I revamped some after-Christmas bell trees into a pretty display for my favourite ornaments.

I’ve received a Swarovski ornament every year since I was about 20.  Not to give anything away, but that means I have 26 of these delicate crystal ornaments that mean so much to be because of the people who have given them.  In fact, I love these ornaments so much that I don’t put them away after Christmas and instead leave a display of them on my dresser.

Or I did until I moved my dresser and the display I had them hanging from fell and several smashed.

I decided I was going to come up with some way to display my ornaments in a more “sturdy” fashion, but given that these are crystal, I still wanted the light to shine through.

Well, it’s April and I’ve finally come up with a solution!

ornament tree, ornament display, Swarovski ornament display

Do you see the potential?  I picked two of these Christmas trees up at an after-Christmas sale at Michael’s.  They are ugly, and not at all something I would normally choose, but they had the size and the space I was looking for.

And at 70% off it was worth a shot right?

ornament tree, ornament display, Swarovski ornament display

I cut  all the bells off of the tree and removed the star from the top.  I did give the ornament display a light sanding to remove some of the glitter, but I wasn’t committed to the success of the project enough to spend much time on it.

ornament tree, ornament display, Swarovski ornament display

I taped off the base and then popped up my HomeRight small spray shelter.

Note: I was provided with the small spray shelter in exchange for showcasing how I use it on a day-to-day basis. The links in this article are affiliate links. For full affiliate disclosure, please see sidebar.

HomeRight small spray shelter

I mean literally popped it up.  It’s almost like a jack-in-the-box once you open the bag.

HomeRight small spray shelter

I have three of these – the small, medium and large and let me tell you they are awesome.  I think the medium is my favourite, because of versatility, but being able to pop this small guy up and down for little projects like this was a treat.

I thing this might make an awesome sun tent for the beach as well.  I don’t think it has any UV protection but you could tuck a little one inside to keep them out of the direct rays, then collapse it down with a twist and carry it back home in that bag.  Note: HomeRight does not endorse this idea – this is just my rambling.

I painted the ornament display trees with a couple of coats of black spray paint and the project was done!

ornament tree, ornament display, Swarovski ornament display

I really should cut those ribbons shorter… but they came with the ornaments so it seems like I should keep them?

ornament tree, ornament display, Swarovski ornament display

The light shines through each ornament beautifully and the stands are made of metal so they have a nice weight to them and shouldn’t tip over.

ornament tree, ornament display, Swarovski ornament display

I really need to learn to weld so I can make a few more ornament display trees as gifts.  You really don’t have to use Swarovski to enjoy this come Christmas time.  Display heirloom ornaments from generations past, or create a monochromatic display to set on the mantle.  Hang one ornament for each grandchild or fill the spaces with photo ornaments of the family.  (I REALLY love that idea!)

Any ornaments would work really – so keep an eye out at Michael’s come Christmas.

ornament tree, ornament display, Swarovski ornament display

Three steps, cut, spray, hang and done!

Have a great one!

 

 

Linked to: Between Naps on the Porch

 

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