Christmas Wall Art With Old Belts [Easy as 1-2-3]
It’s that season of the year–full of celebration, drawing family close and being thankful for all we have.
It’s also the time to start planning our Christmas decorations. Whether you are a 20-bin kind of holiday decorator or a 2 or 3-bin decorator, I bet you enjoy having new ideas to try out every now and again.
Today’s easy as 1-2-3 project involves repurposing old belts into Christmas wall art. It’s satisfying enough for the veteran DIY-er, but simple enough for the crafting-challenged, LOL.
Related posts: Belt bracelets, belt crate handle, belt tray handles
Materials to Repurposed Belts Into Vintage Christmas Wall Art
Whenever I go thrifting or shopping at garage sales, I find myself drawn to belts. They come in so many colors and textures, and some of them are mini works of art, like the sequined and embroidered one above .
Equally interesting to me are pieces of scrap wood and metal that I come across (and hoard for potential projects).
I’m of course particularly drawn to antique pieces, those that have lived a “hard life,” like those you see here; they especially appeal to me.
This post contains affiliate links for products necessary to complete this project. This is both for your convenience as well as to support my blog, as I receive a small compensation whenever you click on such a link and make any sort of purchase. Thank you in advance!
Materials:
- Vintage or thrifted belts
- Scrap wood or metal
- Weldbond glue (my favorite)
- Large scissors (or Exacto knife)
- Small stars
- Claw-style hangers
How to Repurpose Belts into Christmas Tree Wall Art
Step 1: First spend some time mixing and matching belts with scrap wood to evaluate which pieces worked well together.
Step 2: Once you’ve picked out the belt you want to work with, decide how wide you want the “branches” to be, based on the height and width of your wood. Then start cutting.
For my first tree, I used a thin narrow belt that I could easily cut with a typical pair of sewing shears.
Other belts, like the red leather one below, required large, heavy-duty tailor shears. Alternatively, you could use an exacto knife instead to [carefully] cut the belts.
Note that for the trunk, I used a piece from a black belt that I also had on hand. [I may have far more belts “on hand” than any one person should, LOL.]
Step 3: Next, lay out the pieces of your tree on the scrap wood you decided to use (leave room for a star or tree topper of some kind) and glue them in place with a strong glue, like Weldbond.
Step 4: Weight down the entire tree with something heavy like a telephone book and let it sit overnight. The next day everything should be completely dry and solidly attached.
Step 5: If you have a star shape of some kind on hand, glue it to the top of your tree. I punched a star shape from cardboard and attached it using a tiny foam square to raise it up to the level of the belt.
Step 6: Attach a claw hanger to the back of your wall art so you can hang it up and you’re done!
[Note: I often use the Weldbond glue to attach the claw hangers if the wood is too light to hammer a nail into.]
Some Examples of Completed Upcycled Belt Christmas Trees
For the tree topper on this one I snipped off a piece of a decorative belt in a coordinating color.
Including a lower branch with belt holes added some interest to this tree and a rusty star I had on hand made the perfect topper.
My trio of festive, rustic trees has begun to put me in the Christmas spirit, though I’ll be taking a break to focus on Thanksgiving this week ๐
I hope your holiday is touched by grace and peace, whether you find yourself spending it alone, with friends, or with family. May God bless you richly!
Thanks for stopping by–
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe today
and get a FREE copy of my eBook:
Bye for now,

Those look great, Diana, and it’s an idea I never would have thought of.
Question: does Wellbond have a strong odor like E6000? I have seen recently that E6000 now has a supposed odorless variety, which is a good thing, because it smells for days after use!
Rita, I just read that it does not give off fumes, but it does have a slight odor. Whatever that means.
Patty’s right, Rita–no fumes, in fact it’s a lot like Elmer’s wood glue in appearance, though it’s white. It’s a totally different kind of glue than E6000, which used to be a favorite of mine, but Weldbond works BETTER and is easier to use.
Clever idea, even like the first photo of the red belt tree where the pieces are not stacked together. Of course, when I saw the holes I thought of any little teasures that might be hung as decorations. I too am drawn to lovely belts, another collection/weakness I have. I have an embroidered one that holds a large tray, sling like, for display.
Thanks Susan! I liked them stacked as well and plan to test that out next time ๐ Always great to connect with a fellow belt lover who sees all the possibilities…
Diana, these are sweet! I collect belts, too, so we might have a contest ! ๐ I look at belts in terms of bracelets that I can bead on. I also was saving them to use on old chairs to weave into seats. Have a lovely Thanksgiving with your family!
Ha ha! Another belt lover ๐ I’ve got a couple of posts about belt bracelets. I’d like to learn how to put snaps on leather to make some bracelets that way. Someday, right?!! Hope your Thanksgiving was blessed–
I will add this to my ever growing list of cute Christmas projects from you ๐
Awesome ๐
Love seeing unique ways to make Christmas trees! These are ingenious. Happy thanksgiving. XoKathleen
Glad you liked the post Kathleen–hope your Thanksgiving was blessed!
Thirty six years ago after having my son, I said I wasn’t wearing belts until I had a waistline again! Well, I’m not a belt collector. But, I love the concho belts–the conchos are just the right size for a dollhouse sized turkey platter. The wide elastic belts make great doormats, and the metal ones with round rings make great picture frames. Guess I just think small! Happy Thanksgiving!
You are SO creative Kathy! Love your BIG “small” ideas for using old belts ๐ Thanks for sharing them with us–
Who knew belts could look THIS adorable and festive?! This is so clever and beautiful!
I’ve featured this project in this weekend’s DIY Salvaged Junk Projects 503… thanks for bringing it over! ๐
Thank you Donna!! I’m so glad you like the project ๐ I really appreciate the feature–
Gosh, I love these belt trees, Diana, such a great idea and clever belt repurpose! I’m especially fond of the red trees (my favorite color). Pinned ๐
Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving such sweet comments Marie ๐ (And thanks, too, for the pin!)
Love this repurposing project, Diana! There are always so many cute belts at the thrift store. Love the variety you can make!
I’m so glad you liked the idea Lora–it’s kind of right up your alley, don’t you think?
How clever, Diana! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm! Pinned!