We all are busy during the holiday season, so simple outdoor and dining table decorations that really last are just what we need. here are some ideas that may inspire you to take a second look at Flea Market items that mean the most to you and quickly and easily use them to decorate this month and next!
Nancy K Meyer says, “Here are my Mason jars together, see how large the one is? Yes the curtains in back are blue, too. I do like blue!”
She says, “This is my “rusting of the rings” project. I used several of the rings in a couple of Christmas wreaths I made this fall.”
Marie Niemann says, “I love this big pulley as a centerpiece! I just stacked some assorted John Deere old farming implements and ‘wala,’ I have instant candle holders. As you can see I also love round objects and rusty springs and use them a lot inside and outside in my gardens. I like how they look on my rustic coffee table and brings out the rusty browns in the rock. Just my style! Rustic! ”
Marie Niemann says, “I found these glass bricks at the thrift store and put them under the tree and filled them with a few lights cobalt blue of course. I used LED lights so they don’t heat up.”
Lark Leibundgut Kulikowski say, “Here are some of my forever bell flowers in my Wisconsin Winter snow.”
Jeanne Sammons advises, “Never pass up those ‘blue insulators’ at flea markets! Seeing Sue use them in a birdbath reminded me of this winter project…3 blocks of wood, strand of mini-lights, 3 metal label thingy’s and some faux greenery behind it all…’Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star!’”
Joy Gabler says, “I bought the base and added the shells! When you live by the beach you have to have some star fish on your wreath!!”
Vicki Vance says, “Thrift bottles with unusual shapes and in a variety of colors upside down on bamboo stakes add color to any garden, any time of year!!!”
After noticing my pyracantha bush loaded with Winter berries, I set a new table using my aqua glass insulators, cedar branches and the small branches of berries. First I lay down a small plaid blanket and placed an old barn board down the middle as a base. From Jeanne Sammons’ idea, I used a battery powered 15 light string and poked every other one under the insulators…..filled in with the branches!
Jeanne Sammons says, “Bluejays, Cardinals and Woodpecker keep coming to eat at this recycled feed pan. The branches are Corkscrew Willow spray-painted red and piney and my solar lights stuck in the galvanized washtub.”
Lynn Lang says, “Not sure what these were for originally, but I look for them at flea markets. I have made macramé hangers for most of them so I can hang them in the trees.”
Shelly Paige has a super simple display on a window sill looking out to a view onto the farm. A Mason jar, branches and mini lights.
Chris Hiller also used red branches, pine cones and mini lights in a porch decoration. Don’t you love the red and Robin’s egg blue color combination for the Holiday?
I keep my insulators on the patio table in Winter to catch the snow. The ‘trees’ are sugar pine cones anchored in chippy painted pots with gravel.
Ann Mowry tells us, “Found these skates at a junk store for $2.95, and the sled at a flea market for $18…the rest I had already. Love it!”
She says of the photo below, “I use artificial Christmas trees to fill up all my garden pots and now my bike. I can’t stand an empty pot. Add some ribbon and plastic ornaments and it makes a cheap and pretty holiday decorations. Usually you can find trees free on craigslist or cheap at thrift stores.”
Stephie McCarthy says, “Flea-market, vintage lovers … check out a little Leprechaun glass. These are two whimsies from my green glass stash. I found that Christmas ornaments kept the dust out, and metallic spheres are kind of magical looking too, so I don’t mind using them year-round. The garden in the background was a tiny one in Sterling, Virginia, I crammed with plants and rocks, while a yearned to move to the country!”
Marla Bergman Rhoades uses colored lights around her potted plants, a ‘stars and moons’ fire ring and lots more for a front porch welcome!
Margaret A Buiso made a simple glass totem in front of some snowy grasses to catch the snow. This idea can send you out to the thrift store for glass ware and to the hardware store for GE II Silicone!
I don’t know if you can see the snow crystals on the insulators here, but they look so pretty on my Mom’s old tray. These won’t blow away!
Simple is sometimes better for a country Christmas look. Here, Cherrie Carine says, ” My old bucket looking pretty…I just love it!” What do you think? ~~ Sue Langley
This one is from Annie Steen. This can be whipped it out in a day with a wreath frame and lots of wire and a bit of hot glue. Painting the cones white is genius!
Grow, Grow, Grow, Your Boat... These boat gardens are beautiful, colorful, and well grown. It looks like a lot of… Read More
'Paint' Your Garden with Blue... Is your garden is singing the blues? Mix recycled containers and crafts with blue flowers… Read More
See this hilarious and sometimes poignant list of lost items in the garden Question.......what was the last thing you lost… Read More
Designing a charming garden baker's rack When I first saw Jeanne’s well-arranged and simply delightful Baker’s rack, I thought, ‘Somebody… Read More
Choosing a color from 'Over the Rainbow Garden' Billie Hayman's garden is full of color and she shows how one… Read More
Alliums are drama queens in the garden! Whether real flowers, grown from bulbs or the crafted faux flowers modeled after… Read More
View Comments
Wow! Lots of great ideas here. Makes me want to go out in the cold to the local thrift store for goodies. Thanks for the inspiration.
Oh what a 'pretty' album, Sue! Loved all of these ideas! I am esp fond of your patio table w/insulators & snow~~such pretty colors tog! Love Annie's pine cone wreath & all the rustic ideas shared here! Thanks!
Beautiful. I love all the homespun decorations.
Love, love, love all the creative ideas. I live in Southern California where we get no snow but we still have the Christmas spirit! We do, however have loads of insulators so I will be making use of mine in some of these ways.
pretty nice creative decorations, using stuffs you normally don't use!
Such fun ideas!