Homemade Christmas Ornaments

Spool Christmas Ornament

Approximate Time: 10-15 minutes

Supplies:

• Christmas gift wrap paper
• empty thread spool
• glue
• chenille stem/pipe cleaner
• ruler
• scissors
• small Christmas ball ornament

Instructions:

1. Cut a strip of Christmas gift wrap paper wide enough and long enough to cover the body of the spool (the area where the thread used to be.) You can also use scrapbook paper or ribbon if you prefer.

2. Glue the paper strip to the spool overlapping the edges

3. Sit the thread spool upright on the wrong side of another piece of your paper and trace around the spool end.

4. Cut out two circles of paper and glue one to each end of the spool.

5. Cut a tiny opening in the bottom circle of the spool covering. This will be made at the location of the spool hole.

6. Put a little glue around the top of the small ball ornament and stick it into the spool hole. (I used hot glue for this part so I wouldn't have to wait for the ball/spool connection to dry.) If regular glue is used, allow ornament to rest on its side until ball/spool connection is fully dry.

7. Cut a chenille stem to 6 inches (longer or shorter if you prefer) and bend in half.

8. Put glue on the stem ends and insert into the top circle of the spool covering at the location of the spool hole. You can feel the hole if you press on the end of the spool with your finger. (You can also use a ribbon or other type string as a hanger.)

By Pam from McMinnville, TN

Gold Glitter Ball Ornament

Approximate Time: 30 minutes

Supplies:

• paper mache ball
• gold glitter
• holly leaves, 3D sticker
• green satin ribbon
• spray adhesive
• hot glue
• scissors

Instructions:

1. Place newspaper on work surface to catch excess glitter.
2. Spray adhesive onto paper mache ball.
3. Sprinkle all over with gold glitter, shaking off excess. Let dry.
4. Cut ribbon to desired length and tie in bow. Cut ends at a slant.
5. Hot glue bow at top of ball.
6. Attach the 3D holly leaves sticker at the center of bow.

Source: KandCompany sticker

By Maricel from Fairfax, VA

Craft Project: Skate Ornament

Approximate Time: Half an hour

Supplies:

• Scraps of white felt
• 2 paper clips 2 inches long
• Embroidery thread for laces
• Needle with large eye
• Fabric glue

Instructions:

1. Cut out two pieces of felt using the pattern shown.

2. For each skate, slip the felt through the paper clip and glue along the side edges to secure.

3. Using all six strands of embroidery thread, use an overcast stitch to make the laces, leaving enough thread to tie in a bow so that you can hang it on your tree.

By preserverpreserver from Manitoba

Scrabble Tile Christmas Ornament

Here's an easy craft for Christmas. Simply thread buttons on a thin ribbon, alternating Scrabble tiles to spell out any greeting or holiday phrase you like. Make a loop at the top to hang.

Merry Christmas everyone.

By ~gloria

Paper Pinecone Ornament

Supplies:

• 2 inch smooth foam eggs
• 2 sheets of contrasting paper (I like light weight natural paper.)
  You need two 8.5 x 11 pieces of paper per egg.
• craft or sequin pins
• thin ribbon
• scissors
• ruler
• cutting board (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut your paper in 1 3/4 inch strips.

2. Fold the corner of the end to make a triangle, cut the excess off and repeat with the entire strip to make a bunch or triangles. Fold the triangles in half one more time to make smaller triangles. It is essential that they are square pieces of paper folded twice diagonally.

3. Make 21 of one color (white) and 20 of the other (red).
4. Cut a 1 inch white square. Cover the smaller end of the egg with the square and pin the four corners in place.

5. Place four red triangles around the the small end of the egg. Place them so all four of the corners meet at the tip of the egg.
6. Now place four white triangles 1/4 inch from the last row of triangles and off set from the previous row. Continue adding rows until the egg is covered.

7. Take your remaining white triangle and unfold it and then re-fold into a small square by folding it twice. Pin this at the very top to cover the last pins.
8. Cut some ribbon and make a large loop, tie a knot or bow with the left over ends and pin it to the top. You may want to use more than one pin to ensure that the ribbon won't fall off when it is hung on your tree.


