How to Make Christmas Ornaments: 18 Projects from Dough to Fabric

The 18 ideas below run from a few dollars in pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks to jewelry clay that costs more upfront, and from fifteen minutes with glitter glue to a full weekend for your first crocheted bauble.

Which one belongs on your tree depends on whether you need something a toddler can squash flat and still survive, or something that will still hang when that same kid is filling out college applications.

Cornstarch dough bakes low and slow, takes a handprint while soft, and dries hard as porcelain, which is why parents keep a batch ready for baby’s first Christmas.

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1. Cornstarch Dough Ornaments

Cornstarch dough handles like sugar cookie dough but costs pennies and air-dries hard as porcelain. A simple mix of cornstarch and baking soda rolls flat, cuts around a small hand, then bakes low and slow until bone dry.

Paint goes on smooth with craft acrylics. Seal with clear spray or mod podge if you want them to last past a few seasons of handling.

Best for baby’s first Christmas or grandparent gifts: the hand shrinks, the ornament stays.

2. Fa La La Llama Ornament

A llama in an embroidered saddle hits different from the tenth reindeer on the same branch.

The felt body and embroidered saddle come together fast with a Cricut cut for the pattern pieces; sew or glue the layers, stuff lightly so he keeps his shape on the tree.

Leftover felt scraps turn into a whole herd. No embroidery skill required; a simple running stitch in contrasting thread looks deliberate.

3. Marbled Alcohol Ink Ornaments

Alcohol ink on clear plastic reads as stained glass without the lead or the weight.

Drop a few colors inside a clear bauble, tilt until the swirls settle where you want them, and the marbling happens while you hold your breath.

These need to dry undisturbed; touch too soon and the pattern drags. Plastic rather than glass keeps them light enough for paper-thin branches and safe around small helpers.

4. Popsicle Stick Snowflakes

Three popsicle sticks form a six-point snowflake faster than geometry suggests. Glue the center joint, add a second layer for depth, then hand the kids glitter, sequins, and pom-poms while the glue sets.

Sequins catch light better than flat glitter alone. Twine loops through one point for hanging; punch the hole before decorating so nothing cracks.

These bulk out a tree on pocket change in supplies and survive the season of being packed in a shoebox.

5. Popsicle Stick Christmas Trees

Green craft sticks stacked shortest to longest make a tree shape that even wobbly hands can assemble. Horizontal sticks glue to a vertical trunk, paint after assembly, then dot with glitter while the paint still grips.

A gold star topper covers any gap at the peak.

The maker behind the photo hangs hers as a finished ornament; I would add a loop before the star goes on, since drilling through dried paint and glue later risks the split.

6. Personalized Felt Gingerbread Men

Felt gingerbread men with ric-rac trim and name beads turn a generic shape into a specific child. Finished ones read EZRA, BEN, BROOK, each with a checkered bow and enough stuffing to plump but not distort.

Check your bead spelling before threading; frogging through felt leaves holes. The ric-rac goes on before assembly, flat against the front piece, or it bumps under the edges.

Best ordered by early December if you are making more than two; hand-stitching names takes longer than the bodies.

7. Pipe Cleaner Angel

A pearl-headed angel in fuzzy white pipe cleaners looks like something from an old grade-school pageant, in the best way.

2 cleaners twist into a body and wings, a third loops into a halo, and the pearl covers the raw ends at the head.

Gold wire spiraled around the wings and skirt catches tree lights without adding weight.

Pipe cleaners hold their shape through years of being squashed in ornament boxes. No glue means no drying time; a kid can make a dozen in an afternoon and still have fingers clean enough for dinner.

8. Glitter Striped Baubles

Vertical glitter stripes on a ribbed white bauble catch light differently than all-over sparkle. The ribbing gives the stripe a straight edge without taping; brush glue into every other valley, sprinkle, shake, repeat.

Tinsel stripe over orange reads warm and vintage.

2 colors maximum keeps it from looking like a craft fair explosion. Bells and bows glued on after rattle and snag, so I would skip them for a tree with small dogs or large cats.

