Christmas is just around the corner and it's finally time to bake delicious cookies and decorate our homes and Christmas trees for the holidays. Sustainability has been a very important topic for years and more and more people are giving up all the plastic stuff from the store and instead opting to make their own Christmas decorations. This not only protects our wallet, but is also good for the environment. And let’s be honest – DIY projects are just plain fun! But what shouldn't be missing during the Christmas season? Little angels, of course! Even as little guardian angels who watch over us and our loved ones, the magical creatures are always welcome. Drinking hot cocoa, cozy evenings with the family and making upcycling angels – sounds really magical, right? Then be sure to read on and find out here how you can make your own sustainable Christmas decorations! Whether made from toilet paper rolls, wine corks or pine cones – quickly call the children and take note of our great and super simple craft ideas!
Make upcycling angels out of clothespins
Do you have a bunch of old clothespins in the basement that you no longer use? Great! Instead of throwing them away, here's how to use them to make these incredibly cute upcycled angels.
Materials:
- Wooden clothespins
- White ruffle band
- White and silver ribbon
- Silver pipe cleaners
- Hot glue gun
- Acrylic paint and brushes
- Small pearls
- Silver elastic cord
- Scissors
Make upcycling angels out of clothespins:
- First gather all the supplies and cut the ruffle ribbon to the desired size.
- Attach the ribbon to the clothespin with the hot glue gun and wrap it around several times.
- Using acrylic paint and brushes or a toothpick, paint eyes, lips and hair. Get creative and just have fun.
- Shape the pipe cleaner into a halo and carefully attach it to the angel's head with hot glue.
- Glue the pearl firmly to the back of the angel's head.
- For the angel wings, cut approximately 10 cm long pieces from the white and silver ribbon, fold them in the middle and glue them to the back of the clothespins.
- Finally, cut a 10 cm long strip from the elastic cord and tie it into a loop.
- Attach to the back with hot glue and you're done - it's so easy to make upcycled angels out of clothespins!
Make little angels out of paper
It's even easier and quicker if you make the upcycling angels out of paper or old book pages. You can use this to decorate the Christmas tree as well as spice up the already wrapped Christmas presents.
Materials required:
- 2 book pages or more if you want to make several upcycling angels
- Wooden bead with a diameter of 2 cm
- Golden thread or wire
- Glue
- Pin
Step-by-step instructions:
- Fold the book pages like an accordion. The narrower you fold, the more delicate and elegant the angel will be.
- For the wings, fold the folded paper down about 3 cm and measure a further 4 cm away for the dress.
- If you have two of them, stick the two pieces together with the glue and let them dry completely.
- Tie a piece of wire under the fold and bend it slightly upwards.
- Thread the wooden bead and use the pins to paint a face on the angel.
- Finally, glue the wings firmly on the sides and carefully pull the folds apart slightly.
- And your beautiful angel made of old paper is ready!
Upcycling angels are made from pine cones
If you want to make upcycled angels, all you have to do is take a long walk through the park and collect a few pine cones. A Christmas decoration made from natural materials is one of the most importantChristmas decoration trends for 2022and gives our apartments a very special touch.
Materials required:
- Pine cones
- Wooden balls with hole, approx. 20-25 cm in diameter
- Bright tulle
- Hot glue gun
- Craft glue
- Pipe cleaners
- Powder glitter or glitter glue
- String for hanging
- Waterproof pens
Make upcycling angels out of pine cones:
- First draw a face on the wooden ball with the pens and let it dry.
- To make the halo, shape the pipe cleaner into a ring and attach it to the head with craft glue.
- Pour some craft glue onto the “cheeks” and sprinkle lightly with glitter.
- For the wings, cut two squares out of the tulle, place them on top of each other and tie them together like a bow.
- Glue the wings to the back of the pine cones using glue and allow to dry.
- Attach the angel head to the cone with hot glue and let it dry again.
- Then cut a piece of string, knot it together and push the loop through the hole in the wooden ball.