By Stella Bui-Rivet

Craft Project: Recycled Plastic Lid Photo Ornament

Approximate Time: 10 minutes

Supplies:

• 1 plastic can lid (from powdered juice mix)
• 1 piece red crepe paper
• 10 inches of lace
• hot glue gun and glue
• white glue
• Christmas hook
• small photo
• scissors

Instructions:

1. Cut the photo to fit inside the ridges of the lid.

2. Take the lid and put lace around the edges using the glue gun.

3. Measure off enough crepe paper to fill the inside of the lid.

4. Glue the crepe paper to the inside of the lid.

5. Glue on the photo using white glue sparingly.

6. Add a touch of hot glue to the back and put your hanger on.

7. Wrap it up and send it on it's way to that special aunt, uncle, grandma, or grandpa.

By Gem from VA

Craft Project: Handmade Wooden Sled Ornament

Approximate Time: 8 hours for 10 or more

Supplies:

• 8 Popsicle sticks (for each ornament)
• white glue
• wax paper
• sandpaper
• red paint
• 6 inches of ribbon to hang by
• embellishments

Instructions:

1. Cover your area with wax paper.

2. Take 3 Popsicle sticks and line them up side by side. Scoot the middle one up until it is about 3/4 of an inch past the top of the other two sticks.

3. Glue these in place on the sides one by one. Allow to dry.

4. Next take 2 Popsicle sticks and line them up on the sides of the ones you have glued, but stand these up. (Refer to picture.)

5. Glue into place and allow to dry.

6. Take two Popsicle sticks and lay them flat against the last two you just added. (These will be in the same plane as the original three, with their edges glued to the runners.) Glue into place and allow to dry. (This is the back of the ornament.)

7. Put one Popsicle stick in the middle of the front and glue into place. This will be the part you would pull it by. Allow to dry.

8. Use the sandpaper to remove any wax paper or glue that may have adhered to the project as you were gluing it. This is a vital step before painting the sled.

9. Wipe with slightly wet cloth to remove fine sandpaper particles.

10. Paint front of sled red and allow to dry.

11. Paint the back red and allow to dry.

12. Add a ribbon tied on the edges of the middle post to hang it by.

13. Embellish the sled with snowflakes or words and hang on your Christmas tree.

Tip: These can easily be personalized to suit any child or adult.

By GEM from VA

Craft Project: Folded Paper Christmas Stars

Approximate Time: less than an hour

Supplies:

• paper scraps (the stiffer the better :)
• used gift-wraps
• pencil
• scale
• scissors
• glue
• cellotape
• thread and needle

Instructions:

1. First draw the star on a piece of paper, as shown.
2. Then, cut along the edges.
3. Draw straight lines joining the corners and intersections, as shown in image (1)

4. Follow image (2), cut along the red-lines, and fold along the purple and blue ones in the same direction.

5. Fold the green lines, in the opposite direction. Refer to image (3) for the folds.

6. Join the free edges together, using cellotape. Refer to the pictures to get an idea of how it would look from the front and the back.

7. Using glue, cover the star with a wrapping paper. Make a small hole on the star with the needle and tie a thread through it for hanging your star on the Christmas tree, or wherever else you wanna hang it :)

   And... its done!

   By Gunja from West Bengal, India

Quick and Easy Ornaments for Children to Make

These darling ornaments are easy for children to make and can also be used for last minute gift ideas or for Christmas tags. They are inexpensive and quick and easy to make. I had most of the supplies on hand.

Approximate Time: 20 minutes each.

Yield: 1

Supplies:

Quick, easy and inexpensive Christmas ornaments or package tags.
• 1 make up wedge
• 1 green or red ink pad ($.50)
• 1 round cardboard coaster or cut a piece of cardboard into a circle
• 6 in ribbon
• 2 stick on Christmas themed foam shapes
• 1 hole punch

Steps:

1. Gather supplies.
2. Take the ink and load it on your make up wedge.
   Pull the wedge over the round coaster from left to right making it look marbled.
   (If you do not have a make up wedge a sponge brush will work just as well.)
3. Do the same to the back side.
4. Choose 2 foam Christmas shapes and stick one on each side.
5. Punch a hole in the top of the coaster.
6. Take a length of ribbon and fold equally in half.
7. Slide the center of the ribbon (the loop) into the hole.
8. Draw up the ribbon and pull through.
9. Tie a knot in the top of the ribbon to hang it by.

Have fun and enjoy some crafting time with the children.

By gem

Cinnamon Ornament Cut-outs

These are so much fun to make and they make your house smell just heavenly!