Seal the glitter or it sheds through January.

9. Crocheted Bauble Ornament

A crocheted cover turns a plain glass bauble into something that looks hand-me-down and intentional. Single crochet in the round, increase until the sphere is cupped, then decrease and thread closed around the ornament cap.

Pinecones, greenery, and bells wired on after add bulk that sways.

A plain covered bauble hangs straighter and packs flatter. Cotton thread gives a firmer fabric than acrylic, and white shows the stitch definition.

One evening covers two or three if you already crochet. First-timers should budget a weekend and a spare bauble for the inevitable dropped stitch.

10. Miniature Diorama Dome Ornament

A clear dome filled with a tiny scene is a snow globe that does not leak.

The base is a split plastic ornament half; figures glue to the inside of the dome before it closes, so they face outward and stay upright.

The Santa, snowman, and tree are standard miniature village pieces, the size used for model railroad layouts.

Check heights before buying; too tall and the dome will not seal, too small and the scene goes flat. A pinch of fake snow static-clings to the dome and drifts around the figures.

Weight adds up fast. One dome is a statement; a tree full would sag.

11. Clay Christmas Tree Tiles

A flat clay tag with a smaller clay tree on top gives 2 textures and a place to write a name or year.

Roll the base to quarter-inch thickness, cut rectangles, then model the tree separately and score-and-slip it on before the first firing.

Raised glazed trees need a kiln; flat painted trees would work with acrylics and skip that step entirely. Twine through a hole punched before drying holds up better than ribbon.

These need 2 hands and some patience. Clay lasts longer than paper or felt, so these hang around for years.

12. Carved Clay Ornaments

A metal loop tool dragged through soft clay leaves a groove that catches shadow and glaze. Teardrop shapes are forgiving; no corners to crack, and the curve guides the hand.

Carve leather-hard clay, not wet, or the walls slump.

A ribbon-shaped blade carves clean curves; a wooden skewer works for narrower lines but drags more. Smooth the back with a damp sponge before the clay sets, or the finished piece will scratch whatever it touches.

Bisque fire, glaze or leave raw, then fire again. 2 kiln trips means waiting longer than you’d think; plan for it, or switch to air-dry clay and acrylic paint.

13. Handmade Gingerbread House Ornament

A gingerbread house ornament in clay or dough keeps the details that make the real thing charming without the edible fragility. Pink roof, white trim, and a miniature wreath the size of a fingernail give the front its finished look.

Air-dry clay or salt dough both take paint well after curing.

Weight adds up fast with walls and a roof, so a small base keeps the branch from bending. A single wire loop through the peak, set before the clay dries, holds safer than glue-on hooks.

14. Glitter Foam Ball Ornaments

Sequins and beads pressed into foam balls with straight pins make ornaments that read as vintage from across the room. No glue, no drying time, just pattern and patience.

The foam takes color from the pins and sequins alone, or spray the ball first for a ground that shows through gaps.

Pins with colored heads become part of the design; silver dressmaker pins disappear. Foam crumbles if you squeeze too hard while pinning, so a thimble helps more than you’d expect.

A bowl of these weighs almost nothing and bounces when dropped. Good for trees in rental units with strict deposit rules.

15. Paper Flower Ornament

Fringed paper layers stacked into a flower catch light like a paper dahlia at half the depth. White and metallic gold in alternating rings read as snow and candlelight; the rhinestone center covers the assembly point.

The fringe softens the petal edges and gives the flower body without bulk.

Cardstock holds the shape but resists curling; lightweight paper fringes easier and drapes. A modest diameter fits standard branches without droop.

These flatten for storage if you skip the rhinestone and use a brad center instead. One evening makes two or three once the fringe cutting rhythm sets in.

16. Fabric-Wrapped Ornaments

Folded fabric over a ball form makes an ornament with the weight and drape of a quilted heirloom.

Pressed pleats radiating from center to edge give these their texture; red, green, cream, and blue versions together read as collected over years.

