Holiday Making, the Thrifty Way ✨
This holiday season feels different. Maybe it’s just the corner of the internet I spend time in, or maybe it’s a wider cultural shift, but something has changed. There’s a renewed appreciation for what already exists — for thrift, reuse, and making do with what we have.
We see it on Remnants all the time. Folks write to tell us how much they love finding materials with a story, or how satisfying it feels to make something meaningful without buying new. That spirit feels especially right this time of year, when creativity, care, and intention tend to rise to the surface.
So this week, we’re leaning into that glow. From bright, personal projects shared by our community to festive fabrics and small creative sparks, this newsletter is a celebration of making the season bright in ways that feel thoughtful and true.
Let's get into it →
✨ Are you Making Your Season Bright?
Show us and win $25 in creative reuse →
With the season in full glow, this month’s project theme is officially here: Make the Season Bright.
One of the best parts of our project challenges is seeing how creative reuse shows up in real life — especially in projects that feel joyful, doable, and deeply personal. This week, we’re highlighting two community projects that perfectly capture the spirit of Make the Season Bright, and serve as this week's project inspiration.
🎄 Khanh Ho’s Beaded Christmas Tree Ornaments
Khanh Ho created these beautiful hand-beaded Christmas tree ornaments using vintage trim, sequins, beads, and scrap felt from her stash. Inspired by Brucies Baubles on Instagram, this is the kind of bright, sparkly project you can work on while chatting with friends or watching a favorite show. The star topper? A repurposed piece of junk jewelry.
It’s colorful, approachable, and a perfect example of Make the Season Bright.
👉 View Khanh’s project in the community →
⭐Julie Wilson's Royal Beauty Tree
Julie Wilson’s Royal Beauty tree is made entirely from old jewelry, beads, buttons, sequins, yarn, and ornament pieces. Created for a friend’s 11-year-old daughter, Julie thoughtfully matched each detail to the recipient, including a 4-H pin, horse pendant, and playful kiddie rings mixed with vintage finds. It’s sparkly, personal, and a perfect example of how bright projects can carry meaning.
Workshops and our Supply Swap & Craft Cafe return in January!
January 11th we return to Circular Library with our Craft Cafe & Supply Swap! RSVP →
January 17th, Mary Beth Temple returns to teach us Visible Mending! (RSVP coming soon)
🧵 Fabric Finds on Remnants
Bright projects start with good fabric. From vintage prints to festive textures and unexpected color combos, our fabric listings are full of inspiration for holiday makes big and small.
👉 Browse fabric on Remnants →
Caught our 👀
📿 A beaded lamp shade idea you just may see us try.
🏷️ Recycled clothing tags into gift tags.
🪡 A quick how-to on fabric covered buttons.
🏠 The ultimate junk journal example.
📝 New in the Blog
Discovering an Heirloom Dollmakers Collection of Vintage Lace
At first, it was practical: identifying pieces, researching doll-making components, trying to understand what went with what. But slowly, something deeper emerged. I began to understand the mindset of heirloom doll makers, those who collect materials with historical accuracy in mind, who study period clothing, trims, and construction so their dolls feel rooted in a specific time.
What an art.
However you’re spending the holidays, I hope they’re filled with a bit of rest, a bit of brightness, and maybe a small creative moment or two.
Wishing you a warm, joyful holiday season,
⭐ Molly
We're mission-driven to gather a community of upcyclers dedicated to reducing waste, sharing resources, sparking ideas, and bringing reuse to the forefront of our daily lives. But we can’t do it alone.
