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Easy Vintage-Inspired DIY Christmas Bells With Old Book Pages

Looking for unique holiday decorations for your home this year? Learn how to create stunning, vintage-inspired Christmas bells with this easy DIY! Upcycle old book pages and inexpensive Dollar Tree bells to make beautiful, handcrafted ornaments that will add a touch of nostalgia to your holiday decor.

DIY Christmas Bells with old book pages on greenery mantel garland.

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Dollar Tree Christmas Bells Transformation

Dollar Tree is a great source of inexpensive seasonal supplies. However, most items need to be transformed before they work in my home decor. The good news is that they are inexpensive and are still budget-friendly options for repurposing.

I found these Christmas bells, and once I removed all the excessive decorations, they were perfect for this project.

Dollar Tree Christmas Bells

Spray Paint Christmas Bells

The first thing I did was remove the shiny gold finish. It was a quick fix with black spray paint. Any multi-surface satin or flat spray paint will work.

Spray paint Dollar Tree Christmas bells with black paint.

Old Book Page DIY Christmas Bells

I had decided to create an old book page with DIY Christmas bells for my mantel decorations. I have a good supply of old magazines I purchased at a thrift store several years ago. I’ve used them for several projects and they will be perfect for this one.

The first step is to cut tear-drop-shaped pieces of paper. They are approximately 3 inches tall and 1 inch wide at the widest point. You don’t need them to be the same size. I folded the paper and cut multiple tear drops at a time, which will cause some to be smaller than others.

Cut teardrop petals out of old book pages.

Add Rub N Buff

Y’all, Rub n Buff has become my best friend this holiday season. Although most of the Dollar Tree bells will be covered with old book pages, I decided to leave the top open so I covered it with a quick swipe of Antique Gold Rub N Buff.

Add Rub N Buff gold to top of the bells

Add Old Book Page Teardrops To Bells

You will need a hot glue gun to attach the old book page teardrops to the bells. Start at the bottom of the bell and add hot glue to the backside of the old book page. Apply the paper to the bell, extending a small amount below the rim. Add more glue if necessary to ensure the petal folds over the rim.

Insider Tip

As you apply the first row of paper to the bells, smooth it over the curves. As you apply, begin at the bottom and align the curved ends. Then, press the paper into the curve of the bell. Don’t worry if the top ends are uneven because you will cover them in the next round.

In addition, place the bell over a jar or bottle so that the tip ends don’t get crushed as you work. I used a Mod Podge bottle and it worked perfectly.

add first row of Old Book Pages for DIY Christmas Bells.

Once the bottom is covered, begin to add the second round. This time, the top points will be aligned, and you will overlap the first round. Ensure that the bell is completely covered and that there are no gaps. See the image below.

Covered Dollar Tree Bell with Old Book Pages for DIY Christmas Bells.

Enhance The DIY Christmas Bells

After you have all the old book page bells covered, you can choose to enhance the ornaments to make them sparkle and shine. I first used the Antique Gold Rub N Buff and lightly wiped it over the paper. I applied a heavy covered at the top and rim of the bell.

Next, I used the end of a paintbrush to add dots of glue to each of the petals. Then, I sprinkled the glue with gold glitter. Be sure to catch the excess glitter on plastic or wax paper so that you can return it to the jar.

Finally, add a ribbon to the top of the bell and decorate with them.

DIY Christmas Bells with old book pages on mantel greenery garland.

How To Decorate With Old Book Page Christmas Bells

You can use the old book page Christmas bells to decorate all around the house. I made mine specifically for my mantel decorations this year. I added a green bow to the top and a jute string. I used the jute to tie the bells to the garland so that they would hang slightly lower than the greenery. Once I tied the bells in place, I tucked the jute string under the branches of the garland to hide them.

DIY Christmas Bells with old book pages on mantel greenery garland.

The DIY Christmas bells would look great on a Christmas tree or strung on a ribbon for a garland. I allowed the bells to drop down one side of my mantel garland. I’ll share my full mantel decorations during our annual Best Bloggers Christmas tour next week.

DIY Christmas Bells with old book pages on mantel greenery garland.

Resource

Here are the items I used to create this Dollar Tree project.

Video

Old Book Page Dollar Tree DIY Christmas Bell tutorial video

I hope you enjoyed this fun craft project. I’d love to see your creative ideas if you decide to try it.

Have the best week.

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Von

Saturday 16th of November 2024

These are amazing - absolutely beautiful!

Rachel

Monday 18th of November 2024

Von, I'm so glad you like this idea. Thank you for following along on all my adventures. Have the best week.

Candy

Saturday 16th of November 2024

Oh these are beautiful I love them. I am going to try and find these bells at the dollar store and try some. Thanks for sharing! Blessings, Candy

Rachel

Monday 18th of November 2024

Candy Thank you so much! Good luck with your project. I'd love to see how they turn out. Have the best week!

Eva

Friday 15th of November 2024

Wow very pretty like yours better...Your amazing in the crafts you do .....

Rachel

Friday 15th of November 2024

Eva, Thank you so much. I'm glad you like them.