DIY Vintage Inspired Bell Jar Ornaments

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I absolutely love bell jars! My favorite holiday decorations are small vintage bell jar ornaments with sweet little snow scenes in them! I have been wanting to make some of these tiny cloche ornaments for a long while now, but have had a really hard time finding the little glass belljars anywhere. Recently I was at the dollar store and saw some plastic wine glasses. They were the right shape, so I decided to give it a try, and they actually turned out to be a pretty fun substitute! These little ornaments are easy to make! I had so much fun making them, I went back and bought more wine glasses to make more!

Here’s What You Need:

*Plastic Wine Glasses

*Dremmel or Utility Knife

*Chipboard (cereal boxes, etc.)

*Scrapbook Paper

*Rubber Cement

*Trinkets

*Glitter

*Large Beads

*Pipe Cleaners

*Twine

*Scissors

*Hot Glue

*Large Circle or Scalloped Circle Punch (optional)

Step 1: Cut Glasses- Gather up your plastic wine glasses. They come with bottoms, just throw those away, you don’t need them. The stem of the glass is just a bit too long, so I cut mine down a little with a dremmel with a grinding attachment. You can cut the stems with a utility knife, but it is a lot easier to break them that way. If you have a dremmel, I would recommend using that.

Step 2: Make Bottoms- I used a paper punch to cut out my chipboard bottoms. I think it is around 3 or 3.5 inches wide with a scalloped edge. I also used the punch to cut out my scrapbook paper to cover the chipboard with. I cut out paper for the top and bottom. You can draw circles and cut them out instead of using a punch. I just think it makes it a whole lot easier if you have one. When you have all of your circles cut out, you are ready to glue. I used rubber cement to glue the paper to the chipboard. Let the glue dry.

Step 3: Make the inside- First, lay out your trinkets on your circles. Once you know where you want them, glue them down with some hot glue. Next, run a bead of hot glue around the bottom of your wine glass. Center the glass on the paper bottom and press down, glueing into place. With a funnel or rolled up paper pour some glitter into the top hole for snow.

Step 4: Make the tops- First you want to add the hanger part to your beads. If you want to use pipe cleaners, cut one in half. Then push it through he bead and twirl it around the bottom of the bead so it will stay in place. At the top of the bead make a nice sized loop with the other end of pipe cleaner and twist it together at the top of the bead. If you wish to use twine, first cut a long piece of twine. Fold the twine in half and push it through the bead. Double knot the twine loop at the top of the bead and then double knot the ends below the bottom of the bead and snip off any excess. Next, run a bead of hot glue around the top opening of the wine glass and glue the bead right side up to the top, sealing in your jar. Now you want to finish off the area where the bead and glass meet because it is not so pretty. I took small pieces of pipe cleaner and wrapped around the spot securing with glue in the back. And now they are ready to hang on your tree, yay!

Although they are not quite as awesome as their vintage counterparts, I really love how they turned out! I love how versatile you can be with them as well! You could fill them with anything you like, and top them with loops for hanging or no loops for grouping on a shelf or table. I hope you all go out and make a few of your own, they are so fun! Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more holiday projects!

Happy Crafting!

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149 Comments on “DIY Vintage Inspired Bell Jar Ornaments”

  2. These are so lovely! Wherever did you find your trinkets? I saw your stuff pinned on Pinterest and would love to make these for holiday gifts.

    • These are fantastic and I have purchased all the materials to make these next weekend. In response to people asking where to get the trinkets, I thought I’d share that the Dollar Tree has a holiday village line right now with little painted people that are the perfect size to fit under the wine glasses. They aren’t perfectly painted, but they do the trick, and they are inexpensive at 3 figures for $1. Also, I went to some toy stores and found small glass animals (Tynee brand, I think) as well as tubes of plastic Arctic-themed animals that work great for this project. Hobby stores have even nicer plastic animals for making dioramas and I found a set with a bear, reindeer and caribou. Finally, I got little trees at Michaels, near where they sell the beads and buttons (although these are limited run for the holidays). Hope that helps people here!

