you have LOADS of little items that would be the right size for these little ornaments.

Cut each tube in half and hot glue the bottom edge shut. I use a bulldog clamp to hold the edges together while it cools.

Use your adhesive of choice to cover the tube with wrapping paper, fabric or what have you. I am using Dollar Store wrapping paper with scrap lace around the top. Use a tiny hole punch on each side of the top. Cut a bit of florist or craft wire about 8 to 10 inches long and wrap it around a pencil, paintbrush handle or small dowel to make curls. Attach to your basket at each side.

I hot glued fiberfill inside so all the decor items would perch right at the top of the basket. You could also use crumpled tissue. Now for some fun!!

Using hot glue, start embellishing your little basket. I am no minimalist, so you can see I like to stuff them FULL.

Such a fun project! 

These are pretty on the tree, or as gift toppers or even small gifts for a group.

PLUS, you can make them in any theme!

I've made these for Christmas gifts and for my Etsy shop. Think of the possibilities for St. Valentine's Day, or a baby shower, or a themed birthday.

So many neat ideas, I want to try them ALL.

Melted Shot Glasses = Pretty Wind Chimes/Suncatchers

                                                        Yes, you read that right. 

                            Melted shot glasses can be used to make pretty wind chimes!

  Or, suncatchers, as one "helpful" commenter wrote. "These are not true CHIMES."

                                     Tomato, tomahto, but I understand the distinction. 

                  Ahem. They're fun and easy to make and look so pretty when they're done.

       

                 

                             The look almost like glass and they have a merry plastic clink to them. 

                                                           And they sure are pretty!

                     

                                     I got the plastic shot glasses at our local Dollar Tree. 

                                                        I bought all the colors!

                     Using an old cupcake pan I put two or three glasses in each cupcake hole.

                           

                           

                                      

                                  We used the OUTSIDE oven in The Welding Man's shop. 

THE MELTING PLASTING OFF GASES SOME SMELLY FUMES. USE AN OUTDOOR

                   OVEN  OR BARBECUE, DO NOT DO THIS IN YOUR KITCHEN111

               I set the temp at 250 F and checked them often to assess how the melting progressed.

                                                     I think it took less than 10 minutes.

                                       Here is how the glasses looked before and after melting.


       
                                   Once they were cool I flipped them out on my work table. No, they 

                                                  did NOT stick to the pan.

We used a small drill bit to make holes in each disc using an electric drill. Then strung them up using chains and rings from other Dollar Tree items. The plastic thingy at the top was in my craft room, I                                                                        don't know what it was before.

                               

                          

                                            This turned out so pretty and was so easy to do!

                          I see online that this can be done with the larger thing plastic drink cups too. 

                                                 I will have to try that and write about it.