Are you stressing about your budget for Christmas this year? Do you need cute gift and decoration ideas that won’t cost you a fortune? Shopping at second hand stores may not be ideal for your gift ideas, but there are many ways to take used clothing and turn it into unique personalized gifts. You can also turn used clothing into wrapping paper and table settings for the Christmas season. Here are a few ideas of how you can turn used clothing from the Arc into affordable, adorable Christmas projects.

Leg Warmers 

Staying stylish in the winter is almost as important as it is to stay warm. Layers are the best way to look great and dress up for the harsh weather. A winter outfit isn’t complete without coordinating leg warmers, but who wants to spend $20 plus on an item similar to socks? Making your own will guarantee that no one else will be able to steal your style and will save you money.

This idea also serves as an excellent stocking stuffer! A great way to make your own leg warmers is to buy used fuzzy sweaters and cut the sleeves off. You want to get a sweater that will fit around your calf, so try it on first. Choose the colors you will wear most, and then all you need to do is cut! Below is a great instructional video on how to do it. You can also use the same method for wrist warmers. For wrist warmers all you need to do it cut the sleeves off, and then cut a tiny hole for your thumbs.

Christmas Wrapping

The great thing about second hand clothing stores is the wide selection of different designs, colors, and patterns to choose from. An easy and unique idea is to take a shirt design of your choice, cut it into a square and use it as wrapping paper for you gift. You can personalize it or simply use Christmas sweaters or festive flannels. Another great idea is to cut strips out of a flannel, or design of you choice, and use it as ribbon. You can even create your own bow! Here is an example of a gift with flannel ribbon and a messy bow!

Table Settings

If you are having a Christmas dinner, you are probably going to want to set your table in a way to impress your guests. Here is a great blog with ideas on how to make your table look fancy for Thanksgiving with thrift store finds. Although these are Thanksgiving tips, all you need to do is switch out traditional Thanksgiving décor for Christmas décor. Colors for Christmas are often red, green, silver, and gold. Cutting up a gold or silver shirt into strips can be used as napkin ribbon holders. You can also scatter around these pieces and set your dishes on top of them. You can take flannels and cut the pockets out, setting silverware on them to create unique and festive utensil holders.

The Arc Store has a wide assortment of used clothing as well as Christmas decorations this time of year. Before you come into the store be sure to download a $5.00 off your purchase of $15.00 or more coupon below.