Christmas door swags are such a simple yet beautiful way to add some fresh greenery to your door. And much easier to make than a wreath! I love this Christmas swag with a vintage skate twist. So dust off your skates, and let’s get crafty.
Who doesn’t have a pair of old skates lying around the basement gathering dust? You can transform them into this charming vintage skate swag in just a few simple steps.
Truthfully, you can even use the skates you still use. If you’re anything like me, those skates only come out once or twice a year to go on the ice anyway, so you might as well use them for décor!
I’m very thankful to authors John Gillespie and Christina Symons for sharing this festive Christmas door swag from their book, Everyday Eden: 100+ Fun, Green Garden Projects for the Whole Family to Enjoy (Harbour Publishing).
- What Greenery Should I Use?
- How to Make a Vintage Skate Christmas Swag
- Materials
- Make It!
- More Holiday Decor to DIY
What Greenery Should I Use?
The beauty of a swag is that you really don’t need many clippings to make a beautiful display. I’m a big fan of going out in your garden or foraging locally for some branches to use in your display.
You can use whatever is local and fresh in your area. Here are a few of my favourites for holiday greenery decorating:
- Magnolia
- Cedar
- Blue spruce
- Fraser fir
- Dried hydrangea
- Euonymus
- Eucalyptus
- Holly
- Bay laurel
- Japanese aucuba
How to Make a Vintage Skate Christmas Swag
Put those babies back into use as charming holiday décor for your door. Embellish your skates with holly and other holiday greens from the garden, some fancy ribbon and a candy cane or two. You may also want to use bells, seed pods, holiday ornaments, mini gourds or small tree fruits.
Materials
- Pair of skates (vintage secondhand skates are also readily available at thrift stores)
- Heavy-duty or double-ply garden twine
- Assortment of greens from the garden
- Two jars that fit inside the skates
- Ribbon, pinecones and other decorations
Make It!
Clean the skates and replace the laces with heavy-duty or double-ply garden twine. Leave enough twine at the ends so you can hang them from your door.
Find two small jars that will fit inside the skates. They will keep your greens in place and also hold water (optional) to keep them fresh. They won’t be seen, so don’t worry about how they look. Opt for something you already have to keep this project easy and low-cost.
Select an assortment of greens from the garden (holly, cedar, salal, etc.) and tie them into two neat bundles. Place the bundles in the jars and trim the ends until you have a pleasing display.
Decorate your skate swag with more ribbon, pinecones, and ornaments and then hang it in place on your front door or potting shed. An over-the-door wreath hanger is a great way to hang it on your front door without needing to put in a screw or nail.
Be sure to grab a copy of Everyday Eden: 100+ Fun, Green Garden Projects for the Whole Family to Enjoy. The book is filled with projects using inexpensive, often recycled, materials and easy techniques. This lively collection of garden projects and practices will delight beginner and experienced green thumbs alike.
What a great idea. I do see these at thrift stores. I have never purchased them even though I love t way they look. You also gave me an idea for a character in my 1940s vintage novel The Girl in the Jitterbug Dress. I was kind of stuck, but I think they need to go skating! Woo Hoo! Thanks for the holiday idea and the writing idea :) Happy Christmas!
Putting the mason jar in the skate is SO clever! I actually just saw a pair of skates at the thrift shop and did a double-take. Maybe I’ll go back and pick them up!
(p.s. yes, this means that I’m one of the few Canadians who can’t skate! Eep!)
Very cute! I actually own that book & their other one – Sow Simple. Great ideas! And I am also a Canadian who cannot ice skate! I tried!
Joanne, you are not the only one. My husband can’t skate either! And yes, they are great books.
As a former figure skater, I really love this. I think it would be popular if you promoted it to figure skating clubs and at figure skating competitions.
great idea!