53 Easy Handmade Christmas Ornaments to Start Making Now

By BH&G Holiday Editors
Updated May 08, 2020
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Adorn your Christmas tree with beautiful handmade Christmas ornaments made by you! Hang these easy ornaments on your tree, give them as gifts to friends, amp up your Christmas wrapping ideas, or use them as easy Christmas decorations around the house.
Start Slideshow

1 of 53

Stamped Clay Ornaments

Adam Albright

Replicate the look of ornate porcelain ornaments by stamping clay with cut glass plates, glasses, or bowls. Roll out air-dry clay 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.

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 53

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.

3 of 53

Felt Lantern Ornaments

Adam Albright Photography Inc
Get the FREE pattern

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.

Advertisement

4 of 53

Metallic Marble Ornaments

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

5 of 53

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 (2-Pack Lids, $3.19, Michaels) so you don't waste new jars.

6 of 53

Stamped Felt Ornament

Adam Albright Photography Inc
Get the FREE pattern

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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 53

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.

8 of 53

Wood-Slice Animal Ornaments

A simple wood slice ornament (we used these wood slice ornaments, $2.99, Michaels) 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.

9 of 53

Tinsel Wreath Ornaments

Adam Albright

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- ×3/8-inch, and 1- x 3/8-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 3/8-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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 53

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 (such as Krylon Glitter Spray, $5.99, Michaels) rather than loose glitter you shake out of a bottle to add sparkle to our felt pieces without the mess.

11 of 53

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.

12 of 53

Wool Ball Ornaments

Adam Albright Photography Inc

Cleverly made from inexpensive wool dryer balls, 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.

Buy It: Everspring 3ct Wool Dryer Balls, $9.49, Target

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 53

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!

14 of 53

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.

15 of 53

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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 53

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.

17 of 53

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.

18 of 53

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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 53

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.

20 of 53

Faux Taxidermy Ornament

Get the FREE Pattern

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.

21 of 53

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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

22 of 53

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.

23 of 53

Simple Snowflake Ornament

Get the Free Pattern

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.

24 of 53

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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

25 of 53

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.

26 of 53

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.

27 of 53

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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

28 of 53

Paisley Ornaments

All you need is a fine-tip white paint pen and some jewel-tone ball ornaments to create these striking decorations. Follow the design in the photo, or search online for basic paisley designs to get your creative juices flowing.

Editor's Tip: Draw the overall pattern of loops and branches first, then add embellishments, such as dots and squiggles, after the base design has dried.

29 of 53

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.

30 of 53

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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

31 of 53

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.

32 of 53

Miniature Embroidered Ornaments