53 Homemade Christmas Ornaments to Give Your Tree Tons of Character

Stamped Clay Ornaments

Replicate the look of ornate porcelain ornaments by stamping clay with cut glass plates, glasses, or bowls. Roll out air-dry clay ($6, Michaels) to about ¼-inch thick. Carefully press or roll the patterned glass onto the clay to make an impression. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and poke a hole in the top with a straw. Transfer to a wire rack lined with waxed paper so the lines of the rack don't transfer to the clay; let dry faceup overnight. Flip them in the morning so the other side can dry. Tie a ribbon or string through the hole to hang.

Wood Bead Ornaments

These Scandinavian-inspired wood bead ornaments are the perfect finishing touch for your traditional Christmas tree theme. Make them in classic colors for a timeless holiday look.

Felt Lantern Ornaments

These bright handmade ornaments—reminiscent of traditional Chinese paper lanterns—look complicated but are simpler than you might expect. They are essentially two overlapping felt cutouts threaded onto a skewer with a section of paper straw in the middle to hold the shape. A loop of metallic cord and colorful beads glued to the ends of the skewer finish them.

Metallic Marble Ornaments

A quick dip in spray paint ($17, Michaels) gives these marbleized Christmas ornaments their shimmer and shine. Mix up any colors you like and give them as homemade Christmas gifts.

Mason Jar Lid Ornaments

Make your own miniature wreath ornament by gluing faux or preserved boxwood leaves to the metal lid of a Mason jar and accessorizing with mini pinecones, berries, or bells. Plus, this Mason jar lid ornament doubles as a festive gift topper. If you don't have any old jars to repurpose, you can buy individual packs of lids so you don't waste new jars.

Stamped Felt Ornament

Tone-on-tone plaid felt ornaments look retro. Stamp the plaid onto felt shapes with a homemade striped stamp applied in opposite directions. Make the stamp by gluing strips of crafts foam to a woodblock. Cut out the ornament shapes freehand or use our templates.

Felt Cookie Cutter Ornaments

These adorable felt Christmas cookie ornaments look almost good enough to bite into! They're quick and easy to make with two colors of felt, and the single beads stitched on top really do look like sprinkles! When you're done making the ornaments, mix up a batch of real Christmas cookies you can actually eat.

Wood-Slice Animal Ornaments

A simple wood slice ornament ($3, Joann) is transformed into a rustic set of creatures with the help of some felt and paint. Our easy instructions will walk you through how to paint a moose, penguin, and raccoon for your Christmas tree (or come up with your own designs!). It's easy enough for the kids to help with, so the whole family can get involved with this fun Christmas craft.

Tinsel Wreath Ornaments

Think of these wreaths as miniature (and circular) versions of the midcentury tinsel tree. Twist metallic pipe cleaners around a small wooden crafts ring until covered. Cut a piece of felt into three pieces: 5- x ½-inch, 5- ×⅜-inch, and 1- x ⅜-inch. For the tails: Notch the ends of the ½-inch piece, fold to form a V (secure fold with glue), and glue to the wreath. For the classic bow: Glue the ends of the ⅜-inch piece together to form a loop. Press flat, pinch the middle, and wrap the middle with the remaining piece of felt. Glue bow to top of tails.

Felt Glitter Ornament

These sparkly felt ornaments may look complicated, but they're so easy to put together. And don't be intimidated by the glitter: We used spray glitter ($7, Michaels) rather than loose glitter you shake out of a bottle to add sparkle to our felt pieces without the mess.

Salt Dough Ornaments

Create a lasting memory with this year's Christmas crafts by making your own handprint ornaments from homemade salt dough. Have all the kids press their handprint into a round dough ornament, bake them, and string them up before hanging on the tree (don't forget to write the year on the back!). They make a great Christmas gift for grandparents, too.

Wool Ball Ornaments

Cleverly made from inexpensive wool dryer balls ($10, Target), these homemade ornaments instantly warm a tree. Lightly sketch snowflakes on the ball with a pencil, then backstitch along the lines with various colors of embroidery floss. Sew on a loop of floss as the hanger.

Wood Bead Snowflake Ornament

Create a winter wonderland to hang on the tree! These DIY snowflake ornaments look really intricate, but you only need four materials to make them: Wood beads, craft wire, ribbon, and scissors. They're so easy, you'll have a whole snowstorm of ornaments made before you know it.

