Holiday Hospitality &ndash; Vintage Christmas Sled Tutorial

Hello sweet friends. I hope this day finds you well! Today, I am joining a group of fellow bloggers to share about Hospitality Filled Holidays. When I thought about what is important to me when it comes to opening my home to the holidays I realized it is all about using unique touches – especially with vintage items. I have a soft spot for anything with a story and a history and I love bringing it into my home to become part of our stories. One of my favorite projects to make is vintage Christmas sleds. I have shared my vintage sled projects in the past, but I have never shared how easy it is to complete. So, today I am sharing a step-by-step simple tutorial so you can make your own vintage Christmas sled.

The first step is to of course find your sled. I find them at yard sales and auctions throughout the year and stash them away until we get close to the Christmas season. Keep at it – one day one will show up! Once you have your sled, it is about deciding what your color scheme and style is going to be. For this one, I went for neutrals and naturals.

Regardless of your colors and style you need the same basic elements. - Two basic swags that fan out for the back – I chose a cedar style - One fancier contrasting pick – I chose a flocked evergreen to bring in the white and contrast with the cedar - Two more decorative picks – I chose one with white berries and pine cones - Decorative wired ribbon - Scissors, floral wire and wire cutters - Heavy duty cutters that can cut through the base of the picks (not pictured)

Start by layering your picks and wrap them with the floral wire to hold them together.

Then use the wire to attach them to the top section of the sled. You need to pull it very tight and sometimes it is useful to loop around a few different places.

Once they are in place, use the heavy duty clippers to cut off the ends of the floral picks so that they are not visible.

Make a decorative bow (see tutorial here) and use the wired to attach it to the sled. Fluff your bow and you are done!

In some of my sleds I have used multiple bows as well including a sheer ribbon. When the sleds are larger, I sometimes add some old skates as well. You can see some other styles in my post – Vintage Christmas Sleds. These also make great gifts - giving a little bit of history and story to the ones you love! Thank you so much for coming by today and for reading. Please visit my friends and see how they are sharing their Hospitality Filled Holidays.