Easy DIY – Vintage Holiday Sled

I vowed last year that I would add more vintage to my holiday decor. (If you blog about it, it has to come true, right? Now that’s accountability!) Well, I’m happy to tell you that I’m following through. I’ve stashed away some great winter vintage finds throughout the year, and now I’d like to share with you this incredibly easy winter decor project. And if I say it’s easy, it is! I am NOT Martha Stewart!

You’ll just need a few supplies for this project. I found the vintage sled and skates at estate sales earlier in the year and stashed them away. Craigslist and ETSY are also great resources for finding these items.

Vintage sled
Worn or vintage ice skates
4 yards of ribbon (I used what I had on hand)
Small pine wreath or centerpiece (a Pine Centerpiece from Trader Joes works perfectly!)
(optional) Extra string to attach wreath

First, I took the old, grungy laces out of skates and re-laced them using approximately 2 yards of ribbon for each skate. I used some red satin ribbon that I had stashed away from gifts-of-years-past, but you could use any type. You can really adapt the look of the whole project depending on the color and texture of ribbon you choose.

Once you’ve re-laced the skates, hold them together and let one fall about a foot lower than the other. Tie a knot half-way between the skates and the end of the ribbon.

Next, I attached the pine wreath just below the sled yolk. My wreath had a wire attached to the back, which I just twisted around the metal part of the sled. If your wreath doesn’t have the wire, you’ll have to attach some string (or leftover ribbon) to the back of the wreath and tie it onto the sled.

Then, I took my newly laced skates and threaded the ribbon through the metal part of the sled under the yolk (where you attached the wreath), and tied a knot to secure it.

Finally, I tied a bow with the length of ribbon that was left hanging. I used what was left because I wanted to keep it simple and inexpensive. Another option would be to trim the extra length of ribbon, and construct or purchase a large bow to affix to the wreath.

There are so many ways to customize this project to fit your needs and coordinate with your existing decor. I wanted to keep it simple and inexpensive, so I used what I had and tried not to purchase anything extra.

I placed my vintage holiday sled in front of my home – it looks great with the stone front and red door. I love the vintage feel of it, and am so happy that I gave new life to a few forgotten winter toys!