Decorating is a big part of the holiday season. This year, give your Christmas tree a whimsical feel and a personal touch by creating DIY ornaments.
Crafting ornaments is a fun project that forms new family memories. It also adds a personal touch to the holiday season.
Ornaments come in all shapes and sizes and often tell stories of holiday traditions. There are several ways to create personalized, do-it-yourself ornaments and leave cheap, easily broken ones from the dollar stores behind. We’ve compiled four ideas for you below:
Photo ornaments
Fun photo ornaments showcase how a family has changed and grown over the years. Glue a photo to a ceramic ornament and cover it with decoupage glaze to set it permanently. Purchase clear, glass ornaments, remove the top (which is usually spring-loaded), and slip a photo inside. To finish, replace the top. Another way to create a photo ornament is to laminate a picture, punch a hole in the top center and affix a big red ribbon.
Ceramic ornaments
The popularity of paint-it-yourself pottery has led to an increase in ceramic and craft shops across the country. During the holiday season these shops offer holiday items that can be painted and fired, rendering a shiny and hardened finish for display. Bless Your h’Art Pottery in Georgetown is a local paint-it-yourself shop.
If you paint at home, visit a local craft or hobby shop and buy acrylic paints to decorate the ornaments. A finishing coat of clear glaze protects the ornaments for years to come, so your child can enjoy them with their grandchildren one day.
Wood crafts
Many craft centers have expanded to include sections devoted to unfinished wood items. You can purchase and finish everything from letters to animal cutouts, boxes and rocking horses. Turn keepsake boxes into painted and ribbon-adorned gift boxes. Stain a treasure chest to store reindeer snacks for Santa’s crew. Turn small decorative pieces into ornaments for the tree. Paint and affix wood initials onto stocking holders to identify to whom each stocking belongs. Crafty individuals also can create clever signs from plain wood plaques with catchy sayings, such as “Park your sleigh here.”
Scavenge around the house
Young children can use any medium for making ornaments. Garlands made of macaroni or popcorn are traditional. Sew and stuff fabric scraps with potpourri for homemade scent satchels. Or laminate hand-drawn pictures and hang on the tree.
With the tips above, the only obstacle with regard to DIY ornaments is a limited imagination!
