12 Days of Christmas Day 11 Retool a Toolbelt for Christmas

If you've been around my blog at all, you know I love old tools so I always check the tool section at my local thrift store. The other day (HALF PRICE DAY, WOOT-WOOT!) I spied this suede and leather tool belt. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it, but decided since it was only going to cost me $3, it would come home with me. 

It didn't take long for me to decide to cut it into 2 pieces so I could use one of the pouches for a wall hanging.

I started with a board that was in the PILE that seemed to be about the size I wanted and painted it dark green. It would be cute to stencil snowflakes on the board, but I plan to use this pouch not only for Christmas, but year-round.

I wanted the suede to look a little older and a little more like leather so I used Wise Owl Furniture Salve. It is great on leather and you can get it from my friend Tina HERE.

I attached the toolbelt pouch to the wood with screws in the four corners.

I put candy canes in one of the pouches and hung them off of the hammer loop. I added some fresh greenery and pinecones to the largest pouch. I wasn't sure what else to put in the other pouch. I thought Christmas cards, hot cocoa packets, old photos, but decided on a string on jingle bells.

To age the craft store bells I dabbed them with Rub-n-Buff, using a soft bristled brush.

I them used the same brush to dab a minuscule amount of black paint over the antique gold. (Wear gloves and ignore my fingers!)

I wired the bells to a piece of jute rope.

And hung them in the other pouch.

I hung this between my great room windows and the French doors leading to my sunroom.

I love how the old, worn leather and the candy canes and aged jingle bells make this look like it might have been worn and used by Santa.

There are lots of ways to use this post Christmas--flowers, fresh in a jar of water or dried, or in an office for pens, paper, scissors, or on a porch for a place to leave notes, or in the sewing craft room to hold scissors, paintbrushes, etc. It has ample storage space and is a fun way to upcycle someone's cast-off tool belt.

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