  4. Good Morning~

    These are absolutely gorgeous!! Of course I must ask, where do you find the trinkets? Every year I try to make something similar with my art students and while I search Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and Joanns, I come up with nothing. Maybe the little trees but that’s it. I would love to know where to find the little deer and such… actually just cleaned 60 baby food jars for waterless snow globes, now if only I could find the trinkets! Thanks for the amazing tutorial!!

    Have a glitter-ful day.

    • Thank you so much everyone! Some of my trinkets were vintage. I found them at various places like the flea market and some on etsy. If looking on etsy search for mini christmas figures or mini deer. Another great source is vintage or retro cupcake topers. There is a fantastic site that has all kinds of fun toppers. You can check them out at http://www.heyyoyo.com They have a lot of party supplies as well. They are just fantastic! I hope you all will make some too, they are a lot of fun! Let me know if you make some, I’d love to see 🙂

    • The ornaments are too cute. One thing I have used us the little buttons. Like a set for “let it snow” one others. I even used the gingerbread house one with little gingerbread men and small candy cains. It was a lot of fun. And Michael’s and hobby lobby have a lot of buttons!!

  6. I LOVE these! I really want to try them. Any idea where to find the cute little trinkets? Does JoAnn’s have something like that?

  8. LOVE love LOVE this idea and cannot wait to try this! Clever lady, you are! For those of you looking for miniatures to use, I came across this site that has loads vintage and vintage-style supplies perfect for this project: http://www.tinythingsarecute.com Placing my order now!!!

  9. I was looking for a craft idea for my daughter’s class party, I had thought about about baby food jar snow globes but didn’t really want to send glass home with the kids…..these are perfect, what an adorable idea! I thought I would add that Hobby Lobby has a miniature section where the build your own dollhouse stuff is that has all sorts of cute options for this project. Also, what about all the packs of various ornaments you find for mini trees you see at Walmart and other places. You could just snip of the hanger/loop part maybe? Just thinkin. Thanks for the awesome idea!

  10. I love them! Cutest little ornaments…I just adore tiny things.

    Please, I have to know where you got those bitty deer. I’ve been looking everywhere for the right size and type of deer to put in some terrariums I made, and the ones in your pictures are perfect! Thank you so much.

    • Hi GG, I’m so glad you like the tutorial! The little deer are vintage. I found them a few years ago, and totally wish I had bought more since I am now down to two and they are my absolute favorite mini deer ever! All I can suggest is to look around at your local antique or flea market, or try ebay and etsy. I have not been able to score any myself, but if I find some more I will let you know. Best of luck!

      • Thanks for the info. Tiny deer sure are popular, aren’t they? 🙂 I was at the dollar store today to finish buying a few items for our Operation Christmas Child boxes, and suddenly I remembered to look for plastic wine glasses. I scored the very last package they had!

        Thank you again for the tutorial. Looking forward to making my own bell jar ornaments!

  11. I adore these! What a great use of items. I can’t wait to make these with my son as Christmas gifts.

  12. Can you tell me where you found all your little trinkets? I haven’t been able to find anything like that.

    Thanks.

    • Some of the mini’s are vintage. You can try ebay or etsy and search for vintage plastic miniatures. The pinecone people are vintage reproductions from Martha Stewart I have from years ago. My cats ate a few, so this was a great way for me to protect the remaining little guys. You can buy vintage pinecone people from etsy sometimes. I will also have a tutorial on some similar ones on my blog in the next couple of weeks. Some of the others are cupcake toppers. You can find some great ones at http://www.heyyoyo.com or http://www.tinythingsarecute.com Also check your local thrift or flea market. Hope this helps, and good luck shopping!

    • Thank you Michelle! The little bitty reindeer are vintage, right now I can’t seem to find any, but they do pop up on etsy or ebay every now and then. I would suggest searching for vintage plastic deer miniatures on either site. You can also find cute, but larger reindeer at http://www.heyyoyo.com in their cupcake topper section. Best of luck shopping!

