How to Make Christmas Ornaments

Salt Dough Cookie DIY Christmas Ornaments

The smell of baking bread is a sure indicator of happy holidays. Mix up a batch of salt dough and use your favorite cutters and paints to make a set of colorful and durable ornaments with a DIY flair.

Step One: Make the Salt Dough

To make the salt dough, mix four cups of all-purpose flour with one cup salt. Add 1-1/2-cups warm water. Knead, roll onto a lightly floured surface and cut your shapes. Use a dowel or toothpick to create a hole in the top. Bake at 325 degree F for 45 minutes to an hour, flipping once.

Step Two: Decorate With Gouache or Paint

After the ornaments have dried and cooled, use gouache or acrylic paint to decorate them. The dough might get a little soft, so make sure to dry completely between coats. Add beads, sequins and other embellishments. Coat the ornaments with sealer such as polyurethane or clear acrylic. Insert a string at the top of each ornament and hang.

Birch Slice DIY Christmas Ornaments

Bring the outside in with a slice of birch. Use festive rubber stamps, a wire hanger and ribbon embellishment to convert a bit of wood into a long-lasting slice of woodsy memorabilia.

Step One: Cut and Drill Your Birch

Cut a few slices of birch on your own, drill a small hole in the top, or buy the bare ornaments from a craft store. Gather rubber stamps, colorful stamp pads, beads and other light-catchers. Experiment with designs on a sheet of paper before creating your masterpiece on the birch itself. Hang it from one of these 12 alternative Christmas tree ideas.

Step Two: Apply the Finishing Touches

Cut several inches of colored craft wire and loop it into the drilled hole. Shape one end into a second loop and wrap the other end around it at the base. If you wish, tie a ribbon around the base to hide the end of the wire wrap.

Victorian Image Transfer DIY Christmas Ornaments

Evoke a 19th-century feel with a homemade ornament using image transfer paper, muslin, lace and a miniature embroidery hoop. This vision of Christmas past looks lovely hanging among your blinking lights.

Step One: Print Your Image

Print a reverse view of a Victorian image onto your favorite brand of iron-on image transfer paper. Follow the provided directions to iron the image onto a square of muslin or other plain fabric.

Step Two: Don’t Forget Lace

Glue a length of lace to the outside of a three-inch wood embroidery hoop. Cut your image transfer with generous space around it and glue it to the inside hoop. After the glue is dry, trim the fabric 3/4-in. from the wooden edge. Place the lace-edged hoop over the inner hoop and secure with the screw. Use wire, ribbon or both to create a loop for hanging.

Translucent Painted DIY Christmas Bulb Ornaments

The classic Christmas bulb is more memorable when you make it yourself. With a clear glass or plastic bulb, glue and food coloring, you can make a set of dreamy, translucent balls for your tree or windows.

Step One: Mix Your Colors

Pour 1/2-cup cup of craft glue into a plastic cup. Add 1/4-tsp. of food coloring and stir. Add more food coloring for a deeper shade.

Step Two: Coat the Outside

Use a disposable foam brush to completely cover the outside of a clear glass or plastic bulb. Allow it to air dry, or for faster results use a hair dryer. The glue will dry clear. Add additional coats to create tonality or experiment with beads, glitter and sequins. For another take on the same project, pour the glue inside the bulb and give it a few days to dry.

Fun Faux Leather DIY Christmas Ornaments

Faux leather is a strong material that can endure through multiple craft processes. Cut, glue, sew and stamp it into an interesting conversation piece that could become a family tradition.

Step One: Break Out the Cookie Cutters

Cut a sheet of faux leather and decorate with stamps, markers or paints. Try using a cookie cutter to trace a Christmas shape. Design the ornament in layers so that each one has a front and back. Don’t forget to add a hole for hanging.

Step Two: Assemble and Sew

Assemble your shapes and sew them together. Use a tiny punch to create holes around the edge. With your pieces connected, add finishing touches like beads, sequins, embroidery or trim. Add a string and hang.

Up next, check out these tips on how to store Christmas ornaments and if you’re looking for more fun things to do this Christmas, then learn how to make Christmas crackers.