Winter decor: Ice Skate Redo

While there a few things which tempt me into the great outdoors during winter's frigid cold, the thought of gliding carefree over a shimmering stretch of ice seems to be one them. There is something universally gleeful in this pastime which instantly turns everyone into kids again. 

Maybe that's why ice skates are so popularly featured in winter decor. Displayed as is, or adorned with sparkle, paint or trim, skates can brighten those chilly grey post holiday days and bring to mind the happiest of winter times.
They can be incorporated into your table decor for an Apres-Skate tea party or a skate makes a fun winter accent on a front door.

In skating over thin ice, our safety is our speed 

                                       Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ice Skate Redo

While these skates were past their prime,(the blade on one was damaged) this one gets a second act as a decorative accent when spruced up with a vintage printable and some craft store wintry sparkle  

Old skates can often be found at thrift stores and yard sales

You'll find lots of design ideas for decorated ice skates online, some truly works of art.
This redo required minimal artistic skills, just some paint and glue and glitter.

 I chose a pastel palette with white and "sparkly"  accents to match our theme, which handily, I already had in my trove of craft supplies.

faux fur trim and dimensional paint add an old fashioned touch

I added a pink pastel border to this sweet vintage skating duo from the thegraphicsfairy.com

Simply set the table in snowy shades like icy blue and creamy white and accent with wintry touches. Then warm up with a pot of tea and your favorite wintry store-bought or home made treats in shades echoing the season's snowy landscape.

a white woodland forest friend pays a visit. 
Bottle brush trees from Christmas decor are kept out for our winter woodland theme.

another take on the door decor: 

Instead of displaying with a wreath, fill skate with scaled down wintry nature inspired touches  

While I knew ice skating had been around for centuries, I didn't know much about its fascinating history

Some Ice Skating Fun Facts
Ice skates fashioned from animal bones were created as early as 3,000 bc.!) 

Skating and games on ice were popular in China as early as the Song Dynasty (which started in 960 AD) 

By the early middle ages, skating's popularity, as a both means of transport and recreation grew throughout Europe when skates now boasted more advanced edged metal blades 

The first skating club was founded in Scotland in 1740


By 1400 ice skaters had their own patron saint, Lidwina! 

Louis XVI, Madame Pompadour and Napoleon were all fans of the sport

Happy Skating and Thanks for Visiting!