Most of us have probably made ornaments before! There’s a pretty good chance that your parents still have some of them floating around from your school days. You know the ones – popsicle stick Christmas Trees and pom-pom snowmen? I don’t know about you but I always loved making those in art class! Of course, now that I’m an adult and can get my hands on some really nice materials I have found that I can really up my DIY Christmas Ornament game.
You can only imagine how excited I was when I found out about the Bloggers Ornament Exchange which happens every year. Make an Ornament and send it to a blogger pal? Yes, please! Not only do I get to spend time crafting a pretty ornament I get to (hopefully) make someone happy AND get a surprise in the mail myself! It’s the perfect Christmas Activity!
Part of the Blogger Ornament Exchange is publishing a tutorial on creating our Ornaments – I love this because now all of you wonderful people can browse the exchange list (found in this post) and hopefully be inspired enough to create your own! There is nothing like adding a personal touch to your Christmas tree with a homemade ornament!
DIY Christmas Ornament Tutorial For Your Tree
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DIY Christmas Tree Ornament – Supplies
- Fillable Teardrop Shaped Ornament Shell – I picked mine up from Amazon but I know that you can grab them at most craft stores this time of year as well!
- Small Natural Wood Slices – Again I picked these up on Amazon. Just make sure that you pick the right size. You want them to fit nicely into your ornament shell. Mine even came with jute string for hanging which worked out great for the rustic feel I was going for!
- A Deer Head Ornament – Of course, you are free to use something other than a deer! The shape and design of the deer head just worked out really well for my idea! I picked mine up at the Dollar Tree.
- Christmas Garland Ties – Typically used to tie garland or wreaths together these worked perfectly to add a bit of detail around the deer’s head and hide some of the attachment points.
- Glittery Red Ribbon – Because our ornament shell was clear it was necessary to hide some of the glue points. The glittery red ribbon I picked out from the Dollar Tree worked perfectly for this and it matched the holly berries on the deer’s neck too! You should, of course, pick out whatever ribbon best matches your own design!
- Wood Burning Tool (Or paint, perhaps even a sharpie if you don’t feel like trying out Pyrography)
- Glue Gun
- Glue Sticks
- A Pencil
DIY Christmas Tree Ornament – Directions
Step 1 – Design Your Year Marker
I wanted a way to designate the year this ornament was made. Since I have recently played around with an enjoyed the art of Pyrography or woodburning that’s the direction I chose to go in! If you have never tried woodburning you can find out more about it in our article –Â Â Pyrography Tips from a First Timer! Get your Burn on.
Of Course, if you are not comfortable using a woodburning tool then this step could easily be done with paint (Acrylic or watercolors would work!) or even a Sharpie! As long as it can mark the wood then that’s all you need! Use a pencil to lightly trace out your design before burning, painting or using your marker onto one of your wooden slices. Make sure you pick a slice of wood that fits nicely inside your ornament shell!
Step 2 – Attach the year marker
Once you have finished marking out your design use some hot glue to stick it inside one half of a teardrop shell. Make sure to position your marker so that it is straight and easily readable through the shells protective bubble. Don’t be afraid to use a good bit of glue. You want your wooden slice to stay put and you will be hiding any glue marks later on anyways!
Step 3 – Attach Your Decoration
Once your wood slice is well attached it’s time to add your chosen decoration. Using your hot glue gun attach the deer head (or whatever you picked out) to the other side of your wood slice. Try to get it as nicely centered as possible so that it hangs well!
Step 4 – Add the Garland Ties and Ribbon to Hide your Glue Points.
Measure out two lengths of your garland tie so that each one goes from the bottom of the deer to the top of the teardrop and cut them with some sharp scissors or wire cutters. Using your hot glue gun attach one end of the garland tie – I found it easiest to start from the bottom and then bend it so that it rests along the inner edge of your shell. The garland ties will fill in any extra space between your wood slice and the teardrop shell as well as add a bit of greenery over top of it from the back. It also makes it look like your deer is sticking his head out from some branches which I think is a cute touch!
Attach your garland again at the top of the teardrop and then repeat this step on the other side. You might have to bend the ties so that they lay the way you like but they are pretty flexible.
You might be able to see a few glue points on the outer edge of your teardrop still but that’s okay! You’re going to fix that now! Take some thin ribbon (or cut some thicker ribbon in half) and slowly glue it along the outer edge of your ornament. Go slowly to minimize wrinkles and make sure you move any stray bits of greenery out of the way!
Step 5 – Tie the Jute String, Hang it up and Enjoy!
