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Whether they’ve been passed down over generations or accidentally found at a thrift store, do not let vintage teacups gather dust somewhere in a dark cabinet. Teacups are perfect for crafts, and even chipped or broken teacups can easily turn into works of art. You can craft a bird feeder to liven up your garden or make some romantic candles with delightful aromas.
Looking for a way to show off your fine china in unique ways? Look no further—this list of DIY teacup crafts will give plenty of ideas about how you can upscale vintage teacups.
Try these DIY crafts to give your home decor new life.
Vintage Teacup Pin Cushion
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Turning a vintage teacup into a pin cushion is a charming way to avoid losing pins and needles while working on embroidery or other fabric crafts. Embroidery on the pin cushion adds to the vintage vibe; however, any large scrap of fabric will work. Simple and quick to make, a hot glue gun is the only tool necessary. For easy-to-follow steps, head over to Creative Green Living.
Teacup Christmas Tree Ornament
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These teacup ornaments will make great gifts during the holiday season. Tuck a tiny winter scene into the teacup and nestle it between branches for some holiday magic. Created by Kathy Owen for her blog Petticoat Junktion, these charming ornaments use affordable acrylic paint, while the Christmas scene materials can be salvaged from other Christmas decorations if necessary. A perfect solution for your broken nativity scene or unused Rudolph figurine. You can find instructions and a how-to video on Owen’s blog.
Elegant Teacup Candles
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There are lots of excellent teacup candle recipes of varying scents. Depending on your comfort and experience with candle making, an easy starter recipe by Martha Stewart recycles old candle wax from partially used candles. For crafters with a bit more experience making scented candles, this Earl Grey soy candle recipe from Dans Le Lakehouse is the perfect light scent. This recipe from The Craft Patch takes a fun twist—using crayons to color your candle wax.
A Dainty Teacup Cake Stand
Display sweet teatime treats in an innovative way. This incredibly easy-to-make project by Inaablue requires only superglue. To make sure your stand is stable, be careful not to pick a teacup with a scalloped rim. With multiple saucers or plates, one can also make a multi-tiered cake stand. This project is more advanced, but English and Spanish instructions will guide you through the steps.
Recreate Chip from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
If you have a chipped teacup, honor the ’90s Disney classic Beauty and the Beast be creating your very own Chip—the tiny teacup with a big heart. You can begin with any color teacup, as long as you have a white base coat (as seen in the video by Nutty Crafter). However, finding a white teacup with gold rim can help for a quick creation with no painting necessary. DIY Party Mom provides instructions as well as printable features for the little teacup.
Classy Bird Feeder
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There are many ways to make bird feeders using vintage teacups. Instructions for hanging feeders, bird feeders on posts, and bird feeders using lighting sconces demonstrate the range of creative feeders one can build. Whatever the limitations of your garden, there is a teacup bird feeder that will work for you.
Teacup Planters
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For those with a green thumb, teacup planters look charming on any windowsill. For succulent planters, follow the instructions of Girl in the Jitterbug Dress. For herbs, Intimate Weddings has instructions for planting. If a plant requires drainage, the tutorials for drilling holes in china (see the multi-tiered cake stand tutorials) offer an ideal solution.
Stepping-Stone Garden Mosaic
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Broken china can still be beautiful when used to make these cement garden stepping stones. Instructions and a helpful video are available on Over the Big Moon. Sea glass, small stones, and other durable objects can also be used for texture and color. It’s a fun craft for kids to help with, and little hand prints can be forever immortalized in stone—though adults should make sure to be careful with broken china as the edges are very sharp.
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