9 Simple Handmade Christmas Ornament Ideas

I’ve joined some blogger friends this week to share 5 days of Holiday Inspiration with you. I want to show you 9 simple handmade Christmas ornament ideas that are super easy to make.

Today is Day 3, and we are sharing handmade gift and ornament ideas.

If you missed Day 1 and Day 2, you definitely need to take a look at the inspiration this group has already shared.

And be sure and subscribe so you don’t miss a thing!

On Day 1, recipe day, I shared this Christmas Tree charcuterie board.

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On Day 2, tablescape day, I shared a simple Christmas tablescape with gold bells and greenery.

Today, I want to show you 9 Simple Handmade Christmas Ornament Ideas that are unique and so easy to make.

simple air dry clay Christmas ornaments

These air dry clay ornaments are so unique because the sky is the limit with them.

And it’s a fun Christmas craft that the whole family can enjoy making together.

Using different shapes of cookie cutters you can customize these cute ornaments to any theme.

I even embossed some of mine with a doily and others with a rosemary sprig.

Last year, I made a snowflake ornament for a place setting for my winter wonderland tablescape using the doily embossing and they turned out so great!

Using an alphabet stamp kit, you can add inspirational or seasonal words.

For some of my homemade ornaments, I used a house shaped cookie cutter. Wouldn’t this be a great gift for someone moving into a new home? You could personalize with their name and a date.

how to make air dry clay ornaments

For your clay ornaments, you will need just a few simple supplies. Some air dry clay, cookie cutters and anything with a texture you want to emboss your handmade ornaments with.

As I mentioned earlier, I used a crocheted doily and a sprig of rosemary on some of my ornaments.

First, roll your clay out using a rolling pin, to about 1/4″ thickness.

If you want to emboss your clay with a doily, the better way is to go ahead and do that, at this point. Just lay a doily over the rolled out clay and roll over the doily pressing into the clay. Then, carefully remove the doily from the clay.

The doilies can make the most beautiful design in your clay and create unique homemade Christmas ornaments.

Next, cut any shape you want using your cookie cutter.

If you want to emboss with a rosemary sprig, lay it on top of your cutout clay shape and press into the clay using the rolling pin. Then, carefully pull the rosemary sprig from the clay.

For my ornaments, I chose a house shape, a heart shape and a circle. I also had a mini house and heart shape cookie cutter so I cut a few smaller shapes, as well as the larger shapes.
More about this in a minute.

You could also make a star ornament, tree shaped ornament, candy cane ornaments or just about anything you can find a cookie cutter shape of.

You will need to use a straw or an ice pick to make a hole in the ornament for hanging.

Lay your ornaments on a tray to dry. I just used a metal baking sheet for this.

They will take several days to completely dry, so keep that in mind if you are making them for a special event.

ideas to make your clay ornaments even more unique

I used an alphabet stamping set that I already had, and pressed letters into the clay on some of my ornaments. On the house shaped ornaments, I stamped the word “HOME”.

This is where I think it would be fun to personalize some of them to give as gifts.

You could stamp a name, date or inspirational/seasonal word.

These would make great handmade gifts for an ornament exchange, or hostess gift for holiday parties.

It would also be fun to give as a house warming gift to someone moving into a new home during the holidays. Stamp their name, the date or even the address of their new home.

These ornaments also make really cute gift tags, by stamping the name of the gift recipient on the ornament.

You can use the smaller shapes, that you cut with a mini cookie cutter for gift tags, as well.

Or layer them on top of the larger ornaments for a 3D look, like I did with a few of mine. I just hot glued a smaller one on top.

You can leave the ornaments white, which is how they dry, or even do a brown acrylic paint wash or stain if you want to give them an aged look.

Pine needles would be another fun option for pressing into your clay for an interesting design.

You can even spray them with a glossy clear coat if you want them to have a shiny look.

Tie with a cotton twine, satin or velvet ribbon, jute or anything that fits your decor.

handmade wooden bead ornaments

These wooden bead ornaments are so easy to make no matter what your skill level is.

For these fun ornaments, you will need 3 different sizes of wooden beads.

I used natural color beads and a few matte gold beads for my ornaments. But, you can use any color you choose, depending on your Christmas color scheme.

Using heavy cording, cut about a 20 inch piece, then fold in half.

Tie a knot in one end however long you want your hanging loop to be.

Next, begin stringing your beads pulling both strands of cord through the hole in the bead, in the order you like. When you’re done, tie the cording in a double knot, and cut the end to the length you want hanging at the bottom of your ornament.

And that’s it!!

I love the simplicity of these ornaments.

Keep them neutral and simple by using natural wood beads or put a fun twist on them by using colorful beads.

unique Christmas decorations using a clear plastic ball ornament

Last year, I shared these ideas for making unique decorations out of a clear plastic ball ornament.

You can find the clear plastic ornament balls at the dollar store or craft store.

One idea is to decoupage the clear ball with vintage pattern paper and Mod Podge.

Another idea is to decoupage with a patterned tissue paper. I used a leopard tissue paper for my ornaments.

You can fill the ornaments with shredded vintage book pages. I just shred sheets of book pages in our paper shredder for this.

Lastly, I used gold leaf on some of the clear ball ornaments. They make beautiful and elegant Christmas tree ornaments. You could also use silver leaf if that fits your decor better.

To take your clear ball ornaments up a level, cover the metal top with silver or gold glitter. Or use a metallic pipe cleaner and cover the top using a bit of hot glue to secure.

You can see more specific details by going to my post “5 WAYS TO MAKE A UNIQUE DECORATION WITH A PLASTIC BALL ORNAMENT”.


Now, let’s take a look at what my friends are making…..

Cindy from Reinvented Delaware

DIY Farmhouse Style Christmas Ornaments are easy to make using pine cones from your yard for this holiday season! Start celebrating your Christmas season by making your own rustic farmhouse ornaments!

Diane from South House Designs

Imagine making your sports fan a gift out of wood with their favorite team’s logo. If you have a Cricut, you can! Then turn it into a bolo tie, earrings, a pin and more. Here’s how you can give your sports enthusiast a unique gift that’s sure to be a winner.

Lynn from Living Large In a Small House

I have many handmade mason jar gift ideas for you today! If you are on a budget this holiday season this is a great way to keep the cost down by making homemade gifts.

Renae from Peacock Ridge Farm

Are you looking for the perfect DIY gift to give this holiday season? Look no further than a charcuterie basket! This easy project can be tailored to your recipient’s tastes, and it makes for a beautiful presentation. Plus, it’s much more personal than buying one from a store. So get creative and make your own charcuterie basket today!

I hope you have enjoyed these 9 Simple Handmade Christmas Ornament Ideas. Be sure and check out all of my friends handmade gift and ornament ideas! Let me know if you try any of them. I would love to hear!

blessings,

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