Different Ideas To Make Your Own Christmas Ornaments

When people discuss their favorite Christmas Ornaments that decorate their tree; often times it is the homemade Christmas Ornaments that hold a special place in their heart. Christmas Ornaments can be purchased easily and fairly cheaply in many stores, so why are these homemade ornaments so cherished? For the simple reason that time and care was used to create the ornaments and looking at them takes you back to that specific time and memory. Following are some simple ideas for making your own Christmas ornaments and memories.

Christmas cards that have been received make great Christmas ornaments that remind us of the people who celebrate the holiday with us. Most Christmas cards are made of heavy card stock with elaborate designs. For instance if the card contains a picture of Santa Claus or The Holy Family this would make the perfect card ornament. First you need a pair of sharp scissors or pinking shears if you prefer a decorative cut. Cut carefully around the design or cut in a shape to frame the picture. Once your picture is cut out, flip it over and record the sender’s name and date. After this is recorded use laminate paper to preserve the Christmas Ornament. Use of hole punch and carefully place a hole at the top of the picture and thread with yarn or ribbon. Your Christmas Ornament is now complete and ready to hang.

Popsicle sticks can be used to make beautiful snowflake Christmas Ornaments. You will need five Popsicle sticks for one snowflake. Lay two Popsicle sticks in the shape of an X, then place the last Popsicle stick so that it faces up and down giving your snowflake six sides. Next you need to apply the glue to hold the Popsicle sticks into place. Once the glue has dried you can paint your snowflake in your choice of color and add glitter if you prefer. In order to hang your snowflake on the tree, place a dab of glue on the back at the center. Use ribbon or yarn to make a loop and attach to the glue. Once dried your snowflake Christmas ornament is ready to hang on the tree.

Christmas Ornaments Have you ever put tinsel on your tree only to have a bunch left over? This simple Christmas Ornament will help put those leftovers to use! Local craft store carry all sizes of clear plastic or glass balls around Christmas time. These usually screw apart and are made to put items inside. This is where your leftover tinsel comes in. Place your tinsel in a ball and put it inside the ball, use pencil or other thin object to fluff the tinsel once inside the ball. Your tinsel Christmas Ornament is ready to hang. If you choose, you can add some fake snow inside to make it a snow globe of sorts or use paint pens to write phrases like “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” plus the date on the outside of the globe.

Another idea to use with the clear plastic or glass Christmas Ornament balls mentioned above is to make a time capsule Christmas Ornament. To create a time capsule for a child, you will need a small photograph and other small memory objects. For instance, craft stores carry small charms or miniatures such as baby shoes, pacifiers, teddy bears, etc. Place the photograph inside the ball facing out against the side and fill with the small objects of your choosing. Once you have filled your time capsule Christmas Ornament you can cover the seam with ribbon or rickrack. Be sure and add a tag either inside or on the outside to record the year of your time capsule Christmas Ornament.

There are many different Christmas Ornaments that you can make with felt, buttons, ribbon and glue. One of these Christmas Ornaments is a hanging snowman. You will need white felt, other varying colors of felt, assorted buttons and ribbon or yarn. The first step is to cut the white felt into three different sized circles. You will need a circle for the head, middle and bottom of the snowman. Once your circles are cut, apply the buttons for the eyes and three placed vertically for the middle section. You can use other scraps of ribbon or felt to dress up your snowman however you like. Perhaps a black top hat, orange carrot nose or a bright red scarf. Once your buttons and felt decorations have been glued and dried, you will apply small strips of ribbon or yarn to the back of each circle to hold the snowman together and let your Christmas Ornament dangle.

Other ideas for felt Christmas Ornaments are simply cutting out shapes that symbolize the holiday either by freehand or by using a stencil or cookie cutter to trace around. Once cut out these felt ornaments can be decorated with buttons, pom poms, glitter, marker or whatever else you desire. The possibilities are only limited by your ideas. Here are some basic designs to get you started:

*A Christmas tree complete with ornaments
*Santa Claus’ face with a cotton ball beard
*A Bethlehem star with glitter
*A stocking for each family member’s name on it.
*Circle faces with yarn hair (or no hair) to symbolize each member of the family
*Gingerbread men
*Reindeer
*Candy canes

When it comes to making your own Christmas Ornaments the main thing to remember is that you are making a memory. When working with small children to make your Christmas Ornament, understand that they will not be perfect and there will be some mistakes, but those are the things that are going to make your Christmas Ornament special in the years to come as you look back at your ornaments hanging on the tree. There are many resources to find ideas for homemade Christmas ornaments either in magazines or on the internet. Most of the internet websites contain specific directions and show the different steps in pictures helping to guide you through the process. Your homemade Christmas Ornaments can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose to make them.