Easy Christmas Tree Ornaments

Swirls, teardrops, and tiny dots cover satin baubles like frost on a winter windowpane. Freehand paint paisley-inspired patterns so each ornament is one-of-a-kind. All you need is a white paint pen and some colorful Christmas balls.

Turn an old sweater into a warm and festive ornament. Cut a 6-inch-long tube from a sweater sleeve. Slip a plastic-foam ball into the tube. Gather cut ends at the top and bottom of the ball using straight pins to hold the fabric in place, trimming where necessary. Glue red velvet ribbon around the ball as shown, dividing the ball into quarters. Use a red pearl-head pin to secure a felt poinsettia or a small purchased artificial flower to the top of the ornament.

These delicate snowflakes are definitely sweet -- but they aren't edible! To prepare the dough, mix 1/2 cup salt, 1 cup flour, and 1/2 cup water until sticky. Roll the dough to 1/4- inch thickness, and cut out snowflake shapes with cookie cutters. Use a skewer to pierce a hole for hanging. Bake the shapes for 4 hours in a 200 degree F oven. When cool, draw hearts, squiggles, and dots with a red permanent marker. Hang from a loops of festive twine or yarn.

Let it be known that Santa is in the house with this greeting. Paint a ball ornament with red acrylic paint. When the paint dries, apply letter stickers and a snowflake to make Santa's voice ring throughout the holiday season.

Deck the halls with boughs of holly with this ornament. Hot-glue a plastic sprig of holly and berries to the inside of a clear ornament cap. Twist the ornament cap into place so the holly hangs down inside the bauble.

Add a little jingle to your tree with an ornament that's sure to bring music to your ears. Fill a clear ornament with small red bells. Wrap ribbon around the top of the ornament and glue the long tails in place. For an extra touch, tie ribbon through the hanger and glue a felt Christmas tree to the center of the crossed ribbon tails.

Dab metallic paint onto an ornament using a sponge to create texture. Punch snowflakes from cardstock and adhere just the centers (so the points are not secure). Top the snowflakes with round, epoxy stickers adhered to the centers for a frosty fun addition to your tree.

Bring the beach into your Christmas decorating by painting stripes of glue on an aqua-color ornament and sprinkling it with sand. Add small shells and beige buttons for a casual, sunny look.

Cut out a tree shape from festive holiday-motif cardstock. Mat the tree on white paper, then add rhinestone trim and a snowflake on top.

Take a walk in the woods to gather materials for this simple, natural ornament. Clean the sap from pinecones with a weak water-and-bleach mixture. Twist an eye hook into the top of the pinecone, dust the edges with spray snow, and tie on a bold ribbon to add outdoor charm to your tree.

Add a little bling to your tree with this dazzling ornament. Dress up a clear orb with pink acrylic paint. Let the paint dry then add evenly spaced rows of multicolor adhesive-backed gems.

Make your Christmas a traditional one by personalizing your tree with old family photos. Simply mat pictures on fun, Christmas-color cardstock and cut to fit a 3-1/2x5-inch black photo frame.

Let your creativity show with these simple paper ornaments. Cut out circles from colored cardstock. Add string, ribbons, buttons, and other holiday decorations to make one-of-a-kind ornaments. Glue on a piece of gold foil to mimic an ornament top.

Give your tree an old-fashioned look by slipping Christmas stamps into a clear ornament. Look for sets of stamps with different pictures to add interest.

Brighten up the tree in no time with vibrant orange ornaments embellished with glitter.

Simplicity says it all with these flower-topped ornaments.

Spell out "Joy" on ornaments in glittery script, then add some jewels and extra glitter to make these flashy tree decorations.

Turn your Christmas fir into a forest by filling it with dozens of paper-tree ornaments made by simply rolling up strips of green scrapbook paper.

Dressed up in jewels for the holidays, these quick-to-make ornaments will be the star attraction of your Christmas tree. The ornaments are crafted using a purchased ball ornament, crafts-store beads, and gold glitter.

For ornaments that dazzle, decorate satin balls with dimensional paint and shower them with the tiniest of beads. A few simple crafts supplies, our free pattern, and a steady hand are all you need to create these striking holiday decorations.

Here's a variation of the ornament shown in the previous slide. The free-form star pattern is easy to re-create and gets a little visual kick from the dots at the end of each arm.

Sparkling beads make any tree decoration stand out from the rest.