Cotton or light linen presses crisp and stays put; slippery fabrics fight the folds. A styrofoam ball inside gives shape for pinning or tacking; a rubber band at the center gathers the first layer tight enough to build on.

Ribbon or twine through the center holds the hanger and hides in the folds.

17. Glitter Popsicle Stick Star

4 popsicle sticks in a star spread glitter farther than any other shape. The points catch light from every angle; the open center keeps it from reading as a solid lump of craft supplies.

Paint the sticks first or the wood shows through gaps.

Glue the center joint and let it dry before glittering, or the star drifts out of true. Gold and color together read as intentional; all one color reads as a single classroom batch.

A loop through one point hangs it point-up.

These shed glitter for weeks unless sealed, and sealing dulls the sparkle. I would hang them on the back half of the tree and accept the fallout.

18. Heart Waffle Ornaments

A heart-shaped waffle ornament in polymer or air-dry clay copies the grid of a real breakfast waffle down to the browned edges. Red-and-white baker’s twine through the top loop ties it to the tree without fighting the color scheme.

The grid needs pressing while the clay is soft; a fine mesh or a comb dragged through the surface leaves the pockets. Paint the low points darker for the toasted look, or keep it pale for a sugar-waffle read.

Weight sits in the middle range for clay, not feather-light but not branch-bending. One batch of clay yields a half-dozen hearts with scraps for minis.

Fun Family Activity

The cornstarch dough in the list handles like sugar cookie dough, which means kids can roll and cut without the frustration of crumbly salt dough.

The baking soda in the mix teaches a small chemistry lesson while it bakes; the same mix that air-dries hard as porcelain also lets a toddler press a hand flat and hold still long enough to get the print.

Liquid Sculpey snowflakes take fifteen minutes if you want a faster clay option than the dough that bakes low and slow.

The lace-embossed clay ornaments use the same cut-out cookie skills; a grandparent who baked with the parent can now press a doily with the child.

Store finished pieces wrapped in bubble wrap in a sturdy box, labeled, somewhere dry.

Budget-friendly Supplies

Clear plastic fillable balls, markers, pipe cleaners, and wooden slices all sit on the same shelf at dollar stores and come in under a few dollars per pack.

The 80mm clear baubles in the marbled alcohol ink entry are the same size as the fillable ornaments sold in bulk; buy the cheapest, since the ink hides the seam.

Acrylic paint pens cover wood, glass, and the cured clay in several entries without buying separate paints. One set of dual-tip pens handles the gingerbread house trim, the waffle grid low points, and names on popsicle stick stars.

Jewelry clay and bevels for initial ornaments cost more upfront but embed any small element: a baby tooth, a sprig of wedding lavender, sand from a trip.

The cornstarch and baking soda for dough ornaments are pantry staples; the only purchase is time.

Unfinished wooden shapes in 10 cuts, jingle bells, and beaded kits for snowflakes, snowmen, wreaths, and candy canes all bundle the materials for a classroom or cousins’ afternoon.

Coffee filters for the clear snowflake resin experiment cost pennies; the resin itself is the only non-household supply.

Kid-friendly Crafts

Younger kids stick pom-poms and sprinkle glitter while older ones cut shapes or arrange more detailed designs.

Paper gingerbread ornaments with a printed template remove the freehand drawing variable; paint goes inside lines already there.

German paper stars from strips build patience but no sharp tools. Coffee filter snowflakes dipped in resin need adult handling of the resin, but the cutting and folding are kid work.

The pearl bead covers raw ends; no sharp wire exposed.

Personalization Options

The felt gingerbread men in the list carry names in beads: EZRA, BEN, BROOK.

Initial ornaments in jewelry clay embed elements into the letter itself. The beaded kits for snowmen, Santa, and elves come printed; the wooden slices take any name a paint pen writes.

Cornstarch dough takes a handprint or a footprint while soft, then bakes into a permanent record of the size.

Paper flowers in white and metallic gold alternate rings; swap the colors for a family palette.

Frequently Asked Questions