3 DIY Christmas Ornament Projects

A Christmas tree is more than just a decoration for the Christmas season. A decorated Christmas tree represents memory, nostalgia, and connection. Ornaments, collected year by year, over time becomes a collection of memories celebrating people, events, and hobbies. The final result is a beautiful tribute to a family or extended-family unit. Though having a theme, color or specific type of ornament gives a cohesive look to a Christmas tree, it’s nearly impossible to not add a few of the memory-packed handmade Christmas ornaments. Though they might not go with the theme, they provide the most memories. Not all hand-made ornaments have to look like they were created by a five-year-old. There are many beautiful DIY Christmas ornament projects that bring beauty to any Christmas tree as well as make beautiful gifts or gift toppers. By no means is this an exhaustive DIY Christmas ornament list. There are so many options and creativity to be had by any skill level, but here are a few to consider…

Macramé

Thankfully macramé is not a lost art, but it is a craft once popular in the 70s, making a comeback this decade. Macramé is the art of knot tying, and we see macramé showing up in DIY Christmas ornaments. There are excellent macramé instructional videos online to teach basic knot tying skills. To incorporate Christmas designs with macramé, we love the macramé Christmas trees. There are simple designs that are easy DIY projects, and if those do not work out, there are plenty of sellers on Etsy who have mastered the craft and will sell you a beautiful hand-tied ornament (and we won’t tell anyone you bought it instead of made it!). Macramé string can be knotted around clear glass Christmas ball ornaments as another option of a simple, but beautiful combination.

Wood Beads

Blending beautifully with (or without) macramé are wooden beads. Wood beads can be transformed into so many DIY ornaments, and though they are easy to paint in signature Christmas colors, leaving them their original, light-hued wood gives a modern or Scandinavian look. The beauty comes in the simplicity of the material and neutrality of color. Using burlap or off-white macramé string keeps the palate neutral. Using different sized beads adds a unique effect, and creating a tassel out of the string, and dangling it from the bottom adds additional interest. Pinterest has instructions on how to bead a wooden-bead snowflake which would make a gorgeous ornament for the tree or a creative gift topper. Not to spoil the DIY fun, but there are a lot of artisans on Etsy selling wooden-bead ornaments if you’re not up for a craft. 

Dried Oranges

Because so many fresh fruits are out of season in the winter, dried fruit becomes a unique Christmas decoration. Decorating with dried fruit, dates back even further than macramé to the 1800s before tinsel and commercialized holiday seasons. The simplicity of using readily available materials in DIY Christmas ornament projects still appeals to many. Popcorn and cranberries make a bird-friendly garland to hang outside. Orange slices, dried in the oven, and strung together with twine create an authentic farmhouse look. If you have wooden beads and macramé string left over, incorporate the beads into the garland, and string the dried orange slices on the macramé string. 

 

Creating thoughtful and beautiful Christmas ornaments is part of the gift. It not only makes a memory, it’s a labor of love. Though, obviously, we love Old World Christmas ornaments, DIY ornament crafts look fabulous interspersed with our colorful, glass ornaments. However you choose to decorate your Christmas tree, we hope it brings you joy. 

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Written by

Rachael Mitchell

Rachael Mitchell is a freelance writer based in Seattle, Washington, and has over 15 years of writing experience. She’d never be able to pick just one favorite ornament, but narrowed it down to the S’more and Tennis Ball. She always looks forward to s’mores in the summer with friends and family adding gourmet ingredients, and played 4 years of college tennis in the mid-west.

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