Learn How to Make Christmas Ornaments at Home

Why Making Ornaments at Home Matters for Your Holiday Season

Creating ornaments by hand offers something store-bought decorations simply cannot: a direct connection between you and your holiday memories. When you craft an ornament in your own kitchen or living room, you're not just making an object to hang on a tree. You're creating a physical record of a moment in time, a year, or a relationship that matters to you.

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The act of making ornaments engages your hands, your creativity, and often involves the people around you. Research on creative activities shows that hands-on crafting can reduce stress levels and provide a sense of accomplishment. A 2020 study published in the journal Art Therapy found that people who engaged in craft activities reported lower cortisol levels—a marker of stress—compared to those who didn't participate in creative work.

Beyond the personal satisfaction, handmade ornaments tell a story when guests see them on your tree. They spark conversations. They become heirlooms. A child's handprint preserved in clay from 2024 becomes a powerful reminder years later of how small their hand once was. A photo ornament of a beloved pet becomes a way to honor that animal's place in your family history.

Home ornament-making also removes barriers that store shopping creates. You're not limited by inventory, price points, or what manufacturers decided to produce this year. You choose the materials, colors, and designs. If you want an ornament that reflects your specific family traditions, inside jokes, or cultural heritage, you can make exactly that.

Practical takeaway: Before starting any ornament project, think about what memory or person you want that ornament to represent. This intention shapes which materials and techniques you'll choose.

Basic Materials and Tools You'll Need at Home

The beauty of making ornaments at home is that you likely already have most materials in your house. You don't need specialty craft supplies or expensive equipment. Many successful ornament projects start with items sitting in your kitchen cabinets, bathroom drawers, or garage.

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For ornament bases, you have several accessible options. Clear plastic or glass ornaments (hollow balls with an opening) cost between $1 and $3 each and come in various sizes—typically ranging from 1.5 inches to 3 inches in diameter. You can find these at dollar stores, craft stores, or online retailers year-round, though selection peaks between September and December. If you don't have ornament balls, you can make ornaments from air-dry clay, salt dough (made from flour, salt, and water), or even paper mache.

Filling and decoration materials are where household items shine. Consider what you already have:

• Food items: dried pasta, rice, beans, popcorn, cranberries, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves
• Natural materials: pinecones, twigs, leaves, pebbles, sand, bark pieces
• Fabric scraps: felt, ribbon, lace, old t-shirt pieces, burlap
• Paper products: newspaper, magazines, wrapping paper, cardstock, newspaper comics
• Household supplies: cotton balls, yarn, string, thread, rubber bands
• Craft basics: glue (white craft glue or hot glue gun), paint, markers, scissors, needle and thread

A hot glue gun costs $5 to $15 and dramatically speeds up ornament assembly, but it's not required—regular white craft glue works fine, though it takes longer to dry. If you use a hot glue gun, be aware that they reach 350-380 degrees Fahrenheit and can cause burns, so keep them away from children or supervise closely.

For paints, acrylic craft paint is ideal because it dries quickly and works on almost any surface. A basic set of 12 colors costs around $3 to $8. You can also mix colors to create custom shades—this is a good skill to practice with kids, as it teaches color theory practically.

Practical takeaway: Before buying anything, inventory what you have at home. Most people can start a basic ornament project with materials already present—especially if you have dried goods in the kitchen and craft supplies in a junk drawer.

Five Ornament Techniques You Can Try at Home

Different ornament-making methods suit different skill levels, ages, and available time. Here are five approaches that work well in a home setting, from simplest to moderately complex.

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Technique 1: Fill-and-Seal Ornaments This is the most straightforward approach and works beautifully with clear plastic ornament balls. Remove the plastic cap from your hollow ornament. Fill it with materials that appeal to you visually. Options include: dried pasta painted in metallic colors, a combination of rice and glitter, shredded colored paper, small pom-poms, bells, or dried herbs like lavender or rosemary (which also scent the ornament). You can create layers for visual interest—for example, white rice on bottom, then a layer of green glitter, then red rice on top. Once filled to your preference, replace the cap and seal it with a drop of glue if you want to make sure it doesn't open. This method works for all ages and takes about 10-15 minutes per ornament. The visual impact is immediate and satisfying.

Technique 2: Photo Ornaments Print a favorite photo (4x4 inches or smaller), cut it into a square or circle, and attach it to a piece of cardstock or cardboard for reinforcement. Punch a hole at the top and thread a string or ribbon through it. You can laminate it with clear tape on both sides for durability, or cover it with modge podge (a craft glue that dries clear) for a more polished finish. Some people sandwich the photo between two pieces of clear plastic from a clear plastic ornament ball. This technique preserves memories year by year—a photo from each year creates a visual timeline when all your ornaments hang together on the tree.

Technique 3: Salt Dough Ornaments Mix 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of salt, and ¾ cup of water to create a dough that resembles cookie dough. You can add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to make it smoother. Knead it for several minutes until it becomes uniform. Roll it flat and cut shapes with cookie cutters—stars, hearts, snowflakes, gingerbread people. Make a hole at the top with a toothpick before baking. Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 to 2 hours depending on thickness (thinner ornaments cook faster). Once cool, paint with acrylic paint and seal with modge podge or clear acrylic spray. Salt dough ornaments are durable and often become family keepsakes. A handprint or name pressed into salt dough creates a lasting record of a child's size and development year by year.

Technique 4: Decoupage Ornaments Decoupage uses paper cutouts and glue to create layered designs. Cut images from magazines, wrapping paper, or printed pages. Apply a thin layer of modge podge to a cardboard circle or wooden disc. Layer your paper cutouts on top, overlapping them for visual interest. Apply another layer of modge podge over the top to seal everything. Once dry, attach a ribbon loop and hang. This technique is forgiving because overlapping pieces look intentional and artistic. You can theme ornaments by color scheme or topic—all blues and silvers, all holiday images, all family photos, all nature themes.

Technique 5: Nature-Based Ornaments Collect natural materials from outside: small twigs, pinecones, seeds, leaves, or bark. Arrange them on a wooden circle or cardboard base, securing them with craft glue or hot glue. A small twig frame glued together in a square or circle with dried flowers hot-glued inside creates a rustic, natural ornament. Pinecones can be painted white or silver, dusted with glitter while wet, and hung directly with twine. This method connects your holiday decorations to the season and to nature itself. Many people collect materials during fall walks specifically for winter ornament projects.