Christmas tree ornaments are a great way of adding sparkle and joy to the festive season. From classic baubles like these ones to shining sea creatures or detailed critters to felt decors, there are tons of different ways to decorate.
Some of these decorations can be bought online while others can simply be custom made using home materials. Below are four beautiful ornament ideas.
Pinecone decorations
Pine cones tend to make Christmas trees look fantastic. Using pine cones for your Christmas decor is a fun and festive way of decorating your home during the holidays. Pine cones can be purchased at many craft stores. They are also quite easy to make requiring little or no crafting experience.
Materials/Requirements
– Three scented pine cones
– Ribbon
– Tulle
– Wire cutters
– Scissors
– Ruler
– Glue gun and glue sticks
– Various floral picks such as feathers, pine, berries, etc
Procedure
– Select pine cones with open areas between each row
– Cut an 8-inch length of ribbon then form a loop and glue the ends together to create the hanger and then center and glue it to the top
– Cut a 5-inch length of ribbon and then sporadically glue the loops to the portion of the pine cone
– Cut two 3-inch tulle squares and place them into crevasses as desired
– Cut the floral picks into 1.5-inch pieces and then glue each piece while making sure they are evenly spaced on the pine cone to fill out the top.
Santa shell ornament
If you live somewhere near a coastal city then the Santa Shell Ornament might be the perfect decorating material for your Christmas tree. Even if you don’t live near the coast, you can still get the ornament by buying one from your stores or acquiring dead sea shells at very low prices then making them yourself.
Materials/Requirements
– Seashells
– Pearls/beads
– Acrylic paint in red, black, white, peach, and gold
– Paintbrushes
– Hot glue gun
– Any sharp tool
– Ribbon
Procedure
– Start by soaking the shells in a 50/50 solution of water and bleach and then let them dry off completely
– Choose among the larger shells and give it two coats of white acrylic paint and then let it dry
– Once it is dry, use red acrylic paint for the hat and peach paint for the face
– Use the black, gold and red paint to make the eyes, nose, and lips respectively
– You can then finish it off by attaching a pearl bead using hot glue
– If the shell cannot hang by itself, you can make a small hole at its top using a sharp tool and run a string through the hole to hang it on your Christmas tree
Snowman ornaments
If you have extra keys around the house that you don’t use anymore, don’t throw them away. Make them into festive snowman ornaments for your Christmas decor or gifts to friends and family.
Materials/Requirements
– Recycled Keys
– Floral wire
– White spray paint
– Hot glue gun
– Beads
– Pom Poms
– Fabrics
– Yarn
– Pipe cleaners
– Scissors
– Toothpicks
– Wire Snips
– Acrylic paint in black, pink, and orange glitter
Procedure
– Apply two coats of white paint on both sides of a key
– Bend the wire in half to create loops and twist to secure it and create hangers. You can then leave the wire as it is or put in beads before twisting to secure it through the hole in the key’s top
– Hot glue pieces of the pipe cleaner across the core’s top to add earmuffs while also making sure that the wire is covered up and then place a pom pom on each side
– Create scarves using yarn, fabric, pipe cleaners, or old fabric and secure them in place with hot glue
– Dab a scruffy paint brush into pink paint and then wipe off the excess paint with a rag.
– Use a toothpick that has been touched in black paint to add mouths and eyes on the key head and then add noses using a toothpick that has been dipped in orange glitter
Felt Tree Decorations
Felt tree decorations are felt materials cut and shaped to look like Christmas trees and stuffed with cotton to make them soft and fluffy. They are perfect for your Christmas decor as they can be made into many bright colors and placed almost anywhere in the house.
While the result may seem a bit complex, making a felt tree decoration is quite easy and can be done by any beginner embroiderer.
Materials/Requirements
– Felt (you can acquire a bunch of them with different colors depending on your preference)
– Thread and needle (make sure that you use a color that will show up well on the color of the felt you’ll be using, i.e. don’t use matching or similar colors
– Scissors
– Stuffing (cotton or other soft material such as small pieces of cloth)
Procedure
– Cut two differently colored felts into the same shape of a tree
– Stitch small star like crosses on each felt. Leave a space between each star as you move upwards
– Start to stitch the two felt pieces together with both bright sides facing outwards. Try not to stitch over the tip of the felt tree and leave the bottom end/base for later
– Make a loop in a piece of string and tie a knot. The tie will help the string from coming out. Put the end of the string in between the two pieces of the felt and stitch up the rest of the sides, making sure to leave the base open
– Open the base and add cotton or other types of filling into the tree. Put in as much as you want while being careful not to rip the stitches apart
– Stitch up the base and your felt tree decor is ready to be placed on your Christmas tree or home
For more ornaments and decorations you’ll love, visit my Ceramic Christmas tree page here.
References
– https://craftsbyamanda.com/recycled-key-snowman-ornaments
– http://www.thecraftedblog.com/diy-felt-christmas-decorations
– http://www.acrosstheblvd.com/2016/11/santa-shell-ornament/
– http://www.craftdrawer.com/2011/11/pine-cone-ornaments-for-christmas.html