Once the glue for your ribbon has dried take a bit of jute, ribbon or string and tie it to the top of your ornament. I expect you could also use those wire ornament hangers if you so desired! It’s really up to you! Once your ornament is finished hang it up and enjoy your personalized DIY Christmas Ornament!
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Magnifica idea y queda muy bonito.
Saludos
Thank you!
What a unique Christmas ornament!
Thank you!
Super creative idea! It’s beautiful! My favorite ornaments are the ones my children have made.
My kids do come up with some pretty amazing things, I have to say I have a well-loved collection of school art ornaments too!
Such a creative idea. I LOVE that you added the year to your ornament. Pinned.
Thanks! I’m so glad you liked it!
So creative!!! Love the sparly stag’s head!! #2018ornamentexchange
I admit to being a deer fanatic at Christmas so I really couldn’t pass him up haha.
What a unique idea! I love it! I bought some wood burning tools last month I need to get a project together!
It’s a lot of fun! Just make sure you go slowly and let the tool do the work! Trying to make it burn fast and using lots of pressure with kill your hands after a while haha. Lessons I learned the hard way (of course)
What a unique idea, and I always love projects that use items from Dollar Tree!
Same! The Dollar Tree is my kryptonite when it comes to craft projects.
What a great idea. I love the touch of using your wood burning tool to note the year. And the little stag head on the wood slice is so cute.
I am glad that you liked it!
I have to confess I’ve never made my own ornaments and tend to buy everything. Not because I don’t like the idea, but because I’m nowhere nearly as creative or manually gifted as you! That ornament alone would take me three days and two mental breakdowns 😀
I have found crafting to be a skill that requires a copious amount of practice. It’s 90% just figuring out how to get around a problem you didn’t think about, the actual putting stuff together isn’t too terrible, it’s surprising how much a giant glob of glue from the glue gun will ultimately solve haha.
On the other hand, I do get where you’re coming from! I still have a great deal of doubt about my creations from time to time, I think its pretty common for us to love what other people make but doubt our own abilities or be extra hard on our attempts.
Cute! Pinning for later! That looks like one I may actually be able to do!
Great! I really hope it turns out for you! It was pretty easy. The wood burning bit is probably the hardest part and as I said, pretty sure you could just use a marker or paint for that!
This is such a great idea! I made my own Christmas wreath yesterday and it took SO much patience I’m all DIY’d out now! Looks fab though!
Jess // foundationsandfairytales.wordpress.com
xx
I love making wreaths! I haven’t done a Christmas one yet though, I made one for spring and then one for Halloween so I figured people might be wreathed out, at least for the blog haha. I will probably make one anyways though because they are just so pretty and festive for the home!
This is lovely! So festive and creative! I don’t think I’d ever have the time or the patience for anything like this but I wish I did!
It actually wasn’t that bad, aside from the wood burning, which you could replace with a sharpie or paint the rest only took a few minutes really. Hot glue guns are quite lovely when it comes to making crafts simple and fast even if they seem complicated haha
Very nice! I like how you added the date to it!
Thanks! So glad you liked it!
This is so adorable, I definitely wish I was more crafty-creative but I’m more of a visual person than the actual creator of the things haha! I love the idea of home-made decor and my mum would be all over this, she’s so sentimental, especially at Christmas!
Alice Xx
So glad you liked it!
So festive and unique!
Thank you!
What a beautiful unique Christmas ornament! I’ve bookmarked the post so I can give it a go myself 🙂
Awesome! I hope it goes well for you!
What a fun idea for an ornament! I love the wood burned disc for the year.
Thank you!
Oooh this looks great, far better than any ornaments I ever made as a kid LOL!
My childhood ornaments were pretty terrible looking back on them but knowing how I feel about the ones my kids bring home I’m sure my mom loved them all!
Your ornament is so neat! I really like that you included the year and used a wood burning method. That’s something I’ve been wanting to try for ages!
Thanks! Wood burning is a lot of fun, it’s definitely a skill I was glad I tried out!
This is so different and pretty. I love the deer, you certainly created something one of a kind and I like how you included the year.
Thank you! So glad you like it! I have a serious love of deer when it comes to Christmas so if I can include one I almost always do haha!
Clever idea to make the ornament pretty from both sides. Pinned.
Thank you so much!
I’m digging the wood burning. I need to get a kit. I’ll check out your tips article to find out more.Pinning to my ornament board.
Wood burning is a lot of fun, My husband cut a slice off the bottom of our Christmas tree this year before we decorated it and I’m already planning on sanding it down and woodburning something on it. Maybe a new tradition in the works haha.