It’s that time of year again: the holidays are on their way, and it’s time to start decorating your home.
But have you ever thought about making your own ornaments? They’re easy to make and don’t require a lot of supplies, so you can use whatever you have around the house.
I’ll show you how to make all sorts of different kinds from paper cutouts to candy canes!
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Creating homemade holiday ornaments can be a fun and rewarding activity that provides a personal touch to holiday decorations. |
| 2. Homemade holiday ornaments can be eco-friendly through the use of recycled or upcycled materials. |
| 3. Making homemade ornaments provides an opportunity for family bonding and memory-making. |
| 4. Homemade holiday ornaments can be simple or intricate, making them accessible to all skill levels. |
| 5. Homemade holiday ornaments can be used as unique and heartfelt gifts. |
Paper Cutout Ornaments
You can use any kind of paper for these ornaments. You can cut out shapes with a template or draw your own design and cut around it.
Use a hole punch to create a hole in the top of the ornament, then thread ribbon or string through it so you can hang it on your tree.
| Materials Needed |
|---|
| Colored paper |
| Scissors |
| Glue |
| Thread or ribbon |
In this section, we provide a list of materials needed to create paper cutout holiday ornaments. These ornaments can be made using colored paper, scissors, glue, and thread or ribbon. This DIY approach allows you to create unique and personalized holiday decorations without spending heavily on commercial products.
Follow our easy-to-follow guide for step-by-step instructions on how to create beautiful paper cutout ornaments that are perfect for hanging on your tree or around your house. With the use of colored paper, you can add a pop of color to your decorations and create a stunning visual impact.
Painted Pinecone Ornaments
To make a pinecone ornament, you’ll need:
- pinecones (you can buy them or pick them up in your yard)
- paint (optional)
- glue
Ribbon (optional but recommended) – You can use plain old ribbon or a fancy one—the choice is yours! The key is to use something thin and lightweight that will easily tie around the base of your ornament.
I like to use satin ribbon because it’s shiny, but you could also use cord if you want something more casual. It doesn’t matter what color it is as long as it looks nice with whatever type of decoration you choose for your finished project.
For example, if you’re going traditional and making classic red-and-green Christmas trees out of these little guys then maybe go with red or green? Or blue for Hanukkah? The possibilities are endless!
Making ornaments, whether for Halloween or Christmas, is an amazing experience to bond with your family. Our article on Get into the Halloween Spirit with These Spooky Crafts provides excellent tips and tricks to help you create spooky crafts perfect for the Halloween season.
Salt Dough Ornaments
Salt dough is a fun, easy-to-make craft that you can use to create adorable ornaments for your Christmas tree. The first step is creating your salt dough recipe. To do this, you will need:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup salt
- 1 cup water
Fingerprint Family Ornaments
Fingerprint family ornaments are a great way to make a family memory. They’re easy to make, too! You can use any color paint you like, and you can choose any shape of paint as well.
To get started, grab an ornament or two. If they don’t already have designs on them—like these ones do—paint over the whole thing with white paint.
Once the white is dry (or at least mostly dry), add some hand prints of your family members by pressing their fingers into the wet paint until there are five distinct prints on each side. Be sure to press firmly enough so that you leave clear impressions but not so hard that you scar the glass!
Easter is a time of year that is associated with brightness, family, and new beginnings. In our article on DIY Easter Decorations to Brighten up Your Home, we provide amazing craft ideas to brighten up your home and bond with your family during the Easter season.
Cinnamon Stick Ornaments
You will need:
Cinnamon sticks (I purchased mine at the grocery store)
Hot glue gun (I purchased mine at the hardware store)
Paintbrush, if desired, for painting cinnamon stick ornaments. You could also just leave them plain. I’m a painter so I wanted to decorate mine with paint!
Ribbon for hanging if you choose to use ribbon instead of hot glueing them on a tree branch or other place around your home. This is optional as well because they can be hung without any additional embellishment; however, if you want to make something pretty and festive for your holiday decorating this year then go for it!
Plaid Fabric Christmas Tree Ornaments
Materials:
- plaid flannel fabric (1 yard)
- scissors
- sewing machine (or needle and thread if you’re old-school)
- glue gun with glue sticks (or hot glue if you’re really old-school)
Instructions:
Cut a large tree shape from the plaid flannel, about 24″ x 16″. If your ornaments need to be hung on a Christmas tree, choose one that will fit inside the branches of an average artificial tree—a 3″ diameter is perfect for this project and looks great with any color of plaid fabric!
