Vintage Sled Christmas Decor: Giving an Old Flying Saucer a Holiday Makeover

From the Archives: This project goes back to the earlier days of Junk Is My Life. I recently discovered people are still finding it, so I thought it deserved a little dusting off—much like the sled itself. Some vintage finds immediately tell you what they want to be. Others sit there looking at you until you figure it out.

I found this old metal flying saucer sled at an estate sale, and it was exactly what you would expect from something that had spent years hurtling children down snowy hills. Dirty. Grimy. Dented. Scratched. PERFECT.

If you grew up with one of these, you probably remember the experience. You sat down, somebody gave you a shove, and approximately three seconds later you were spinning uncontrollably down a hill with absolutely no steering capabilities. Good times.

And, of course, I can't look at a metal saucer sled without thinking about Clark Griswold applying his special kitchen lubricant before launching himself down the hill in Christmas Vacation.

Thankfully, I had slightly less ambitious plans for this one.

The Important Part: Don't Ruin the Old Vintage Sled

I knew I wanted to turn it into Christmas decor, but there was one thing I didn't want to do: Permanently alter it. This vintage sled had earned every dent and scratch. And despite all that wear, it could theoretically still spend another winter flying down a hill. That meant no permanent paint job.

Instead, I decided to create the design with removable vinyl. It would hold up well enough to use the sled as outdoor holiday decor, but it could also be removed later if someone wanted the original sled back. Nearly ten years later, I appreciate that decision even more. Old things don't always need us to "improve" them permanently. Sometimes the best makeover is one that can be undone.

First, We Deal With the Grime

I started with spray cleaner. That helped. But this sled had apparently accumulated several winters' worth of determination. My workshop didn't have running water, so I took it home and gave it a good scrubbing with a Brillo pad. Much better.

I wasn't trying to erase its history. The dents and scratches were staying. I just wanted to remove enough grime that the vinyl would adhere properly. There's a difference between patina and filth. Vintage dealers understand this distinction deeply.

Creating the Snowman

For the design, I found a snowman graphic in the Silhouette Design Store and downloaded it into my Silhouette Cameo software. I separated the individual colors so each could be cut from its own piece of vinyl. The sled measured approximately 24 inches in diameter, so I used a 24-inch circle in the artwork as my guide for scaling the finished design.

Even though the completed snowman was quite large, I was able to divide the design so each individual color could be cut from a 12-by-12-inch sheet of vinyl. After cutting everything, I weeded the individual pieces and transferred the design onto the sled. And somehow... IT FIT.

There are few things more satisfying than measuring something, cutting everything out and discovering that your math has not betrayed you.

It Needed One More Thing

Once the snowman was in place, I added wire to the sled so it could be hung. But it still needed something. I had some black-and-white checked ribbon and initially considered making a big decorative bow. Then I had a better idea. Instead of a bow, I simply knotted the ribbon so it looked like the snowman's scarf—as though a gust of winter wind had caught it and blown it right off his neck while he reached for it.

THERE IT WAS. That tiny detail finished the whole thing.

A Vintage Sled Gets Another Life

The finished sled could hang on a porch, lean beside a Christmas tree, or become part of a winter display.

And because I didn't permanently paint the original surface, someone could remove the vinyl and—

GO SLEDDING. Although at this point in my life, I personally prefer the version where I remain upright and admire it from the porch.

Looking back at this project now, I think what I like most about it isn't actually the snowman. It's that the old sled still gets to be an old sled. The dents stayed. The scratches stayed. The evidence of all those trips down snowy hills stayed. I just gave it something new to do for a while.

And that's still one of my favorite things about old junk. You don't always have to erase what something was to imagine what it could be.

Take the back road.

Find the good junk.

Thank you for reading my blog! If you would like to see more, follow me on Facebook, Instagram,and Pinterest! Just click on any of the social media links above! Thanks for following me on the junking adventures!

Edit: It was so nice of Donna over at Funky Junk Interiors to feature this project on her blog! She has a really great blog. Check it out by clicking here.

Below are some links to products I used in this project. Disclaimer: Junk is My Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Below is an image to pin to Pinterest if you would like to save this idea!