About a month ago, my sister and I combed through the bins at a Goodwill Keystone Area Outlet. As we were sifting through the donated items in search of buried treasure, we came upon a vintage handcrafted ornament. Then another, another, and another. We went through as many bins as possible and scattered across the store; we found about 30 baubles of various sizes and colors.
These Christmas ornaments would have been lovingly created from styrofoam balls, ribbons, sequins, and beads in the 1960s or 70s. Everyone was different and unique. They would have taken quite a bit of time to craft. I vividly remember similar ones on my grandmother’s tree. I thought of how they sparkled against her classic silver aluminum tree. Maybe that’s why I was determined to find as many as I could.
Since I had so many of them, I decided to incorporate them in different ways into my holiday decor and crafts. Besides adding them directly to my Christmas tree for their intended purpose, I used a grouping of them in glass vases as a tabletop decoration. Adding some battery-powered fairy lights would make them even more lovely.
I took one of the smallest ones and made it into a festive, one-of-a-kind necklace. 
The pale pink and white popped against a dark green plaid Old Navy shirt dress (thrifted, of course).
Lastly, I made gifts for friends who value vintage Christmas decor. I added a handful of the ornaments to a pre-existing bell wall hanging. The gold in the ornaments coordinated perfectly with the gold bells.
Maybe I felt sentimental about Christmases gone by, but seeing them repurposed in different ways made me smile. You never know what you’ll find at Goodwill Keystone Area stores. Sometimes it is better than buried treasure – It’s happy memories decorated in ribbon and beads.
Happy Holidays,
Kirsten
About The Blogger
Kirsten is a 40-something mom, wife and marketing professional. She loves all things crafty, tasty and fashionable, especially while being frugal. She enjoys hunting for treasures at her local Goodwill Keystone Area stores to decorate her home and wardrobe.