If you don’t know by now, I’m totally obsessed with vintage Christmas ornaments.
My favorites are the ones with the indented reflectors in the middle. I just love how unique each one is and how they sparkle and reflect colors when hanging on a lit up tree. It’s magical! You might remember that Ornament Tree Skirt I made a couple of years ago, but this year I wanted to bring that theme to life as a throw pillow.
What you’ll need:
-Fabric. (The amount depends on the size of pillow you want to make. I used fleece, but you can use any non-stretchy fabric you want. I got two 18″ pillows out of 2 yards of 45″ wide fleece.)
–Metal Christmas light reflector cups
-1” Silver buttons
-Snowfake shaped crafting buttons
–Metallic Braid Trim
-Ribbons, rickrack, and felt/fabric to decorate
-Embroidery thread and long needle
-Fabric glue
-Sewing Machine and thread (or you can glue the edges for a no-sew attempt)
What you do:
First draw a circle. The best way to do this is to use a tape measure or ruler and the compass method. Remember the way we learned in math class? HA I bet you thought you’d never need that. Then sketch out a little top piece (about 5″ wide), like an ornament would have. Then cut it out!
Sew the edges together leaving an opening at the top. Turn it right side out and iron. Stuff with polyfill through the top and then close the opening using a slipstitch. (You can try gluing all of these edges for a no-sew attempt, but the results won’t be as clean.)
In order to make the indented middle you need to tuft. Use a silver button and a light reflector to do this. Put the silver button in the middle of the reflector and use embroidery thread and a long needle to pull the button and reflector through the middle of the pillow. Pull it tight to make the indent, and use a triple knot to make it stay. Trim the excess thread. You can also use another button on the other side to keep it all in place if the triple knot isn’t enough. 
Now you can have fun decorating it! Glue the snowflake buttons around the indent for extra sparkle. Use the metallic trim around the top to make it look like the ornament cap. Use rickrack, ribbons, and fabric scraps to create lines and shapes.
And voila! A cute little ornament throw pillow!
(photo: Etsy)
Like so!
I compromised with one diamond in the middle and I actually prefer the simplicity of it now, so it worked out. 
I didn’t have the proper tools so the molding was a pain to cut, but I made it work. I just used basic trim from the hardware store. It’s something like $3 for an 8ft piece. I used heavy duty double stick mounting tape on the backs of the pieces to adhere it to the door. I rent so tape was the best and easiest solution and it’s holding up great so far.
Just a few more things to finish up in here until it’s all done!
When it gets to the part where you insert the backboard, mark a line where the vertical shelves divide the board and then use paint to make the different colored squares. I got house paint samples in custom colors from Lowe’s and painted the cardboard side of the backboard with a few coats. Then insert the backboard and finish the remaining assembly instructions. If you already have this piece you can just carefully paint in the squares.
I stocked it with liquor and filled the shelves with my favorite bar accessories and vintage glass collection.
I love the way it turned out! I used colors that would tie in with the colors used in the rest of the house. It’s one of the first things you seen when you enter my front door so I had to make sure it was good.
Cute right?!
First we painted the floor a light gray because the orange color that was there before was peeling, was reflecting an ugly muddy orange color cast onto our interior white walls, and just generally didn’t fit in with my ideal vibe. I ended up painting the cinderblock as well for the same reasons.
They’re 20×20 inch faux boxwood panels that link together easily to cover all kinds of fences and walls. It was so easy to install and have been holding up well for months now, even in 120+ degree weather.
Then I used colorful mini marshmallows and candies to decorate them!
For snow cones I used tissue paper and party hats!
Can’t forget the sprinkles! I filled 
To top it all off I used the rest of my tissue paper and a party hat to make a giant ice cream cone. 
Next, pre-cut the lengths you need. This makes your life so much easier. Be sure to line up the pattern with each new piece you cut.
And that’s it! If you’re wondering how well this paper might hold up in a bathroom, I’ll just say I took a steamy shower about an hour after I was done and no seams or edges came away from the wall. The paper is also non-porous, so it seems it’ll hold up to moisture well.
Cover the brass in metal polish and rub into the metal.
Then use a soft cloth to buff and massage the metal, you’ll notice black and green residue coming off on your cloth. That’s the tarnish! Keep going.
Keep polishing until there is no more residue coming off on to your cloth and the metal is sparkling new. Reapply more product if needed. This can take awhile depending on how tarnished your pieces are, but be patient.
Once all the tarnish is removed, give it a nice little polish with a clean cloth to remove any remaining residue or product.
Tada!! Good as new. Now put down the paint and pick up the polish!
What an improvement! The refrigerator no longer stands out like a sore thumb and adds a nice subtle color and more retro flair to the space. It also gives it a nice smooth texture which makes it way easier to clean than the bumpy texture that it had before. I love it!
Melodrama 