8 Easy DIY Holiday Ornaments

embroidery hoop ornament

At American Patch, we love crafts (have you seen our Pinterest page?), and our custom patch company has come across some really neat ornament ideas for the holidays that you can create for yourself or to give as gifts.

Embroidery Hoops (pictured)

No embroidery needed here! Just get some festive fabric and stretch it over a small embroidery hoop. (You can paint the hoop first if you don’t like the wooden color.) Then, attach an applique shape like a snowflake or a Christmas tree to the fabric and tie a ribbon to the hardware at the top of the hoop to hang the ornament.

Tin Top Snowflakes

These ornaments are both easy and fun to make. All you need is a hammer, tin tops (from crescent roll, dinner roll, or biscuit packages), a nail, and some thread. Hammer holes into the tins in a pattern of your choice, then string a piece of ribbon through to hang the ornament.

Yarn Bulbs

Have you ever seen those paper mache ornaments at craft stores that usually look like round and oval bulbs? Buy a few of those and some assorted yarn colors and you can make your own yarn bulbs. Just spread a layer of glue onto the ornament, the wrap the thread around it. Alternate colors for your own unique look.

Origami Glitter Cranes

If you already know how to make origami cranes, then there’s only two more steps to this ornament project and you’re finished! If you don’t already know how to make them, head here. After you make your crane, simply brush the paper with glue and sprinkle with glitter.

Sweater Wreaths

If you have old sweaters that you don’t need or want anymore, cut them up into 1-inch squares. Then, take a needle and thread and thread through the center of each square (until you reach about 50 squares). When you’re done, tie the ends of the thread together to form a circle and leave some excess to hang the ornament.

Silver Cottages

Cut some cottages out of cardboard, then cover with foil. Twist some wire around the tip of a pencil about 4 or 5 times to create little circles, then fold into an oval to create “smoke”  (leave about two inches of straight wire). Attach the straight wire to the chimney of the cottage to make it look like it’s billowing smoke.

Paper Lanterns

You can make mini paper lanterns out of toilet paper tubes and paint. Simply cut a toilet paper tube in half vertically, then in half horizontally to make two lanterns. Paint one side yellow (to make it look like it’s glowing) and the other side the color of your choice. Fold in half, then cut about 8 times horizontally (leaving 1/4 inch at the top). Glue the lantern closed and squish it down. Then, attach some string to hang them.

Salt Dough Ornaments

Create a dough using 1/2 cup salt, 2 cup flour, and 1/2 water. Roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness, then use cookie cutters to cut out holiday shapes. Poke a hole in the top for yarn to hang, then bake for 4 hours at 200 degrees. When they’re cool, you can use markers to create patterns.