Approximate Time: 10-15 minutes

Yield: varies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cinnamon ($3.00)
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup applesauce ($.75)

Steps:

1. Mix ingredients to play dough consistency. Chill.
2. Roll out and cut into desired shapes.
3. Make a hole for hanging.
4. Dry at room temperature.
5. Note: Drying can take 1 or more days.

By Robin

Add Glitter To Clay Ornaments With Christmas Cards

I was making ornaments out of air-dry clay, and putting the date on them with markers, when I had an idea I thought I would try.

I took the ornament and pressed it onto an old Christmas Card that had glitter embellishments on it. To my delight, the clay did pick up the glitter from the card after I pressed it on there several times, it even picked up the shape of the snowflake.

I am letting it air dry now, and it will be a beautiful decoration for our tree!

The kind if clay I am using is Air-Dry Clay by Crayola. I bought a 2.5 lb tub about two years ago and there is still well over 3/4 left. This stuff lasts a very long time.

By Robyn

Homemade Christmas Ornaments

Get Artsy

Ask the artists in the family to draw small pictures on cardstock. Then, glue round toothpicks to the edge and overlap them at the corners in log cabin style. Build a few layers to create a frame around the pictures, and loop some ribbon through the top to hang.

Family Photos

Make a photo tree by using copies of your family photos, preferably head shots. Collect bottle tops from bottles of Snapple or similar packaging. Paint the caps in festive colors or add glitter to the backs. Leave the inside of the caps alone. Use the cap as a template to cut out the photos so they fit inside the caps. Then, coat the inside with a thin layer of glue and place the photo inside. Glue some ribbon to the top of the cap to hang.

Vacation Memories

Plan ahead for next year and collect souvenirs from a family vacation for the holiday tree. Collect shells and hot glue ribbon to them to hang them from the tree. Another option is to purchase the empty ornaments sold at a craft store for filling. Then, while on vacation, gather a small cup of sand for your ornament (store it in a plastic water bottle for transport.) Other souvenirs can be added to the ornaments such as ticket stubs or foreign coins.

Have a Ball

Stock the kitchen table with paint, white glue, scraps of wrapping paper, and other small craft pieces. Add a plastic bowl filled with white glue and a few paintbrushes. Last, set out a dozen or so ping-pong balls with a small eye hook screwed into each. Then, bring in the family. Each person should decorate a ball in whatever fashion he/she likes. Coating a ball with white glue and torn pieces of scrap paper creates a decoupage design.

Feeding Frenzy

Try decorating an outdoor pine tree this year and give a feast to the outdoor animals. Bring the family outside and use only edible decor. Popcorn can be strung into garland or it could be "glued" onto apples with peanut butter. Oranges simply need to be hung to add color to the tree, and apples add even more variety. Corn cobs are a favorite of wild animals, and they can hang from the tree or be fashioned together in star and snowflake shapes.

Editor's Note: To see all our homemade Christmas crafts, follow this link:

• ThriftyFun Christmas Crafts

By Kelly Ann Butterbaugh

Cinnamon Apple Sauce Ornaments

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp. white glue

Directions:

By Christi

Craft Project: Christmas Decorations - Santa and Other Dolls

Editors Note: This could be a good craft for the kids to help make decorations.

Approximate Time: less than an hour

Supplies:

• scraps of paper (the stiffer the better :)
• colored gift-wraps
• cotton, wool
• thread and needle
• sketch pens
• scissors
• glue and cellotape

Instructions:

1. Take a small rectangular piece of paper and stick a piece of red gift-wrap of the same size on it.

2. Fold it in the shape of a cone and stick the edges with glue.

3. Cut off the base.

4. Cut a piece of paper (get a colored paper or color a white paper) in circular shape to make the head of Santa.

5. Glue cotton on the face to make Santa's hair and beard.

6. Draw his eyes with a pen.
7. Make a hole on top of the cone to tie the thread for hanging the doll from the tree.

8. Then stick the head on with glue in front of it.
9. I glued some cotton to the base of the cone and made a cap cutting a triangular piece of gift-wrap and gluing some cotton on it for added effect.

And the Santa's done!

Similarly, I made the fairy using different colored gift-wraps, gluing wool on her head for hair and gluing some gift-wraps, cut as wings, to her back.

With little tweaks, the same process can be used to make any doll of your choice. All we need is a little imagination :)

By Gunja from West Bengal, India

Glass Holiday Orbs

Crafter's Note: I happened to find the glass ornaments at a yard sale, where I paid fifty cents for four. The original price was ninety-nine cents each. Retail price is still not bad considering how much you pay for ornaments these days.