  19. I am in the process of making all new ornaments/decorations (I moved across country and came back so I left everything) and have made several trips to Goodwill. I found these adorable little Christmas ornaments for $2.99 brand new in the box and got them even though I wasn’t sure what to do with them, now I do. I love cloches and I am so stoked to do this! Thank you, I never would have thought to use dollar store wine glasses 🙂

  20. OMG – I am OBSESSED with vintage decorations. Saw this on Pinterest – what a perfect project for me! I am so not artistic but I can certainly glue things together. As your other commenters noted it’s been tough trying to find trinkets, but I scored some nice snowmen and trees at AC Moore. Ordered a few more things online, and I will need to check out Hobby Lobby again. These will make great gifts (I’ve see repro bell ornaments go for as much as $25) and help refresh my decorations for my tree. Going vintage all the way this year! Thanks so much for the post! What a wonderful idea. 🙂

  21. I love this!!!! I am definitely going to make some! Question…where do you get all of your miniatures. I have the trees, but I want the tiny deers and Santas. Thanks for your time, I love your blog!

  23. Hi i was looking for trinkets too and had an idea, last year i bought mini ornaments for my daughters little christmas tree, I think those would be perfect too, they arent vintage but would still work, just a thought for those searching for the trinkets like me 🙂

  24. Very cool.

    These remind me a bit of the ornaments I used to make using Legg’s eggs (when the nylons still came in the silver or white egg with the clear plastic front). 🙂

  27. I make ornaments every year for friends,family, my son’s teachers, etc. The one I picked out for this year went bust because I couldn’t find the supplies. It was actually lucky because I found this post in my search for a replacement project. I love this idea, the style, everything. I’ve been pining over whimsically colored bottle brush trees for a while…and now I have a project for them! Thank you!

  28. Hi Ashlee!

    These are ADORABLE! I always love seeing what people do with the stuff they order from me and it’s so much fun seeing some of my toppers used in your whimsical ornaments. I pinned them so I hope other people see what a great idea it is! Thanks so much for spreading the love for Hey Yo Yo! We really appreciate it! ~~~ Amanda

    • Aw, thanks so much Amanda! I love your shop, and I love how you package everything! It’s like Christmas when I get a package from Hey Yo Yo! Thanks for pinning! Hope you have a wonderful holiday!

  29. Thank you for this! Quick question, where do you find those clear beads at? Thank you!

  30. Beautiful! What a fab project you have created! Thank you so much for sharing with us. I would love to give this a go with glass glasses. Wish me luck : )
    Hugs,
    Terri
    p.s. I am having a great giveaway on my blog you might like to see : )

    • Thanks so much Terri! I would love to make some of these with glass wine glasses, but am trying to figure out how to cut the stems without cracking the glass. Maybe i’ll get it soon. Love your blog! And Teacup tuesday, how fantastic is that!

  32. These are just beautiful! I love the idea of using an old wine glass for little terrariums, it is perfect!

  33. this is the cutest idea! my 7 year old daughter and I have been checking stuff out and getting craft ides for the holidays (and always) on pintrest and we are really excited about your super project. i just ordered a bunch of tiny vintage owls and deer that i found on etsey ~ combined with tiny trees & nests from the craft store and our extensive glitter stash we will be all set. thanks for sharing! yay for fun crafty ideas.
    have a wonderful, sparkley holiday!

  35. Oh, Ashlee, you and I would get along so well! This is exactly the kind of craft that I LOVE. Inexpensive and gorgeous! Thank you for the inspiration. I’m pinning, and will be making these one day for sure!

  36. I love this craft! What a sweet idea, and lovely pictures. I am tempted to figure out something to make out of the cut-off stems.

  37. I love this idea and can’t wait to try it! Thank you so much for sharing the instructions. I was able to find miniature figures (deer, people and trees) at my local hobby shop in the train section, if that helps anyone.

