6 Easy DIY Christmas Ornaments for your Tree

Have the perfect tree but nothing to hang on it? Or do you have a new tree and are just getting started collecting decorations for it? You could go buy ornaments, but money is already tight this time of year. Never fear, there are a ton of great ways to dress up your tree without breaking the bank. Try one – or a combination – of these easy DIY Christmas ornaments for your tree this year!

6 Easy DIY Christmas Ornaments for your Tree

Candy kisses – Groups of 3 or 4 peppermint candies or chocolate kisses tied or glued together make sweet ornaments that sparkle and catch the light.

Gingerbread – Gingerbread cookies can be baked and used for ornaments, but be creative with the shapes you use. Don’t stick with just the gingerbread men, but think about birds, houses and packages. A good recipe for these ornaments:

• ½ c Applesauce
• ½ c Cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons Household glue

Mix all ingredients together and roll on wax paper to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter, cut out the shapes of the intended ornaments. Poke a small hole in the top of the ornament using the end of a straw or a knife. Allow ornaments to air dry for 1-3 days. When ornaments are ready to be decorated they will be completely dry and very hard.

Garland – Garland can be made out of almost anything but popcorn and cranberries are two classics. The white of the popcorn and the red of the cranberries contrast against the green of the tree. Construction paper can be used to make rings. String cookie cutters, especially those with Christmas themes, on a ribbon to make a fun garland

Snowflakes – Create snowflakes from folded pieces of paper or cardstock. This project is a good way to get everyone involved in the decorating. Or find ornament templates online and cut your own out of scrapbook or wallpaper.

Salt dough ornaments – Much like the gingerbread, the possibilities here are limited only by your imagination. A good recipe for this type of ornament:

• ½ cup salt
• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup water

Mix all ingredients together and roll on wax paper to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter, cut out the shapes of the intended ornaments. Poke a small hole in the top of the ornament using the end of a straw or a knife. Bake these in a 200˚ oven for 4 hours. When cool, draw on ornaments with markers. Hang with coordinating yarn or ribbon.

Pinecones – Pinecones can be used in a number of ways as well. Hang with a festive ribbon for a super simple decoration. Spray with snow spray or paint in any color imaginable. There are some really cool tutorials online for painting pinecones in an ombre color palette (colors that are related but slightly darker or lighter).

No matter how you decide to decorate your tree, one of these ideas will surely help you make beautiful ornaments. Keep in mind that often less is more; start simple and add on as you feel it is necessary. And remember, this is fun!