If you want to make them stand alone as decorations on their own, try 5 or 6″ diameter trees for larger ornaments.
Either way, cut two different trees out of each piece of fabric so that when they overlap in places it creates a patchwork look around the edges.
Fold over one side and iron flat; then repeat with other three sides until all four sides are folded under ¼”. Iron again just to make sure creases are set firmly in place—you’ll want these sharp creases when sewing them together later because they’ll help hold everything together!
Sew along all four sides using either a sewing machine or by hand sewing with needle and thread if necessary (this would be very old school!)
Make sure not sew all four corners together though; leave one corner open so we can turn it inside out later without messing up our stitches! Leave one side open too so we can fill our ornament full before closing up those openings later on….
Gifts are only meant to symbolize affection between people, not to measure their worth. Our article on Handmade Gifts for Valentine’s Day: Ideas and Tutorials provides creative gift ideas to help you show your affection while keeping a personal touch.
Button Christmas Trees
These are absolutely adorable and I would recommend them to anyone!
What you will need:
- Scissors or a craft knife
- Ruler (optional)
- Button Christmas Tree template
How to make them:
Cut out the template and lay it on top of your fabric square/circle. Cut around it so that there is a 1/2 inch seam allowance all around, leaving enough extra room on one side for turning right side out later on.
If you want to be more precise than just eyeballing this, use a ruler as well to measure the width and length of your fabric piece before cutting it out with scissors or craft knife. This will ensure that everything fits together nicely when we start sewing pieces together later on! 2
| Materials Needed |
|---|
| Buttons (various sizes) |
| Cardstock or cardboard |
| Scissors |
| Craft glue |
| Pencil |
In this section, we provide a list of materials needed to create button Christmas trees. These trees can be made using buttons of various sizes, cardstock or cardboard, scissors, craft glue, and a pencil. This DIY approach allows you to use materials that may already be available in the home or easily accessible at a local craft store.
Follow our easy-to-follow guide for step-by-step instructions on how to create button Christmas trees. By using assorted sizes of buttons, you can add a bit of personality to your decorations and create a unique look for your tree.
Felt Angel Ornament
If you’re looking for a quick, easy project to decorate your home this holiday season, you can’t go wrong with felt.
Felt is a versatile material that comes in all sorts of colors and textures—you can choose between solid colors or patterns, depending on how bright you want your ornament to be.
What is felt? It’s basically wool yarn that has been pressed into sheets so that it doesn’t fray.
How do I make a felt angel? All you have to do is cut out some shapes from the sheet of felt and sew them together at the edges.
The bigger the piece of fabric for each shape (i.e., arms versus wings), the more time this process will take; if speed matters most to you, try making smaller pieces instead!
Once everything has been sewn together, stuff it with polyester fiberfill or cotton batting before sewing up the final seam between two pieces of fabric so that nothing falls out later when hanging from its string loop on top (or bottom).
Then add details like eyes using buttons or bits of colored ribbon tied around existing stitches holding things together; these details make all difference! Finally hang your new creation wherever its light shines brightest against another surface like wall art behind glass frames…
One of the most important and memorable aspects of Christmas is the act of decorating. In our article on 10 Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids, we provide a guide on 10 easy crafts that can keep your kids busy during the holiday season while bonding as a family and creating decorations.
Hot Chocolate Mix Christmas Ornament
To make this ornament, you’ll need:
- A glass jar with a lid
- Hot chocolate mix (the kind that comes in a packet)
Ribbon, yarn or other decorative items to decorate the jar with. You can get creative here! Some ideas include: wrapping yarn around the top of the lid, tying a ribbon around the rim of the jar and hanging it from your tree as is for an easy look.
Or if you’re feeling more ambitious, try tying several ribbons together and hanging them from each side of your tree for an extra fun look!
Felt Candy Cane Ornament
You will need:
- Pipe cleaners (you can also use wire)
- Scissors
- Glue (lots of glue)
To make your felt candy cane ornament:
Cut a candy cane shape out of the felt, then wrap one end with the pipe cleaner and glue it down. This becomes the hanger for your ornament!