Felt Monogram Ornament

Try your hand at a new skill this season and make a tree-full of these gorgeous felt monogram ornaments (no sewing required!). All you need is wool roving and an inexpensive felting needle. We'll show you how to form letters and create the ombré effect: All you need to do is choose a color scheme!

Woodburned Handmade Christmas Ornaments

Turn wood slices into charming one of our Christmas ornament ideas. We started with wooden coasters, but you can also use slices found at crafts stores. Freehand-draw a snowflake design with a woodburning tool, or follow these easy steps. First, mark the center of the wood slice with a pencil. Use a ruler to draw a plus sign and then an X (like a compass). Trace the lines with a woodburning tool. Make short lines with a straight tip and press into wood. Use the same tip to burn lines around the edge of the wood slice. Use a round tip to make the dots. Twist a screw eye into the top of the ornament, tie with a ribbon bow, and hang.

DIY Tartan Ornaments

Repurpose an old plaid shirt into a festive set of Christmas ornaments! We're all about finding sustainable ways to celebrate the holidays, and these DIY tartan ornaments will keep old or ripped button-down shirts from going in the trash. Plus, you can use old ornaments as the base to make this a totally free Christmas craft.

Faux Succulent Ornament

Trim your tree with mini succulent wreath ornaments! These DIY succulent ornaments take just minutes to make and showcase the beauty of faux succulents.

Surprise Ball Ornaments

These clever DIY surprise ball ornaments double as a festive gift, because you can actually hide small trinkets or presents inside the ornament. Place your gifts inside fillable plastic ornaments before you begin, then cover the surface with pieces of paper streamers. Save these as a surprise for Christmas morning, or turn them into a fun Advent calendar countdown.

Straw Star Ornaments

Make a twinkly display of pretty star ornaments for your tree. Grab a set of gold and white paper straws and start threading the straws together with waxed thread and a needle. We'll show you how to fold the straws just right to create a set of gorgeous DIY ornaments.

Geometric Handmade Christmas Ornaments

What's the secret to these geometric Christmas ornaments? Metallic tubing and a simple threading technique. Create your own in a variety of shapes.

Terrarium Christmas Ornament

Embrace a nature-inspired look with terrarium Christmas ornaments. To create, simply add faux snow to your succulent terrarium and pop in a pom-pom snowman. To make, simply glue three white pom-poms together and add felt details. Finish by using a marker to create eyes.

Faux Taxidermy Ornament

With a cute deer pattern and a few simple supplies, you can make an adorable faux taxidermy homemade ornament. Download the pattern. Cut two pieces of white felt and a piece of cardstock, all slightly larger than the pattern. Glue the cardstock piece to one piece of felt. Trace the pattern onto the cardstock side; cut out with scissors. Glue the cardstock side of the head shape to the second piece of felt. Trim excess felt from around head shape. Fold the felt away from cardstock at the neck, and glue to a wood plaque cutout.

Quilled Paper Ornament

Twirl cut cardstock to create this stunning handmade quilled paper Christmas ornament. It may look complicated but requires just one tool. Add wood beads to finish. It also makes a gorgeous Christmas gift tag.

Festive Llama Ornament

Dress up a DIY llama ornament with all the bells and whistles—literally. Use our free pattern to cut out a llama shape from chipboard, then add a felt blanket, thread tassels, and some mini jingle bells.

Salt Dough Shapes

These easy salt dough ornaments are so easy to personalize, you'll be making one for each member of the family. All you need to make them is flour, salt, water, acrylic paint, and a set of Christmas cookie cutters ($10, Amazon).

Felt Owl Ornaments

My, what big eyes you have! These hoot-worthy companions are a cozy addition to your Christmas tree. Make a pair of owl ornaments from wool roving and minimal hand-stitching. They're inexpensive to make and will look wise for many seasons.

Unicorn Ornament

This DIY unicorn ornament is perfect for anyone who loves all things pink and sparkly. With a few colors of paint and some pink and gold accessories, you can turn an ordinary clear plastic ornament into a magical creature. Make and give it as a gift, or use it as a festive gift topper.

Simple Snowflake Ornament

Looking for more Christmas ornaments to make? Give the same look a go, this time with a snowflake pattern. You can trace the design on using transfer paper or freehand it. These ornaments also make great gift tags.

Paper Bag Ornaments

Adorable handmade ornaments are in the bag this holiday season—quite literally! Craft these festive, button-embellished shapes from a simple paper sack using your everyday sewing supplies.