  39. I have seen so many of these on Pinterest. I love your tutorial and your designs are by far my favorite. Beautifully done!!!

  40. I made these cute bell ornaments with my daughters. They turned out so cute! Thank you so much for the instructions and great photos!

  44. Fr the trinkets, yo could probably use jewelry charms. I know Hobby Lobby has some little animal charms. If you are especially crafty, you could also make your own figurines out of polymer clay (also at Hobby Lobby)

  45. i got the plastic glasses. need to hunt for the trinkets. i’m thinking this project is not only for Christmas but also for baby showers etc. then i can use the facial tissue boxes as base (won’t have to punch twice)

  47. hi, my supplies from oriental trading & factorydirectcraft have arrived & 1’m so happy with them! now, what do you think of my using epsom salt (cheaper by the pound) vs regular glitter? of course, I’m thinking to mix in small amout of glitter with salt to make it more realistic…

  49. Love this idea! Thank you for showing us how to do it with great detail and photos. Can’t wait to make these with my daughter this Christmas.

  50. Brilliant! I never would have guessed they were wine glasses. I’ve seen similar ornaments and have been searching the craft stores trying to find the little mini bell jars. I’m definitely making these. Thank you so much for the detailed tut.

  51. These are darling. The only thing is don’t throw the bottoms of the wine glasses away as you can always find a use for them in crafting! I am going to make some of these!

  52. this is just awesome – I found it on Pinterest and cannot wait to make!!!!! I have been hosting Christmas Craft parties for 13 years running and this may be our featured project this year!

    I wonder if you happen to know the size of the beads that you used for the top? thanks so much for sharing this great idea.

  53. I waited a whole year, but I finally made some of these today with my daughter! They came out great. We used some of the tiny styrofoam snowballs for snow, and they stick to the side (static cling) so we are switching to snow glitter for the next ones we make. 🙂

  54. I’m not sure if my comments posted earlier, so my apologies if this is a repeat. I got the materials to make these beauties next weekend-what a great idea! In response to people who asked about the trinkets, I thought I’d mention that Dollar Tree has a holiday line right now of little painted figurines (for a holiday village) that work perfectly for this craft. They’re not super high quality, but they do the trick (and they are inexpensive at 3 for $1). Also, I went to some toy stores where you can find little glass animal figurines, or tubes of plastic animals (the Arctic theme tube had some good options). Hobby stores have plastic animals for making dioramas, and there was one set of animals with a reindeer, caribou and bear that would be just perfect for this. Finally, I got a package of 12 little trees at Michaels, in a holiday section they had set up near the beads and buttons. Hope this helps!

  55. these are so cute!! I’m constantly collecting craft supplies year round much to my family’s dismay. I have found some of my best “finds” at the large collection bins left for people to recycle at located here in Albuquerque by grocery stores. Especially this time of year I’m most “active” with retrieving.. Most offices have holiday get togethers and dispose of everything and buy new next year.. I located a whole large bag of plastic wine glasses (several hundred) from a party, also decorations, paper plates, napkins. etc (unused) also greenery, tree decorations etc. in just a few weeks will be there. I also take catalogs, (for ideas) magazines, to take to the Veteran’s Hospital) shoe boxes( to put craft supplies in,) I also take plastic containers from places like Costco (that had apples in them) to store handmade ornaments. large lettuce plastic containers with lids for craft supplies, small plastic containers with lids for beads etc. trays with tops that had party foods on them to decorate and deliver homemade cookies . you will also find unused wrapping paper etc. and of course bubble wrap.. I also find great used wine bottles in great colors like blue and dark green and gallon jugs to cut with a bottle cutter, into all kinds of things. as to small items for the globes check out the Christmas houses for sale at big box stores, thrift stores, garage sales, and such they have little people, animals, sleds, lampposts, trees,etc. and if you can “wait” they get reduced up to 75% off after the holidays. recycling can be done by dumping “stuff” off, and also by creating something unusual and beautiful out of it and it keeps it out of the landfill…

