This holiday craft is perfect for adding a nostalgic touch to your seasonal decor. Using affordable finds from Dollar General and mixing in a few vintage items, this simple and budget-friendly craft is a must-try!
This craft idea started a couple of weeks ago when I went to a family-run estate sale where they were getting rid of their parent's household items. The parents had gone to live in an assisted living facility and the children were trying to get the house ready for new owners.
I always enjoy family-run sales, as opposed to large estate sales company run sales, because the prices are reasonable and the families just want the stuff gone.
In one of the back bedroom closets, I found these two well-loved vintage Santa mugs.
Both Santas have lost quite a bit of red paint from their hats, and they generally aren't in the best shape. But when it comes to Santa mugs, I live by the motto No Santa Left Behind.
Whether a Holt Howard, Lefton or Napco Santa mug, if I see one at a sale, it's coming home with me.
By the way, do you know that Pottery Barn has fairly accurate reproduction Santa mugs? I usually prefer authentic vintage, but I do own a set of the Pottery Barn mugs to actually drink out of at Christmastime.
I thought it was cute the kids had written their names on the mugs! It also made me sort of sad that the kids didn't grab the mugs from the estate sale.
I hope Tammy approves of what I did to her mug.
✨ BTW, today is Thrift Store Decor Wednesday, so make sure you hang around to the end of the post to see the rest of the team's thrift store repurposes for the month!
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Create Retro Holiday Charm: Santa Mug Assemblage Using Dollar General Finds
Supplies
- Santa Mug (vintage or reproduction)
- Vintage Shiny Brite Ornament or something similar
- Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks*
- Dry Floral Foam
- Floral Wire
- Christmas Tree Garland
- Flocked Reindeer or other main holiday item
- Mini Sisal Trees aka Bottle Brush Trees
- Candy Cane or Candy Cane Shaped Ink Pen
*you can substitute Gorilla Glue for the Hot Glue if you prefer
There were a few other items in that pan that I was going to use, like the flocked nutcracker and the red bells, but I ran out of mug space!
Instructions
Cut your dry floral foam to fit inside your mug.
No need to be super-precise. As you can see, I need two pieces to fill the mug, and they are somewhat haphazardly cut.
A word about floral foam. It comes in a dry form and a wet (damp) form. I rarely ever use floral foam for floral reasons; I generally use it to take up space in a box, basket or vase, so the dry foam works well for that.
If one wants to use it to keep live flowers alive, then you want to make sure to buy the wet version because it absorbs and holds water.
OK, back to the project.
I used my hot glue gun to glue the trees and the deer to the foam.
The only things that are glued on here are Dollar General items, which are not glued to the actual cup.
Nothing truly vintage is harmed in this project.
The idea is to make this so that you can always take out the items if you want to revert it back to a cup. I'm a big proponent of not permanently altering vintage Christmas decor if I can help it.
After the deer and trees were in place, I wove some of the garland through the cup to cover up any exposed floral foam.
It also makes the Santa mug extra festive!
Still following my "not permanently altering vintage Christmas decor" theme, I used floral wire to attach the vintage Shiny Brite ornament to the deer.
I just looped the wire around its back.
Originally, I had a natural candy cane that I was going to use to add a pop of red, but it was too thick to poke into the floral foam. I used a thinner Christmas candy cane pen I found at the check-out counter instead.
Besides, I can keep this all together for years to come rather than worry about the candy cane getting mushy or, worse yet, eaten by something in the attic.
The Finished Santa Mug Project
And here is a view from the backside where you can view the white bottle brush trees.
In hindsight, I would have had taller trees in the back of the mug, but I was working with what Dollar General had, and they only carried them in one size.
If I'm sticking to Dollar General items, I can't run all over town to find alternate trees.
Now, let's stop by the other Thrift Store Decor Team's projects for November.
Thrift Store Decor Team Projects
Upcycled Brass Christmas Bell Decoration - Petticoat Junktion
Decorating With A Vintage Tool Box - Our Southern Home
Refresh Thrift Store Artwork - My Repurposed Life
Refresh Outdoor Lanterns For Indoor Decor - Shop At Blu
Repurposed Santa Mug - House Of Hawthornes (that's me)
Christy Little
These were such a score! I always find it sad when I go through bins at the thrift store and you see old framed photos. It's so sad to think that that school photo wasn't worth saving and just ditching the frame. So glad you rescued these. They are such a sweet project and would make a great hostess gift.
Leslie Schmidt
This mug is really adorable, Pam. I'm with you about not damaging true vintage pieces. I'm a mushy sentimentalist, and I love the things from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. I would love to have something like this in my home for Christmas. Unfortunately, my children aren't of the same inclination. They will probably be having a sale in the not too distant future!
Thanks for the lovely treat.
Chris
Oh, really love his holiday project idea! Plan to have a go myself! Thank you for sharing 🙏😍
Gail Wilson
I am sure this project would be "Tammy approved." The vintage mug is adorable. I love shopping at dollar stores. What are your plans for the other one? Inquiring minds want to know.
pinned and shared on FB
gail
kathy Owen
What a beautiful display. I especially love that green deer!