Ribbon-Wrapped Cookie Cutters

Need a charming set of coordinating Christmas ornaments—and need them fast? Look no further than your baking stash! Just wrap cookie cutters with narrow fabric ribbon (try red-and-white gingham for an extra-festive touch), and secure the ribbon ends with tape. Hang your finished ornaments from loops of bakers twine or yarn.

Felt Poinsettia Christmas Ornament

Fall in love with the look of festive red and white poinsettias popping against your dark evergreen Christmas tree. Bonus: Make the poinsettia ornaments without hanging loops to use as Christmas present decorations.

Cute Stitched Snowman Ornament

Adorable? Very. Complicated? Not in the least! If you can cut fabric and do a running stitch, you can make this sweet-face snowman ornament. Gather some felt fabric scraps, and click below for a detailed how-to.

Two-Tone Felt Tree Ornament

For a simply styled Christmas ornament, our two-tone tree will do the trick. Trace a tree onto stiff felt using a stencil; cut out. Trace an overlay tree onto a contrasting color of felt, cutting it slightly smaller than the foundation tree; glue the two trees together as shown. Finish by gluing on a star topper and hot-gluing a hanging loop to the back of the ornament.

Star Christmas Ornament

Add a festive message to your Christmas tree with our fun-to-make three-dimensional paper star ornament. Pick patterned paper in bright colors to make your Christmas craft stand out against the tree branches.

Baked Clay Ornaments

Make Christmas cookies last throughout the season by creating a few decorative versions from clay. Soft modeling clay works with your cookie cutters just like dough; use a straw to create a hanging hole and bake according to package directions. We used paint in place of icing and added cookie-decorating essentials (such as sprinkles) as ornament embellishments.

Editor's Tip: If you use edible items, toss them at the end of the season.

Miniature Embroidered Ornaments

Whip up a batch of these mini Christmas ornaments—hang some from the tree, and give a few as gifts, too. Simply trace a design onto a small piece of brightly colored linen or cotton. Embroider the design, then place in a miniature embroidery hoop (use hot glue to seal the edges).

Pinecone Gnome Ornament Trio

This Christmas ornament threesome transforms plain pinecones into gnome ornaments with felted caps and beards crafted from wool roving. These simply adorable gnomes make a perfect tree-hanging trio.

Mini Pom-Pom Wreath Ornament

Kids can help assemble these miniature Christmas ornaments. Choose tinsel pom-poms in assorted sizes. Cover a small foam wreath with 1/8-inch-wide ribbon; secure ends with short pins. Make a hanging loop with 1/4-inch-wide ribbon. Hot-glue the pom-poms to the ribbon-covered wreath, and fill in gaps with tiny pom-poms.

Felt Penguin Ornament

This adorable character makes a charming addition to your tree or a too-cool present topper. Download the pattern and trace onto felt; cut out. Hand-stitch the facial features to one body piece; add the belly and wings, stitching the inside curves of each wing. Layer the body pieces with wrong sides together; insert the feet between the pieces.

Fold a short length of ribbon in half and insert the ends between the body pieces for a hanging loop. Hand-stitch the body pieces together, catching feet and hanging ribbon as you stitch. Leave a 1-1/2-inch opening in the body; turn and stuff with polyester fiberfill. Stitch the opening closed.

Almond Bird Christmas Ornaments

These adorable bird ornaments—made from almonds and handmade felt caps—are a simple way to add a natural element to your Christmas tree.

Snow Bell Ornament

Do you have small ornaments or figurines that you no longer use but want to display? Try creating a still life with an inexpensive clear bell ornament. Use a small chipboard circle cut to the size of the dome's base. Arrange small items onto the chipboard, adhere into place, then add small pieces of tinsel or garland. Glue the dome to the chipboard base.

Velvet Bow Ball Ornament

Add instant sophistication to plain ball ornaments; all you need is ribbon and glue! To make, hot-glue a velvet ribbon around the middle of a ball ornament, overlapping the ribbon ends slightly. Then simply tie a length of ribbon into a bow, and hot-glue the finished bow to the elegant ornament where the ribbon ends meet.

Heirloom-Style Ornaments

Transform silver frames and silhouettes (either of your children or grandchildren, or use free online clip art) into one-of-a-kind, antique-inspired handmade Christmas ornaments. Find inexpensive hammered-metal frames; cover with layers of brown paint and gently wipe to give an aged effect. Print and cut the silhouette to size; attach a ribbon or hanger at the back using hot glue.

