With the warmer days we have had so far, it only seems appropriate to make a melted snowman ornament for the tree. Simply, take a clear glass ornament and remove the top part. Fill the ornament about half full with Epsom salt. Gather a few tiny sticks from your yard and add a few black peppercorns for eyes and a mouth. Take a piece of card stock and roll it up into a small cone to look like a carrot nose. I even took a piece of foam and created a top hat. All of these items can be bought at a dollar store.
Ball of Light
Now I know we usually reserve the lights to wrap around the tree, but why not use them to decorate it as well? In the dollar bins of Michael’s you can get decorative bulbs in a variety of colors. You will need about five boxes to do this entire ornament. Simply take a Styrofoam ball that you can get from a dollar store. Paint the ball or add glitter so the white won’t show through once it is complete. Add a little glue to the base of each bulb and begin placing them into your ball. Make sure they are snug together and stacked closely.
Corked Rudolph
Wine enthusiasts, this ornament is for you! You will need four wine corks along with some googly eyes, a red dried berry and twigs from your backyard. Use a pair of scissors and cut two of your corks in half. Glue the halved corks to the bottom of a full cork to create legs and a body. Add a head that sticks out slightly from the body and glue on the googly eyes. Add the dried berry to the tip of the nose. Take two small twigs and glue them as antlers. Stick a hook in him and he is ready to hang! If you don’t have dried berry twigs, simply paint a small Styrofoam ball red to get the same effect.
Cupcake Liner Ball
This may take a little time to make, but the results are great. Take a Styrofoam ball and wrap a ribbon around the entire ball, leaving a loop at the top to act as your hook. Using pins, pin your ribbon to the ball. Buy a pack of decorative mini cupcake liners. Mine were a red and green plaid. Take a pin and place it in the center portion of the cupcake liner’s base. Bend and fold the liner so that it is sticking outward. Push your pin through the ball with the liner sticking out. Continue doing this until your entire ball is covered in liners and then hang it up and enjoy.
Flower Ball
In the wedding section at Michael’s they have a variety of paper flowers that are already pre-cut and ready to use as confetti. For this DIY we will use one container of these flowers. First off, wrap a ribbon around your ball and pin it in place. Leave enough room for a loop to hang the ornament from the tree. Take two flowers and arrange them on top of each other so the flower will look fuller and will have eight 10 petals rather than five. Using the sewing pins that have colored balls on the ends of them, place a pin into the center of each flower and stick them into the Styrofoam ball. Continue doing this until your entire ball is covered in flowers. One container of these flowers will make two large balls.
Tissue Paper Ball
Talk about easy. All you need for this ornament is some Mod Podge and a piece of decorative tissue paper. Begin by cutting the tissue paper into manageable pieces about one inch squares worked nicely. Use a clear glass ball and place a piece of tissue paper on the outside of your ball. Use your Mod Podge and paint over the tissue paper, which will glue it in place. Continue piecing your tissue paper around the ball until it is completely covered. Do one final coat of Mod Podge over the entire ball to secure all ends in place.
Colored Glass Ball
In any craft store, or even dollar store, you can find the flat, round colored glass rocks that typically are used for filling vases. Pick a pack or two that have a variety of colors and textures in it to add some dimension to your ornament. Get out your hot glue gun and start gluing the glass beads right to the outside of your clear, glass ornament. You don’t have to fill the whole thing in either. Leave a few spaces open so you can catch the reflection from the other side as well. Once you are done, remove the top of the ornament and put some Gorilla Glue on it to secure the top of the ornament in place. Since it is a heavier piece, the top wants to pull out when it is not glued. Once everything is dried, you can add your hook and hang it up to enjoy. It is great because it is very reflective with the lights of the tree.
Snowman Light Bulb
We all have an old light bulb that has burnt out. If not, just go to the dollar store and pick up a pack for cheap. Simply paint the glass part of the bulb white. You may need two coats for this. Use a black Sharpie and draw on eyes, a mouth and buttons. You can also color the top part of this, where the light gets screwed in, black to make it look like a hat. Use an orange Sharpie and draw on a little nose. Go out to your yard and find two twigs for arms. Hot glue those in place and you are ready to go.
Photo Tin
Capturing memories are always important for your family tree. For this ornament, you will want to buy a small round tin, I found mine at Michael’s for just $1. Use a ribbon that is wide enough to cover the outside of your tin. Use your hot glue gun and adhere the ribbon around your tin. Leave enough ribbon at the top to create a loop so you can hang it on the tree. Add the holiday photo you like a voila — your family memories are preserved.
Cookie Cutter
Small, metal cookie cutters are fairly inexpensive to buy. Rather than using them in the kitchen, why not put them on the tree? All you need is some hot glue, decorative scrapbook card stock and your cookie cutter. Trace the shape of the cookie cutter onto the backside of your paper. You will want to cut out two pieces so this ornament is not just one-sided. Add a bead of glue around the inside rim of the cookie cutter and place your paper directly inside. Repeat this process on the other side and your cookie cutter ornament will be a sweet treat for your tree.
Toilet Paper Flower
Save those empty toilet paper rolls. With just one roll you can make a great flower for your tree. This is something children would love to help with, too. Cut your toilet paper roll into five even piece. Take Mod Podge and paint the inside and outside of each piece. Before it dries, sprinkle it with glitter. Shake off any access and let dry. Once all five pieces are dry, hot glue them together all at the same central point. Stick a hook in the top and it is ready to hang.
Santa Wish List
What better way to remember your child’s list to Santa then by making an ornament? Using an empty ribbon spool, some paper and a ribbon you can capture your child’s wish list and look back on it for years to come. Take an empty ribbon spool and add decorative scrapbook paper to the sides. Punch your hole through and fold in the edges. Add a ribbon through the hole and loop it around to make the hook for your ornament. Cut out a sheet of white paper that is the width of the inside of your spool. You will want it long enough to wrap fully around your spool and leave enough hanging over to make your list. With that same paper, cut out a small rectangle that can be wrapped around the ribbon and glued together to make the tag. Use a colored marker and write your child’s list on the white paper than glue it in place. For the tag, write your child’s name and the year of the list. You will have fun looking back from year to year to see what they wanted and how their lists change.
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