How to Make Upcycled / Recycled Metal Lid Halloween Ornaments

I always save up a bunch of random lids from all sorts of containers: pasta jars, beer bottles, mayonnaise jars, peanut butter jars, etc. Some lids are metal and some are plastic. All sizes will work.

Paint the lids with a primer and your chosen paint color. I used black gesso for my primer and skipped the paint layer. You could also use spray paint. Don’t forget to paint the sides and back. Give it at least two coats because paint easily chips off of metal. For best results you might want to lightly sand the lid to create a “tooth” for the primer to grab onto. I, of course, skipped this step.

I snagged a bunch of cool scrapbook embellishments from Michael’s craft store on sale just after Halloween. They were probably about 70% off so I bought a ton of them. I also used skull charms, skull beads, miniature pumpkins, and bones I made from clay. Just about anything will work. Try your local dollar store for small, cheap trinkets.

The stickers simply peel off and stick to the lids but for a more secure bond, glue them down with tacky glue, matte medium, or mod podge. You can also use resin, 3D Crystal Lacquer or Diamond Glaze to create a shiny embedded look.

Glue ribbon around the ornament, leaving a loop at the top for hanging. Start and finish the ribbon application at the ornament’s bottom. Choice of glue is important: tacky glue or white glue bleeds through most ribbon, making a splotchy look. If you use this glue, be sure to spread it evenly around the rim of the lid so that it bleeds through evenly. Matte medium is not sticky enough to hold the ribbon in place long enough to bond so I wouldn’t recommend using it. I’ve also tried E-6000 but it bleeds through as well.

I like to decorate the back of the lid to cover any imprinted labeling and also just to make it look even more pretty. You can do this any way you want but I like to dribble on some varnish sealer and then sprinkle on glitter. You could also use stickers or punched paper attached with mod podge.