    • Susan, you are a kindred spirit! I cannot stand to see items that you mentioned thrown away and end up in a landfill every year, when they can be easily reused and recycled into something useful and beautiful. I do not understand why people throw stuff away and buy basically the same thing year after year for any occasion or holiday. Such a waste! I have been using clear plastic conatiners/trays with lids that had salad or other take out foods in them from Kroger, Olive Garden, etc. They make great storage containers for crafting and sewing supples. Whenever we have an office party, I retrieve so many from the garbage can. We are living in a very wasteful society, no doubt about it. Happy New Year and happy hunting!

  56. Absolutely brilliant! I made something similar this week, although looking at your cleverness, I think I may have gone about things the hard way, LOL! Fantastic, thank you for sharing! Kimi

  57. I made some of these using little figurines that I picked up from the Dollar Tree. I love them, thanks for sharing this project with us.

  59. It’s an amazing project. So creative. Everyone would love try this out in Christmas Hoildays. I love making ornaments and home décors. I have found many new projects in this book by Altered Upcycling too. I am sure you’ll like them too!
    http://www.amazon.com/Homemade-Christmas-Gifts-Crafts-beautiful-ebook/dp/B008QZ1AHI%3FSubscriptionId%3D0ENGV10E9K9QDNSJ5C82%26tag%3Dflatwave-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB008QZ1AHI

  60. Love these! I have everything I need now…except the mini figurines. Any suggestions would be appreciated. lol. On the hunt everywhere I go! Making these for an ornament exchange & I know my friends will love them!

  61. Making these tonight, putting a run of white pom poms around the bottom and bead to cover the glue instead. Found a perfect bundle of trinkets at goodwill. Can’t beat a dollar! Thanks so much for the ideas!

  62. I absolutely love these!!!! I can’t wait to make them! I love the texture of the glitter you used for them, can you please tell me which brand it was? Thanks!!

  63. Such a creative idea and thank you so much for sharing. Re mini figurines, something what I have used in the past for DIY ornaments is the top/handle of pate knives which generally measure about 2″ in height. Low cost ones (particularly $-Store purchases) will easily come apart by applying the heat of a regular hair dryer together and a bit of twisting. -Brenda-

  65. I can’t tell you enough how adorable these are, or how much my friends loved them when we made them with our kids at our annual ornament party! I did some advance prep (the kids are pretty little) but they were all able to make enough to feel ownership of the project, and they turned out so cute I can’t believe it. Plus, the price was right, I was able to find almost everything at our dollar store. We have done this party 8 years and this is, hands down, my favorite ornament ever! Thank you so much for the idea!

  66. I’ve been making these using old small creature ornaments that I pick up often after Christmas at Pier 1 each year (and in the mini garden section of Michaels/Hobby lobby) ~ I have always used small jars, which won’t work on a tree because of the weight ~ enter the plastic wine glass idea ~ Brilliant!! Love them 🙂

  68. I know this is an old post, but I wanted to try making some of your Valentine inspired ones. I tried to make the bases using my punch and some papers (a few months ago) but I think because I used craft glue or Mod Podge they didn’t stay flat. Do you think the rubber cement will keep them from warping up?

    • Yes, I use rubber cement on mine and they have kept for a couple of years now. I do know that rubber cement will not last forever though. You could also try a spray adhesive. Hope they work better for you next time 🙂

  69. These are sooo cute. Just saw this so will pin this for next year. I am a potter and make miniatures so will use my “stash”. Made some ornaments using the round plastic balls from Michaels but was tricky get stuff inside. Your idea is Much Better. You could also use polymer clay and make your own figurines!

  70. these are adorable! I can think of so many things to place in them, especially little vintage items found in thrift shops and antique shops. Also little trinkets such as birthday cake toppings that I have kept and things my kids made in grade school. They are now adults and would appreciate a Christmas ornament filled with memories of their own handmade creations. Thanks for the idea!