Semi-Handmade Paper Christmas Ornaments
Have you decorated your Christmas tree with any handmade Christmas ornaments?
I have decorated a lot of Christmas trees, but I have always had to follow the design directive of the stores for which I worked.
My family tree is a hodgepodge of all of my family’s favorite ornaments –we each take a side of the tree to decorate.
So when Michaels asked me if I would like to decorate a dream tree, I jumped at the chance. They provided the pre-lit tree and a gift card to make my dream tree a reality.
Since I like to make and design in my own style and loved the way I decorated my dining room last Christmas, I chose to make handmade Christmas ornaments for the tree – along with lots of turquoise and glitter!
The tree fits perfectly in the empty corner of my dining room. It is a 7-ft pre-lit tree. My first ever-fake tree.
This is the first thing I have put up for Christmas. It looks nice and Christmasy, but if I stepped back with my camera and got a whole room shot, you would see a huge mess – Ed uses the room as his office and there is still stuff all over that needs to be put back in the kitchen.
I had an idea for a tree skirt, but did not have time to make it yet. Until I get it completed, I simply wrapped black and white polka dot fabric around the stand. E-Z!
All of the items that I used to make on the tree were purchased at Michaels.
- I cut out computer print-out initials and added them to mini gift bags stuffed with tissue paper. On Christmas eve, I will place a tiny surprise in each one for each member of my family to open. I used the font Ecuyer Dax. You can find out how to download the font to your own computer, here.
- The houndstooth ornament I made by tracing the shape onto scrapbook paper card stock. I am not a scrapbooker, but love the patterns and colors of the papers I see when I walk down the scrapbooking aisles. I am always looking for ways to use them. Further down in the post, there is a free printable so you can make these paper ornaments on your own.
More semi-handmade Christmas ornaments -I bought classic turquoise ball ornaments and added glitter to them.
- To add the glitter evenly all around, hold the ornament hook and brush white glue all over the surface of the ornament and then sprinkle the glitter over it. Hang to dry.
I even used a few decorations I bought As-Is! No changing or adding anything to them. These fun glitter ball sprays look festive as a tree topper. I simply wedged the stems of each around the top branches of the tree and then bent them to fan out. Under them are silver glitter and glass branch sprays.
How-to Steps to Decorate A Christmas Tree
There are many ways to decorate a tree, but this is the process I use.
- The first step is to add some filler. I wanted to give the tree a snowy effect and make it look fuller. I added 10 glittered pine and silver branch sprays evenly around the tree. Fluff each to spread them out and then push the stem into the tree in a downward or horizontal position. I look for spots where you can see through the tree.
- I then add garland. I used this yarn. Isn’t it cool? It even has shiny turquoise sequins already on it. I also made a garland using pipe cleaners, but I will explain how I made it in another post.
The next step is to place color and ornaments evenly around the tree. I found these glitter cardboard letters in the scrapbook aisle.
- I used a 1/8” hole punch to make a hole in the top of each letter so I could hang them on the tree with ornament hooks.
How to Make Handmade Christmas Ornaments Out of Decorative Paper
I used scrapbook card stock and made a template of different ornament shapes. I punched a hole in the top of each of the paper ornaments I cut out and attached a grommet to each with a grommet punch, so it could be hung in style. You can simply use a hole punch for a super simple way to hang each ornament and skip the grommet detail.
Download the .pdf
Christmas ornament pattern template
How to use the template: Once you have saved the .pdf on your computer, print it out on card stock. Use small scissors to cut each shape out. Then place it over a piece of scrapbook paper and trace each ornament. Cut out. This is a good project to do when you are watching TV.
Scrapbook paper and glitter – even your kids could make these. I also found these hooks. I was thinking of making something similar but the price was right, so no DIY’ing needed.
Let the season of crafting joy begin!
For more creative and budget friendly Christmas decorating ideas, click here to my Christmas Project Gallery
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