A Shortcut to Homemade Christmas Ornaments

Tired of using the same old ornaments year after year? Why not use these holiday ideas and make your own this Christmas? Okay, let’s say you’re not particularly “artsy-craftsy”…no problem! Don’t start from scratch. Just purchase some ready-made tree ornaments and customize them to suit your tastes, your hobbies, your style, or your color scheme. OR - use natural items that you can find for free right outside.

Here are just a few ways I’ve added some interest or “bling” to run-of-the-mill Christmas ornaments:

Zebra stripes and animal prints: Purchase white ornaments. Apply the stripes using an acrylic paint pen. This will work better on glass than on plastic. Actually, the best way to do this is to first paint the ornaments white with a coat of acrylic paint. This will give the paint from the pen a better surface to cling to. For cheetah or leopard prints, paint the balls tan and use the paint pen to add spots. For a giraffe pattern, paint the balls brown and use a yellow paint pen to separate the brown patches. For a really funky look, paint the balls hot pink and add black zebra stripes.

Jeweled ornaments: Apply small rhinestones to ball ornaments. You can use inexpensive acrylic stones, but you’ll have far better sparkle with real Swarovski stones. Use E6000 glue, applied with a toothpick to the ornament. Create a pattern, or cover the entire surface.

Victorian balls: Purchase clear glass or clear plastic ornaments. Remove the top, and fill the balls with potpourri, lace, or flower petals. Glue a tiny bow onto the top of the ornament. These look great on a Victorian-themed tree.

Beachy ornaments: Is your living room done in a beach theme? If so, head to the craft store and purchase some seashells, sand dollars, E6000 glue, and gold leaf paint. Gild the edges of some of the shells and sand dollars with the gold leaf, and cover the entire surface of some of the shells in gold. Glue on a ribbon hanger, and you’re done.

Sports: Let’s say you’re a fan of the GA Bulldogs, like me. You can buy red ball ornaments and write on the ornaments with a black paint pen or with black slick paint – Go Dawgs, #1 Fan, Sick ‘Em, etc. You can also buy clear glass or plastic balls and fill them with shredded colored paper or ribbon in your team’s colors.

Back to nature: There are all kinds of natural items in the great outdoors that can make eco-friendly, green Christmas ornaments. Some of these are seedpods, small pinecones, nuts, flowers, and fruits and berries. Dried pods from popcorn trees can be spray painted gold or silver to make unique ornaments. Pinecones can be painted or left in their natural state. I like to use the small cones with just a bit of snow (white paint) on the edges. Make “fire logs” by tying or gluing cinnamon sticks together. Apples can be suspended from the limbs of your Christmas tree by ribbons, and they give a wonderful smell to the room. Springs of berries can be tucked into the boughs, too, along with fresh or dried flowers. You can make mini-wreaths from several stalks of wheat and hang them on your tree. Plan an evening around the fire stringing popcorn and cranberries with the family. After Christmas, the edible ornaments can be placed outside for the birds and squirrels.

These simple crafts are so easy that they’d be wonderful for kids. Allow the kids to help in creating their own special ornaments this year. They’re sure to take a special interest in the tree if they have a part in creating ornaments for it. And besides, making homemade Christmas ornaments together is a great way to spend quality time!