As you start to envision that magical time of year when you gather with family and friends to decorate the tree, think about adding a few unique ornaments to this year’s collection.
Whether your style is rustic or elegant, neutral or bold, homemade ornaments add a memorable touch to the tree. Even if you aren’t a skilled crafter, there are many ways to make ornaments this year—just combine materials that are easy to find with a bit of fun and creativity, and you have something amazing!
Here are just a few of the many possibilities for a special touch on the tree, whether you’re keeping them for yourself or giving them as a treasured gift.
Book Page Ornaments
If you’d like to impress guests, friends, and family with skillful and elegant ornaments, try these book page creations. You can scour your local thrift and used bookstores for volumes that have gilded edges or particularly interesting page colors. Some of the folds are intricate and will take practice, but the results are worth the effort. There are several tutorials available, including lovely flowers, stars, and wreaths. Starting with this seasonal snowflake is a lovely way to show off your new skills!
Clear Glass Balls
One of the most straightforward DIY ornament styles is using clear glass balls. These are widely available at all craft stores, inexpensive, and offer a platform for endless variety! You can fill them with a range of materials, including glitter, confetti, and even shredded paper for a simple yet elegant look. If you’d like something more involved, you can paint the interior and even add modeling clay decorations to make fanciful creations like unicorns! Using colored markers to personalize names or events on the outside can also make these memorable.
Mason Jar Lids
Mason jars are abundant in decorations these days, and you can use them for your holiday ornaments, too! The best part is that ornaments use the lids and rings that you’ve probably discarded from other projects. You can use the rings alone to make mini wreaths in various styles. Faux moss from a craft store can easily mimic a full evergreen wreath feeling, or some twine wrapped around can give a rustic and cozy vibe. Consider making groups of these mini wreaths to cluster together on your tree or use to decorate gifts. Plus, adding small berries or embellishments at the top of the wreaths can also give them a realistic feeling. If you have extra seasonal fabric to use, try making mini “embroidery hoop” ornaments with the lids and rings; these can easily change each year to match your décor theme or coordinate with presents.
Hardware Store Finds
Beautiful and innovative ornaments don’t have to come from fancy materials—there are many you can make from items at your local hardware store! Light switch covers can turn into sparkling photo frames with a little bit of glitter and embellishment. Clear lightbulbs can be filled with everything from confetti to fake snow and small faux trees. Coating small glass bulbs with glue and glitter is a great way to string together a glamorous light strand to drape across your tree. And for those who want to be even more crafty, try gluing nuts together to form a snowflake shape, then spray with silver or white paint.
Wood Slices
For a truly homemade and rustic aesthetic, these wood slice ornaments are hard to beat. While some skilled crafters can make these using wood-burning tools, there are options available to complete this project without special materials or skills. You can cut your own wood slices from logs or buy precut pieces at craft stores—something with a smoother surface works best. Use stencils or freehand designs with permanent markers and paint if you don’t have a wood-burning kit. You can even lightly transfer an image from a printout or sticker to the wood, and then paint over it for a richer look.
Adding decorations to your tree this year doesn’t have to be expensive. A trip to the craft store is all you need!
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