Approximate Time Painting - 15 - 30 minutes. Drying - depends on weather, in humid weather it will take a few days. The final assembly takes about 5 - 10 minutes.

Supplies:

• clear glass ornaments, any shape
• craft paints - I used acrylic craft, glass, and metallic paints
• small plastic or paper cups
• wired ribbon
• craft glue
• ornament hooks

Instructions:

1. Carefully remove the gold fixture at the top of your ornament. Choose your paint colors and, using one at a time, drip some on the inside glass at the top of the ornament. Use enough paint so that it will run down inside the ornament. As the paint moves, twist and turn the ornament to swirl the paint - this takes a little patience, but you can't make a mistake. You will swirl one paint color before adding another and all of your designs will be different.
2. When the ornament is painted to your liking, turn it upside down over a small plastic or paper cup to allow the excess paint to drain. Check the ornament every so often and wipe any paint that has collected around the top on a paper towel. Allow the ornament to sit in the top of the cup until the paint is dry.
3. When the paint has dried, insert the gold fixture and use wired ribbon (I liked the look of wide ribbon) to tie a bow around the top. Glue the ribbon in place and add an ornament hook.

By Marie from West Dundee, IL

Christmas Traditions: Making Ornaments

Wooden Snowflakes

Materials and Equipment:

• a large plastic bag or several sheets of newspaper
• several three-dimensional wooden snowflake forms, unpainted (I like to use snowflakes that are 4 x 4 inches, and about 1/8 inch thick.)
• white acrylic decorating paint
• one spool of silver metallic thread
• a small paintbrush
• two lids from used plastic containers (such as a yogurt container)
• white or silver glitter (optional)
• craft glue (optional)
• a glue spreader or Q-tip (optional)
• bottle caps or buttons, one for each snowflake (optional)

Instructions:

1. Before you start, clear the table and cover it with newspaper or a large garbage bag to avoid getting paint on the table.
2. Pour a small puddle of white paint onto one of the plastic container lids.
3. Load your paintbrush with the paint and paint one side of a wooden snowflake form until evenly covered. Place the snowflake on the plastic or newspaper paint side up to dry.
4. Repeat step three for all the snowflakes you wish to complete. Allow to dry.
5. Next, paint the reverse side of each snowflake. Allow to dry again.
6. Finally, paint the rim of each snowflake. Allow to dry.
7. If applying glitter, pour a small puddle of glue onto the other plastic container lid. With the glue spreader or Q-tip, spread glue along the edges of each snowflake. Shake glitter over the glue until covered, tapping off any excess. Allow each snowflake to dry, placing bottle caps or buttons under them, or any thing that will prevent the glue from touching the table.
8. Once all your snowflakes are completely dry, tie a piece of the metallic thread to each one (about 6" of thread per snowflake). Tie the other end into a loop.
9. Hang snowflakes from your Christmas tree or in a window and "Let it snow"!

By Christine Weber

Christmas Ornaments From Curtain Rings

Heart Ornaments from Scrap Fabric

Sew on a gold ribbon or color of your choice for hanging. I sent them to my chat friends for Christmas. They are very light and don't cost to much to send and my friends loved the.

By Connie from Ballwin, MO

Pretzel Christmas Ornament

These ornaments are easy enough for pre-schoolers to do. Just smear some Elmer's glue on the front of your pretzel and dip it in some glitter. Cut a piece of yarn for your hanger. Type up the label on your computer. You can get a lot on 1 piece of paper. Cut them out and use a hole punch on the side of the label. It says:

"The pretzel was first made in the 7th century in Europe. It was shaped to look like a praying child's hands. May this pretzel ornament on your tree remind you of the true meaning of Christmas."

Run the yarn through the hole in the label and then through the pretzel. Tie a knot in the yarn and you have a beautiful Christmas ornament for your tree.

