A Christmas ornament can trim a tree or grace a garland, be a gift topper or the gift itself.
Here are 15 DIY ornaments, most of which you probably already have the materials for and/or are simple enough to make that even kids can join in!
1. Cardboard Tube Ornaments
These super colorful ornaments are made from painted paper towel tubes strung with ribbon and beads! / via Vesna Taneva-Miller
2. DIY Gold Leaf Ornaments
Transform clear glass ornaments by swirling colorful paint inside and gluing gold leaf outside. / via The Sweetest Occasion
3. Quick Clay Owls
These cute ornaments start from a circle of clay that you fold to create the shape of an owl. If you don’t happen to have modeling clay around, Paging Fun Mums has a recipe for making your own with cornstarch, baking soda, and water. / via Paging Fun Mums + 4 Crazy Kings
4. Simple Felt Tree Ornament Tutorial
Basically, you just use Handmade Charlotte’s PDF template to cut out felt circles of increasing sizes, stitch up the sides, and stack them up. I can’t decide which I like more: the trees with different colored layers or the ones that are just a single color! / via Handmade Charlotte
5. Upcycled Fabric Ornaments
Braid scraps of fabric to give old ornaments a new look! / via Simply Notable
6. Jar Ring Map
An old map and the ring part of a mason jar lid make a keepsake for remembering a trip or celebrating your hometown. / via Happy Mothering
7. Modern Leather Ornament
Delia (of Delia Creates) took leftover pieces from a leatherwork project to create this lovely minimal ornament. She mentions that you can substitute grosgrain ribbon for the two smaller (contrasting) strips. / via Delia Creates
8. Kusudama Paper Ornament
While Japanese kusudama balls were traditionally made from real flowers, you can make a paper version by folding origami petals and gluing them together. Robin (a.k.a. Robayre at Inspiration Junkie) makes a new one every year before Christmas. She has made them from old catalog pages, origami paper, and paper she’s decorated with herself with gelatin prints. / via Inspiration Junkie + Full tutorial at PlanetJune.
9. Pet Photo Ornament
Make a mini-plush pet ornament with a favorite photo and some iron-on transfer paper. You can use a complementary cotton fabric for the back — check your stash for those random extra pieces! / via Live Free Creative Co
10. Woven Cookie Stars
Super easy project using thread wrapped around cardboard! To mix it up, use variegated string or multiple colors. / via Aesthetic Outburst + Full tutorial at The Crafty Crow.
11. Watercolor Ornament
You get this watercolor look by dipping the ornament in nail polish and warm water. / via Unexpected Elegance
12. Wood Burned Christmas Ornaments
Use a wood burning kit to decorate thin wood slices cut from a tree branch. / via Simply Notable
13. Cinnamon Stick Himmeli
Gwen McKenzie (for Jojotastic) created this project based on the geometric shape of traditional Finnish himmeli ornaments, except using 12 cinnamon sticks instead of straw. I bet it makes your house smell like the holidays! / via Jojotastic
14. Hoop Ornaments
This is actually a series of 8 different ornaments designed for various people on your gift list — including grandmas, Goths, teachers, and teammates! They make use of small (3-4″) embroidery hoops and require little to no sewing. / via Crafts Unleashed
15. Resolution Time Capsule
I shared this one in the Violet color stories post, but such a fun idea is worth repeating! You fill a glass bulb with confetti and rolled up pieces of paper with your New Year’s resolutions on them and then, a year later, you can see how things turned out! / via The Crafted Life
Each image links to its source.
Such a great round-up. There’s even a few that my little ones can help with!
Thanks! Can’t wait to see what you guys decide to make!