Repeat step 1 on the other side of the candy cane shape so that both ends are secured to each other by being wrapped in pipe cleaner and glued together tightly at both ends (this is where you need lots of glue).
| Materials Needed |
|---|
| Felt |
| Scissors |
| Glue |
| Thread |
| Sewing needle |
In this section, we provide a list of materials needed to create felt candy cane holiday ornaments. These ornaments can be made using felt, scissors, glue, thread, and a sewing needle. This DIY approach allows you to create a unique and handmade ornament without the need for commercial products or machinery.
Follow our easy-to-follow guide for step-by-step instructions on how to create these felt candy cane ornaments. With only a few simple materials, you can create beautiful and delightful ornaments for your holiday decorations.
Vintage Wooden Star Ornaments
Vintage Wooden Star Ornaments
What you’ll need:
- Wooden stars (you can find these at craft stores or in the wood section of your local hardware store)
- Paint and paintbrush(es)
- Glue or tape (for making designs on the stars before painting them)
How to make it:
Cut a piece of cardboard or foam core board to fit the top of your star. Use this as a template for tracing onto the star’s surface so that all sides are equal height.
You may also want to draw lines across one end for symmetry purposes (it depends on how symmetrical you want your ornament). If desired, glue scrapbooking paper onto one side with double-sided tape before tracing/painting
Scrapbooking has been around for many years, and it has evolved to cater to the latest trends and styles. Our article on The Top Scrapbooking Trends of the Year: What You Need to Know provides amazing insights into current scrapbooking trends, which can help you create unique and personalized holiday ornaments.
Easy Pipe Cleaner Candy Cane Ornaments
Pipe cleaners are easy to find and cheap. They can be used to make simple shapes like hearts, stars, and flowers. Pipe cleaners come in a variety of colors, which means you can decorate your home with any color palette you like!
To make these festive candy cane ornaments you will need:
- A few pipe cleaners (in green)
- Scissors
| Material | Usage |
|---|---|
| Pipe cleaners | Easy to find and cheap material |
| Candy canes | Used for inspiration |
| Wire cutters | Used to trim pipe cleaners |
Description
Creating candy cane-shaped ornaments out of pipe cleaners is a fun and easy craft activity for all skill levels. Pipe cleaners are a low-cost material that comes in a variety of colors, allowing for customization of the candy cane ornament. Candy canes can be used for inspiration, while wire cutters are useful for trimming the pipe cleaner to the desired length.
Conclusion
We hope these ideas got you excited to get your craft on! Whether you’re looking for a simple project to make with your kids or want something more involved that will keep you busy during the holiday season, there are so many great options here.
Do you have any other suggestions? Let us know in the comments below!
Further Reading
For more ideas and inspiration on how to create homemade holiday ornaments, we recommend checking out the following resources:
Good Housekeeping’s Homemade Christmas Ornaments: A comprehensive list of DIY ornament ideas, ranging from traditional to creative and unique.
Country Living’s Easy-to-Make Christmas Ornament Crafts: A collection of easy-to-follow craft ideas that can be made with common household items or minimal supplies.
Pinterest’s DIY Holiday Ornament Ideas: A curated collection of DIY holiday decorations to inspire and spark creativity.
FAQs
Are homemade holiday ornaments eco-friendly?
Yes, homemade ornaments can be eco-friendly depending on the materials used. Many DIY ornament guides encourage the use of recycled materials or upcycling old items, making homemade ornaments a more sustainable option.
Is it easy to make homemade holiday ornaments?
There are many different types of holiday ornaments that can be made at varying levels of difficulty. Simple and easy ornaments can be made with readily available materials and simple techniques, while more complex ornaments may require more skill and time to complete.
What are some benefits of making homemade holiday ornaments?
Making homemade holiday ornaments allows for creativity, personalization, and memory-making. It is also often more cost-effective than purchasing pre-made ornaments and can serve as an enjoyable family activity.
Do I need to have crafting experience to make homemade holiday ornaments?
No, crafting experience is not required to make homemade holiday ornaments. Many guides and tutorials are designed to be beginner-friendly and provide step-by-step instructions.
Can homemade holiday ornaments be used as gifts?
Yes, homemade holiday ornaments can make great gifts. They can be personalized, beautiful, and thoughtfully created, making them a unique and heartfelt gift option.
Hellen James is the creator of Unified Crafts and has been crafting since she was a kid accompanied by her mom to the craft store, where she was free to choose whatever ignited her imagination.