By luv2craft from Normalville, PA

Nut Ornament

Materials and Equipment:

• a large plastic bag or several sheets of newspaper
• a walnut or almond in its shell
• acrylic decorative paint in gold or silver
• a paintbrush
• a lid from a used plastic container (such as a yogurt container)
• a thin piece of ribbon, about 10 inches long, color of your choice
• thread
• scissors
• craft glue
• glue stick (optional)
• metallic glitter (optional)

Instructions:

1. Before starting, clear the table and cover it with newspaper or a large garbage bag to avoid getting paint on the table.
2. Pour a small puddle of metallic paint onto the plastic container lid. Paint the walnut or almond shell completely. Your fingers may get paint on them, but it will wash off easily. Set the nut aside to dry.
3. Optional: If you like the nut in the photo, add a light layer of glue (use a glue stick or glue spreader) and sprinkle metallic glitter over the nut for some extra holiday glitz!
4. Cut off a piece of the thread, about 10 inches long. Place a dab of craft glue on the top of the nut and press the thread into it. Set aside to dry.
5. Once the glue is dry, tie the loose ends of the thread into a knot. This will form a loop with which to hang the ornament from the tree.
6. Tie your piece of ribbon into a bow. Place another dab of glue on the top of the nut and press the bow onto it. Hold until you feel the bow is sticking. Allow to dry completely.
7. Hang the nut ornament on your Christmas tree. After Christmas, you can store the ornaments for the next holiday season, as they will last for several years.

By Christine Weber

Craft: Four Homemade Christmas Ornaments

Approximate Time 30 minutes each

Supplies:

• ice cream sticks
• pipe cleaners
• beads
• acrylic paint
• hot glue and gun
• ribbon

Instructions:

Icicle

For the icicle, take a white or silver pipe cleaner as long as you want. Take the crystal beads and start with the smaller ones on the bottom. After you have twisted the pipe cleaner on the end to keep the beads from falling off, then use the bigger beads as you get to the top as in picture. Twist down at top and attach hanger.

Bead Candy Cane

For the bead candy cane, take a red pipe cleaner and twist in the shape of the cane then twist up one end. Put your beads on, you can make it as big as you want or use any colors you want. Keep putting the beads on until you get to the end. Twist that end of the pipe cleaner around the last bead and attach an ornament hanger.

Sled

For the sled, take 4 medium size ice cream sticks and glue together side by side then take 2 small ones or cut one of the medium ones in two and glue on bottom as in picture. Attach string to hang on tree. You can personalize it if you like. I hope you and your kids will make these and hang on your tree and enjoy.

Candy Cane

For the pipe cleaner candy cane, take 2 different colored pipe cleaners and twist them around each other then shape like a cane. Then take a green one and shape like leaves as in picture and twist around the cane. Attach an ornament hanger.

By Sandy from Bluff City, TN

Homemade Snowflake Glass Ornaments

Supplies:

• empty clear glass ball ornaments
• artificial snow
• snowflake stickers
• 1 plastic straw
• funnel (optional)

Directions:

1. All you do is remove the lid from each ball ornament and fill each ornament about 1/2 way to 1/3 way with the artificial snow. You can either use a funnel to get the snow in the ball, or you can angle cut the end of a straw to use as a little scoop for picking up the snow and then putting down into the mouth of the ornament to get the snow easily inside. (I found this easier than the funnel as the funnel gets a bit clogged).
2. Once you have your snow inside the ornament, put the silver cover back on (I use hot glue to seal mine so they don't ever slip off).
3. Adhere your sticker on the outside of the ornament.

These are so pretty, they look so fancy and you can really make a bunch of them at a very low cost.

By Michele from East Bethel, MN

Spool Snowman Ornament

Supplies:

• wooden spools
• white acrylic paint
• clear sealant
• homespun fabric
• jingle bells
• paint for eyes, nose, and mouth

Directions:

1. I found these wooden spools on clearance on Hobby Lobby, but they have these at Walmart for 8 spools for $2.00. We started out by painting the spools with white acrylic paint and clear sealant. Let dry for 5 minutes each.
2. I ripped a piece of a 12 inch homespun fabric, strung it to the jingle bell, and tied 2 knots.
3. We strung the first spool and tied 2 knots, second spool and tied 2 knots, and strung the third spool and made a loop big enough for it to hang, then tied a knot.
4. We added the eyes, nose with paint. The smile we used was black puffed paint. It didn't cost much to make at all, less than $3.00.

By Bonnie from Norman, OK

Tootsie Pop Tree Ornament

Materials

• 4 inch square fabric of choice, cut with pinking shears
• thread of choice
• Popsicle sticks (fancy or plain)
• small styrofoam balls
• needle for thread

Directions

At the top of the Styrofoam ball, use threaded needle to create a "loop" for hanging the ornament on the tree.

By Deeli from Richland, WA