- Glue the ball onto the pine cone with hot glue and you're ready to hang up your upcycled Christmas decorations!
Make Christmas angels out of toilet paper rolls
If you ask us, crafting with toilet paper rolls is an absolute DIY classic for kids! There are just so many fantastic things you can make with it! So it definitely won't surprise you if we can make an upcycled angel using toilet paper rolls.
Materials required:
- Toilet paper rolls
- White and orange paper
- Yellow and white yarn
- Pipe cleaners
- Pin
- Glue
- Scissors
Make angels out of toilet paper rolls:
- Place the toilet paper roll on the white paper along the long side edge so that it lies flat.
- Fold the paper up over the roll so that a fold marks the length of the roll.
- Cut a strip off the side and then cut a strip about 2 cm wide from the orange paper.
- To make the wings, fold the rest of the white paper in half horizontally and cut out a heart shape.
- Place the toilet paper roll upright on the orange paper and trace a circle on the inside with a pencil.
- Cut out the circle, leaving a small border around the line.
- Put some glue on the circle and attach it to the top of the roll.
- Apply glue along the entire length of the roll and wrap it completely with the white paper. Cut off the excess.
- Cut out a strip about 5 cm wide from the orange paper and glue it to the top of the toilet paper roll.
- And now let's do our angel's hair. To do this, wrap the yarn around your fingers several times and cut it off.
- Apply glue to the top of the roll and attach the strands of yarn.
- Wrap the white ribbon around the angel's head.
- Apply glue to the back along the length of the roll and adhere the heart.
- Shape the pipe cleaner into a circle, twist the tip around the longer part and tuck it behind the angel's head.
- Finally, draw the face with the pens and you're done - it's that easy to make an upcycling angel out of toilet paper rolls!
Make upcycling angels out of gift ribbon
If you love it, yoursWrapping Christmas presents yourself, then you are guaranteed to have a box full of gift ribbons in a variety of colors, right? How about making a pretty upcycled angel out of it for a change?
Materials:
- 4-5 cm wide ribbon
- 2cm wide ribbon
- Narrow ribbon or a piece of yarn
- Small Christmas ball
- Pipe cleaners
- Hot glue
- Scissors
- Lineal
Step-by-step instructions:
- For the body, cut a piece about 10 cm long from the wider ribbon.
- Apply a thin layer of hot glue to the edge and fold the ribbon in half.
- Press firmly with your fingers and pull together slightly to form a loop.
- Cut an 11 cm long piece from the 2 cm wide ribbon and fold it so that the two outer edges meet in the middle.
- Apply some hot glue in the middle and press the two edges down.
- Attach the Christmas ball to the wings with the hot glue gun and let it dry.
- Add some more glue to the top of the Christmas ball and press the wide ribbon into it to secure it.
- To make the bow, cut a small piece of yarn and twist it around the “neck”.
- Form the pipe cleaner into a ring and attach it to the top of the angel's head with a small dab of glue.
- And your pretty Christmas angel made from gift ribbons is ready!
Christmas angel made from wine corks
Especially in the cold winter months, we love cozying up on the couch with a glass of red wine. Do you feel the same way? Great! But next time don't throw away the wine corks, because we're about to show you how to make upcycled angels with them.
Materials required:
- Wine corks
- Small wooden ball
- toothpick
- 15-20 mm wide gift ribbon or satin ribbon
- 3-4 mm wide gift ribbon or satin ribbon
- Pipe cleaners
Make Christmas angels out of wine corks:
- Insert a toothpick into the middle of the wine cork and shorten the end that sticks up with scissors if necessary.
- Cut a piece out of the 3 mm wide ribbon and tie it tightly to the skewer.
- Slide the wooden ball over the band to the cork.
- If you like, tie a small bow around your neck.
- Cut a piece about 12 cm long from the wider ribbon, fold it in half and press lightly with your fingers to create a bow.
- Tie the bow with a small piece of yarn and stick it to the back of the cork with a small dab.
- Finally, paint the face with a pen and decorate the Christmas angel made of wine corks as you wish.
