How to Make DIY Christmas Bells with Dollar Tree Supplies

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Make gorgeous gold DIY Christmas bells with affordable Dollar Tree supplies! It’s an easy way to add handmade charm to your holiday decor.

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DIY Christmas Bells

You may have heard me say this a time or two, but these DIY Christmas bells are my favorite Dollar Tree holiday project (until the next one)!

I’ve been loving the holiday bells that are in pretty much all of the stores this season. In fact, I bought a garland with mini gold bells to decorate my Christmas mantel.

Like many crafters, I tend to look at items with the “I can make that” attitude. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I’m happy to say this one worked!

I planned to buy plastic shot glasses to make a DIY version.

But, when shopping at Dollar Tree, I spotted the larger plastic cups and knew they would be perfect. They are just the right size to attach to a wreath.

Let me show you the step-by-step tutorial so you can make your own pretty gold bells.

Supplies for DIY Christmas Bells

You can find all of the supplies, except the paint, at Dollar Tree.

• Foam Brush
• Plastic Cups
• Jute Rope
• Deco-Art Metallic Lustre – I’ve been using this on so many crafts the past month!
• Gold Metallic Paint
• Spray Paint 
• Craft Knife or scissors– I love the Cricut knife kit
• Hot Glue Gun

Step 1. Paint the cups

The first step is painting the cups gold. The easiest way to do this is to spray paint. I set up an old cardboard box on my deck and used my go to Spray Paint called nutmeg. I’ve used this same can on all of my gingerbread crafts this season.

One coat is all you need, as you will be adding gold wax as well.

Step 2. Add gold wax

To get the aged patina that you see on vintage bells, I chose to use metallic lustre wax on top of the spray paint.

Simply use a paper towel to rub the wax around each cup.

This adds a lot of depth and dimension. The wax is not meant to completely cover the cups. You want it to have different textures.

Step 3. Cut cardboard for top of bells

Now you want to create the top of the Christmas bells. I chose to use an empty plastic wrap cardboard tube. Cut a size that you feel works with the cup size. A craft knife works great.

Once you cut out all the tops, paint them with gold metallic paint. Let dry.

Step 4. Glue tops

Next up, hot glue each cardboard piece to the top center of the painted cup. Be sure to press it down and hold it for a minute so it adheres well.

Step 5. Attach jute and wood bead

To get the look of a bell, secure a piece of twine with a wood bead to the inside of each bell. I forgot to snap a picture of this step.

You just want to cut the twine to the length of the cup, string one wood bead onto it and tie a knot at each end.

Here is a close-up of the finished bells so you can see how the wood bead is hung.

Step 6. Attach bells to jute rope

The final step is to attach a set of 3 Christmas bells to the jute rope. Run the rope through each hanger and tie a knot.

Hang the trio of holiday bells on a wreath. This is just one option.

Another option would be to hang a set on each end of a mantel, or even hang a set alone on a door.

I love how it looks on this classic pine wreath with red berries. Can you believe this started out as plastic cups?

There is nothing like that feeling you get when a project comes out how you envisioned it, especially when it costs just a few dollars to make!

The gold wax definitely adds that texture I was going for and makes it look like metal.

What do you think of these DIY Christmas bells? Is this something you could see yourself making?

If you do make your own holiday bells, be sure to share it with us on Facebook or Instagram.

Just tag @ourcraftymom. You never know who you may inspire.

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It helps my blog grow and doesn’t cost a thing! 🙂

Thanks so much for stopping by. Happy holidays!

Prefer to buy rather than DIY? This Christmas bell set from Lowe’s is stunning:

Grayson Lane 3 pk Vintage Bells

For even more budget-friendly Christmas ideas, you don’t want to miss this amazing collection of 81 Dollar Tree Christmas Crafts and these 37+ DIY Dollar Tree Christmas Ornaments.

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