Monogram Ornament

Display your family's initial with this easy, elegant ornament. Paint a piece of mini artists canvas black. Using stamps and a gold stamp pad, stamp a gold crown or other image and your family's surname initial, let dry, then rub the surface with chalk. Set the canvas on top of a sturdy tree branch, or add a hanging loop to the back.

Painted Glass Ornament

Customize the look of plain glass ornaments for your Christmas tree in a pinch. Remove the top of a glass ornament, and swirl around crafts paint diluted with water on the inside of the ornament until it's coated. Let it dry upside down, swirling with another layer of paint if necessary. Replace the top, and add a Christmas message with adhesive scrapbooking letters.

Painted Ornament

Replicate a snowy winter scene on a painted ball ornament to decorate the Christmas tree this year. Follow our step-by-step instructions to master the winter wonderland design.

Dipped Globe Ornaments

A little color gives inexpensive frosted glass balls richness. Clean the ornaments with rubbing alcohol; let dry. Meanwhile, mix two parts clear crafts glue and one-part water in a jar wide enough to dip your ornaments. Stir in 12-15 drops of gel food coloring. Tap the bottom of the jar on a table to force any air to the top; let stand 15 minutes to get rid of bubbles. Dip the ornament as deep as you want to color. Hang 20 minutes to dry.

Chalkboard Sayings Ornaments

Your tree, your message. Pick a favorite carol lyric or holiday saying, and write it on a chalkboard tag. To make, spray unfinished wooden shapes with chalkboard paint, then use a pencil to lightly plan your design. Finish with a chalk pen, jingling bells, and red-and-white hanging loops.

Easy Cardstock Ornament

Fill a whole tree with variations on these easy Christmas ornaments made from cardstock. Print the ornament pattern, and cut out the patterns. Trace the shapes onto heavy cardstock, and cut out with a crafts knife. Cover the cardstock cutouts with white transfer paper, and transfer the designs to the ornament. Fill in the designs with white and black markers. Punch a hole where indicated, and tie a ribbon through the hole.

Honeycomb-Paper Bell Ornament

Kids will love to help create these easy Christmas ornaments. Trace a half-bell shape onto a piece of honeycomb paper; cut out. Unfold and glue the two end pieces together to form a bell (use a paper clip to hold the pieces together until the glue dries). Thread embroidery floss through a 3/4-inch-diameter wooden bead with a center hole, knotting one end. Thread the other end through the bell center and tie for a hanging loop.

Gold Leaf Holly Christmas Ornaments

Kraft paper goes luxe with the addition of gold leaf to create these shimmery holly handmade Christmas ornaments. To make the gold-leaf paper, unroll a section of kraft paper on a flat surface. Brush on random, imperfect strokes of crafts glue with a foam brush. Do not coat entire surface with glue. Allow glue to set until tacky. Apply gold-leaf sheets by gently rubbing onto the paper with your finger. Remove gold leaf from unglued areas by gently dusting with dry foam brush. For the holly ornament, download the template (link below) and use it to cut eight holly leaves from gold-leafed kraft paper. Fold each leaf in half lengthwise with a bone folder. Glue one side of a folded leaf to one side of another. Repeat, stopping short of gluing first and last leaves together. Sandwich a loop of ribbon inside leaves, and leave a 1-inch tail; glue first and last leaves. Tie a bead to each end of the ribbon.

Colorful Snowflakes

Deck your Christmas tree with a color-happy flurry of snowflakes. To make these homemade Christmas decorations, paint one side of lightweight wood veneer paper with a bright color. Cut the paper into strips (you'll need 14-16 strips per snowflake). Glue the ends of each strip together with fast-drying crafts glue to form a loop. Glue the loops together at the tips to form the snowflake. Glue circles punched from scraps of the wood veneer to the center. Tie thread through a loop to hang.

Star-Worthy Ornament

Combine two Christmas favorites (stars and plaid) for one stunning and easy Christmas ornament. Start with a cardboard star, and for each spoke, fold plaid paper over the star and cut to fit. Fold-down the center to make aligning easy. To distress paper, lightly rub using medium-grit sandpaper. Adhere papers to the star using a glue stick. For a little sparkle, hot-glue oversize chenille-stem trim around the edges.