If you save too-pretty-to-throw-away teacups with small chips or no saucers, now is the time to get them out of storage and recycle them into beautiful homemade Christmas ornaments. (If you don’t have any, you’ll find some inexpensive, beautiful teacups in thrift and antique stores.) A few ribbon scraps, greenery, and beads will give the teacups new life as beautiful homemade ornaments for Christmas.

What you need:

Directions:

1. Preparation: Measure across the depth of each cup. Cut foam with serrated knife to fit, trimming away the bottom to the shape of the cup. Secure the foam to the cup with florist clay. If using a saucer, glue the cup to the saucer with epoxy blue.
2. Tulle Poufs: Cut a 6″ (15 cm) square of tulle and a 6″ (15 cm) length of wire. Gather the 4 corners in 1 hand to make a pouf. Fold the wire in half and poke the ends into the top center of the tulle pouf as shown in 2A. Pull the wire ends down through the corners, so that the tulle looks like a rose; see 2B. Wrap the wires around the gathered corners at the base of the pouf. Make 2 to 3 tulle poufs for each ornament.
3. Bows: From ribbon, tie a 3″ to 4″ (7.5 to 10 cm) double-loop bow; secure the center with 2″ (5 cm) of wire and twist the ends together. Poke the wire ends into the foam to attach the bows and tulle poufs to the cup; see the Step 3 illustration. Cut the wire ends short to glue them to the saucer.
4. Finishing: Refer to the photo to arrange the decorations in the cup and on the saucer; hot-glue.

   To hang, insert and glue a florist pin into the foam near the handle. Thread ribbon or cord through the florist pin, and knot the ends together.

Homemade Teacup Christmas Ornaments – Source: Celebrate! created by Crafts Magazine, Crative Publishing International, Inc.

Tags: christmas crafts, homemade christmas ornament, recycle tea cups, tea cup ornament