5 Easy-to-Make Christmas Ornaments for Your Tree
If you are looking to add a bit of homemade sparkle to your Christmas tree this holiday season, then you will love these ideas for five, easy-to-make Christmas ornaments. Making homemade Christmas ornaments will give your tree a unique look. Easy Christmas ornament crafts like snowflakes and painted keys are great for the less crafty among us, and kid-friendly crafts like cinnamon cookie ornaments and pipe cleaner candy canes will help small hands pitch in for your Christmas decorating.
Cinnamon Cookie Ornaments
Things you’ll need
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons glue
- 1 cup ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon ground cloves
- Waxed paper
- Rolling pin
- Cookie cutters
- Drinking straw
- Baking sheet
- Puff paint
- Ribbon
Combine applesauce, glue, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Knead the mixture together to form a stiff dough. Roll the dough between two pieces of waxed paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Make a hole at the top of each ornament using the end of a drinking straw. Bake the ornaments at 250 degrees until they are dried out. Decorate with puff paint, as if you were icing gingerbread or sugar cookies. Let the paint dry completely. Tie a ribbon through the hole to hang the ornaments. Hang them on your tree and enjoy the scent of your homemade ornaments!
Candy Cane Ornaments
Things you’ll need
- Skeins of red and white embroidery floss
- Red and white pipe cleaners
- Floss
Cut the loops at each end of the embroidery floss skeins. This will give you two bundles of floss per skein. Tie a bundle each of red and white floss around the end of a pipe cleaner. Wrap the floss around the pipe clearer to form red and white stripes. Knot the ends of the floss together at the bottom. If you run out of floss before the end of the pipe cleaner, cut the pipe cleaner to match the length of the floss. Bend the pipe cleaner at the top to form the hook of the candy cane. Use different colors of embroidery floss for brighter, more interesting look to your Christmas tree.
Jingle Bell Ornaments
Things you’ll need
- Small plastic Christmas ornament
- Small red balls
- ribbon
Add small red bells to fill the bottom of a clear plastic Christmas ball ornament. Close the top and add some ribbon, tied in a bow. For an extra flair, you can decorate the outside of the ball ornament with glued-on ribbon or felt decorations, paint, or glitter.
Snowflake Ornaments
Things you’ll need
- Crocheted Doilies
- Towel
- Fabric Stiffener
- Foam Paintbrush
- Iron
- Thread
Lay the doilyy on the towel. Paint fabric stiffener on both sides of the doilies and let them dry overnight. Iron the doilies to keep them stiff. Hang them from threads to form beautiful snowflake ornaments. You can find unique, vintage crocheted doilies at flea markets and thrift stores.
Skeleton Key Ornaments
Things you’ll need
- Skeleton keys
- Glossy white spray paint
- Newspaper
- Red ribbon
Lay down several layers of newspaper so you don’t get spray paint anywhere. Spray paint the skeleton keys and let them dry completely. Thread red ribbon through the key and tie in a loop. You can purchase vintage and reproduction skeleton keys from online craft suppliers. Glossy white spray paint gives the keys a vintage, sophisticated look. Try out other colors and types of paint to match your decorating scheme.
