On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… a collection of homemade ornament ideas to make with my family! Christmas time means celebrating special moments with family — and what could be more meaningful than sitting down at a table to make Christmas ornament crafts together?
This year, take some time to have a Christmas ornament craft night with your family or friends using some of these fabulous handmade Christmas ornament craft ideas. Whether you like paper crafting, finger painting, or you prefer a classic monogram, we have a homemade Christmas ornament idea that will inspire you to get creative.
1. Origami Christmas tree ornament
The best crafts in life are free! Make these eye-catching origami Christmas tree ornaments, designed by Sum of Their Stories, using paper you already have on hand. Kids and adults alike will enjoy folding paper into these modern geometric ornaments.
Fold regular printer paper into these diamond-shaped ornaments (technically called an “octohedron”), and then embellish the diamonds with gold paint pens, yarn pompoms, or your choice of sparkly embellishments. Add a dab of glue and some glitter, sparkly Christmas stickers, or tie on a handmade tassel.
This craft is great for grade school kids and older, but you can include any child in this project. For instance, let your toddler doodle on paper before you fold it to include their art in the project.
Supplies: While you can use regular white paper to make these origami Christmas ornaments, they would look very beautiful if made from printed origami paper or various shades of your favorite solid-colored paper. Find a huge assortment of colorful paper at your local craft store, where you can also pick up gold paint pens, embroidery floss, and other embellishments to use for this project.
Add a tassel: Quickly and easily create gorgeous tassels for these ornaments by tying skeins of embroidery floss into tassels. To create a tassel, tie an 8-inch piece of thread through the end of a skein of floss, then wrap more thread around the floss, just below the end. Trim the skein to create the tassel, then add a bead to the tassel for extra style.
Origami Christmas garland: Create eight origami ornaments and tie them to a long piece of ribbon or twine to create a pretty Christmas garland. Drape the garland across your fireplace mantle or add it to your Christmas tree.
2. DIY rustic monogram Christmas ornaments
If cottage style is your home decor of choice, you’ll love making these DIY rustic monogram Christmas ornaments by The Crafting Nook. This craft is simple to make, but you will learn how to distress wood to get that authentic rustic look. The addition of glitter adds a little extra glam to the rustic look, making a very elegant ornament.
It’s fun to incorporate home improvement techniques into crafts, especially when they make such professional-looking ornaments. You could spend a lot of money to buy these ornaments in a trendy home decor store or you can make them yourself and create a truly unique Christmas decoration.
This project is a perfect choice for a crafting night with family or friends because it uses simple techniques but makes a professional-looking end result. Make sure you pick up the correct wooden letter for each member of the family before you begin. You can find wooden letters at your local craft store, as well as most of the other materials you need for this project: glue, glitter, and burlap ribbon. Find the sandpaper and screw eyes at your local hardware store.
You will use sandpaper to distress the wooden ornament before you add glitter and other embellishments. Sand it a little to add character or sand it a lot to make it look even more rustic. If you like a truly destroyed look, use a nail and hammer to create small poke holes in the wooden ornament.
Colorful monogram ornament: If you like the look of this ornament but would like it better in a different color, just paint the ornament with acrylic craft paint (and allow the paint to dry) before you distress it.
3. Baby’s first Christmas ornament
Baby’s first Christmas requires a special handmade ornament, like this baby’s first Christmas ornament project by Thrifty Crafty Girl. We can’t think of a more perfect way to preserve baby’s newborn stocking cap, hospital bracelet, and other special birth keepsakes.
This Christmas ornament craft has the advantage of being extremely simple to put together, yet it beautifully displays some of the most precious memories of baby’s first days. Simply buy a clear ornament and insert baby’s special keepsakes inside.
Not just for baby: The entire family can participate in this homemade ornament project by simply collecting their own meaningful items to display in a clear ornament. Encourage kids to display special award ribbons, drawings, or other special items from this year that they would like to remember. Kids can write their Christmas list for Santa and insert it into an ornament, while adults can commemorate a special occasion like the purchase of a home or a special anniversary. The wonderful thing about clear ornaments is that they provide a good way to display any special small items that fit inside.
Where to buy clear ornaments: Clear ornaments have become a staple for holiday crafting, so buy them at your local craft store or dollar store during the fall and winter months.
Other creative ideas for clear ornaments: paint ornaments with acrylic paint or drip paint inside them for a marble effect. Insert confetti, glitter, fake snow, or other holiday trinkets to create one-of-a-kind homemade ornaments for your Christmas tree. Coat the inside of the clear ornament with mopping fluid, and then pour glitter inside, swirling the glitter around to coat the inside of the bulb.
4. DIY mini snow globe ornament
What is more cheerful than a holiday snow globe? An ornament that is made to look like a snow globe! Clear ornaments come in many shapes and sizes, including the sweet Christmas light-shaped ornaments used in this clever DIY mini snow globe ornament by No Biggie.
The most important component in this craft is the light-shaped ornament, which can be purchased at your local craft store or online. You can also substitute another shape of clear ornament to make a snow globe that is just as sweet as the original. Find the other supplies for this craft at your local craft store: bottle brush trees, twine, white glitter, and glue.
If you’re looking for a good ornament to make en masse for a handmade gift for teachers, neighbors, coworkers, or other friends, this project is a great choice. The materials are inexpensive, and you can make many of them in an hour. This project is also a good choice for a craft party with kids or grown-ups.
Make it with children: Kids can get in on crafting these cute ornaments too! While parents tend to the hot glue portion of the craft, kids can use a funnel to insert the glitter into the glass bulb.
Package tie-ons: Tie a snow globe ornament to a wrapped gift to add a special touch to a special present.
Place cards: Insert the completed ornament into a small roll of washi tape to prop it up as a place card for a holiday dinner. Add a small name tag to the twine on the ornament to designate seating assignments at the dinner table. As a bonus, guests can take the ornament home as a party favor.
5. Reindeer thumbprint ornament
If you’re making handmade ornaments with children, incorporate their cute little fingerprints into the craft to make a truly special keepsake Christmas ornament that you will enjoy displaying on your tree for years to come. This cute reindeer thumbprint ornament by Little Bit Funky is the perfect crafty Christmas project to make with small kids.
If you have infants, toddlers, or small kids, this thumbprint craft makes an adorable ornament your child will be thrilled to hang on the tree. In fact, this project is so cute you should make a few extras to give to grandparents, who will especially appreciate those tiny little fingerprints.
Supplies: Use any plain-colored Christmas bulb ornaments for this project — just pick your favorite color ornament to start with. You will also need acrylic craft paint and a black permanent marker, as well as newspaper or a vinyl tablecloth to protect your surface as you work.
Paint tips: Wash hands immediately after making thumbprints to minimize the potential mess. For this project, we do not recommend using washable paint because it will not hold up as well as regular acrylic paint. Make sure to clean up any paint spills or drips before the paint dries. Have a wet rag or paper towels next to your work surface to help the clean up process.
Before you begin, mark each ornament with your child’s name or initials and the year. It’s easier to write on them first and paint them afterward. Once the ornaments are marked, it’s time to make the thumbprints! Let the paint dry completely before you add details with a permanent marker.
This craft is a good project to make with a group of kids, such as in a preschool or grade school classroom.