Turn Dollar Tree Plastic Bowls Into Oversized Christmas Ornaments With An Easy DIY

Every year, Macy's in New York does a window display so stunning that people line up in a queue like they're waiting to go to a rock concert, just for the chance to get a glimpse of the store's animatronic reindeer and big-as-your-head Christmas ornaments. It's magical, like getting a peek into the jolly man's North Pole workshop. And while it may not be possible for the average person to make animatronic reindeer for their front window, it's entirely possible to mimic Macy's oversized Christmas bulbs if there's a Dollar Tree nearby. This glamorous Christmas hack is made possible thanks to TikTok creator @barefootandfreckled and DT's assortment of oversized punch bowls, crafty jute cords, and a little glue and paint.

To create your oversized Christmas decor items, you'll need two Caterer's Corner Crystal Cut Plastic Punch Bowls. The mouth of one punch bowl will sit upside down on the other so the rims connect, creating a large ornament shape. The DIY additionally requires one smaller Clear Plastic Bowl, some twine, and decorative greenery. This could be artificial pine boughs, red berries, pine cones, or even some non-floral decorations, such as large round sleigh bells, many of which you can also find at Dollar Tree.

Because this is for Christmas, dress the giant holiday bulbs up in all of your holiday finery. This requires several kinds of paint — spray-on and brush-on acrylic — as well as some knowledge of how to distress an item. Following the DIY as presented, you can choose white spray paint and brown and black brush-on paint. You'll further need some craft glue, sponge brushes, powdered cinnamon, and some spray-on clear coat. Finally, you'll need a drill with a large-ish bit and a pair of scissors, because it's not Santa's workshop without it.

Start off by spray painting the two large punch bowls with Rust-Oleum Ultra Matte White Spray Paint. With a dry-ish brush, dab and brush on some of the brown paint. Don't cover the whole thing with brown. Just lightly brush over the top to hit the embossed areas. This highlights the pattern and makes the piece look distressed. Next, paint the smaller bowl with Rust-Oleum Specialty Metallic Gold Spray Paint. Lightly swirl on some black acrylic paint in patches. Next, dab on some craft glue, then sprinkle powdered cinnamon on it. This creates the illusion of rust. Shake off the excess cinnamon and apply a clear coat to all painted DT bowls.

Drill a hole in the middle of the gold bowl and one of the punch bowls. Cut a couple of strips of jute cord, about 12 to 15 inches long. Double the cords up and create a loop. String the ends of the rope through the hole in the top of the gold piece. Now, tie a knot in the cords, leaving some of the tails hanging down. String the tail through the hole in the punch bowl and tie another knot to keep this in place. Next, glue the gold bowl to the top of the punch bowl with the hole — this creates the ball's cap. To finish up before adding the decorative touches, glue the punch bowls together. 

Top your ornament with a cluster of decorative flora. Dollar Tree carries this, although if you want to create a more authentic-looking piece, use evergreen boughs from your tree and gather up some pine cones and use those to adorn the bulb instead. 

This stunning Dollar Tree DIY has the potential to be so much fun. Without embellishments, it looks a bit like one of those hollow plastic ornaments that have become popular in recent years. Why not use this concept to make one of those instead? For this, swap out the fancy punch bowls for DT's plain Large Plastic Bowls. Before gluing the two bowls together, stuff the Christmas ball with white craft grass, then nestle in one of Dollar Tree's Christmas House Glitzy Reindeer Ornaments and some miniature Christmas trees. You can also spray paint faux snow on the inside of the ball before you close it up. Or add some Adamonda LED Battery-Operated Fairy Lights to the bulb's interior. It'll look like a painted window in a holiday shop or restaurant.

Another idea is to add a little character to your oversized Christmas bulbs by giving them a holiday face. For example, paint a snowman face on the ball. Paint the plain bowls white, construct the bulb, and then paint a face on it to make some adorable snowman decor. Top the bulb with an old stocking cap. You will need to cut a small hole in the top of the cap and run the string through it so you can hang it up. Then, decorate his cap with some of the Dollar Tree floral elements. You're not just limited to snowmen, though. Feisty little gnomes, jolly soldier nutcrackers, and a Santa Claus would also make cute options for your oversized Christmas bulb decor. Make a bunch of them to create a whole cast of characters to add some extra cheer to your holidays.