12 Things You Shouldn't Throw Away After Christmas

We've shown you how to take broken china from trash to treasure and there's a similar way to save broken Christmas ornaments, too. Broken ornament pieces can make pretty mosaic tiles for anything from a mirror to jewelry.

Burnt out bulbs are always frustrating, but you can save them to be repurposed into a festive craft next Christmas. This colorful wreath by blogger Mommy Is Coo Coo may not light up, but it's certainly brimming with cheer. Another idea: Give them a coat of mirror effect spray and turn them into a decorative banner.

Turns out, colorful scraps of wrapping paper are the perfect crafting material. Use old wrapping paper to create collages or strings of garland. Depending on the size of your scraps, you can also line desk drawers with wrapping paper to brighten up your work space.

If you have metallic garland, keep it around for festive New Year's decor. Then, reuse your garland as packing material when shipping or transporting fragile objects. Sending a birthday gift? Just think how much more festive your package will seem when the recipient opens up the box to find it full of colorful tinsel!

After sipping wine with your adult guests at Christmas dinner, save your empty bottles—they can be repurposed into fun crafts that are useful all over the house. From rustic centerpieces to nifty citronella candles, check out our 23 favorite ways to give wine bottles new life.

Of course, you shouldn't let your corks go to waste either. Made from malleable material, they're easy to work with and can be transformed into anything from place card holders to garden markers. See our 21 favorite ways to repurpose wine corks for more ideas.

Dry out pine needles from your wreath to use in potpourri bags—they'll keep your home smelling of the holidays all winter long. Save the metal ring too, it can be used for future DIY wreaths.

Like with your old wreath, pine needles can be used for potpourri bags or as mulch in your garden. Use the wood from your unwanted tree to either build a bird house, feeder or a cat tree for your feline to scratch away at. Once dried out, the wood from your tree also makes excellent firewood to keep you warm all winter long.

Is it just us, or do those mini candy canes have a way of accumulating throughout the holiday season? Once Christmas passes, resist the urge to toss the rest of your stash and instead melt the peppermint candies to use for a cute craft or winter recipe. We're a bit obsessed with turning peppermint into edible candy spoons, but you can also mold the candy into decorative bowls or fun shot glasses.

If you did your holiday shopping online, this trick is for you. Put the cardboard boxes your gifts came in to good use by turning them into pretty storage baskets. All you have to do is wrap twine or rope around the cardboard and it will be instantly transformed before your eyes. Add fabric with a fun pattern for an oh-so-pretty finishing touch.

Get the tutorial at Living Well Mom.

Our favorite thing to eat when Christmas rolls around? Batches upon batches of freshly baked cookies! All that baking is bound to leave you with a ton of eggshells. We've previously noted that eggshells are great for starting seedlings and fertilizing soil. But in the chillier months, use crushed eggshells and soapy water to act as a cleaning abrasive. You can also keep eggshells in your kitchen sink strainer to act as a drain cleaner.

Yes, you should definitely keep any cards from close family or friends that have sentimental value. But whether from an acquaintance or doctor's office, it's also likely that you have too many cards to keep track of. Cut up any cards you don't want to save to be used as gift tags next Christmas. You can string your DIY tags onto gift bags with twine.

MORE: 11 Delightful Gift Tags You Can Make in a Flash