How to Create: Homemade Christmas Tree Ornaments

or·na·ment   

[n. awr-nuh-muhnt; v. awr-nuh-ment, -muhnt]
–noun
1. an accessory, article, or detail used to beautify the appearance of something to which it is added or of which it is a part

Today I wanted to share a festive idea for homemade Christmas tree ornaments. They are really easy and cheap to make- it doesn't get much better than that!

First to give you some background on these ornaments; I was in Target with my mom during Thanksgiving weekend because we were in desperate need of a tree (not just some table top decoration). So knowing that you can usually find a bargain at Target, we headed there in search of the perfect tree. I found a tree...AWESOME! But still needed all the decor- lights, ornaments, ribbon or garland and a topper! Oh my, how much money was I really willing to spend?!? I found a package of gold ornaments (shatter-proof, perfect!) but wanted to add more color to accent a gold tree. So then we found these little knitted people ornaments in packs of 4!! They were so cute, I grabbed 4 pks. But still needed more! (You can NEVER have too many ornaments especially for a 7ft tree!) I really didn't want to spend a lot more money...so we found ourselves in the gift wrapping isle and low and behold there was a package of kraft gift tags each with a yarn tie (either red or green). They were really cute and mom had the BEST idea! She said "Why don't you use these as your other ornaments!?! You can design anything you want on them, they are personalized, cheap and serve the purpose!" She was soooo right! It was a perfect idea! So we do have her to thank for this idea...

So here we go!

Step 1- Start out with blank holiday gift tags. (Ours were $3 at Target for a pack of 12). Then figure out what you want to put on them. For my designs, I chose to use assorted holiday stamps, black, red & green ink, glitter pens and stamp markers.

Step 2- Lay out the stamps and start creating your designs. The possibilities are endless, you can stamp, doodle, add rub-ons or any other type of embellishments. They can be simple like ours, or as elaborate as you want, it's your choice! (Gotta love that!)  I stamped both sides so that you can see the design no matter how the ornament hangs on the tree. In the image above, I started out with black ink.

 Step 3- Here I wanted to add some color to the ornaments, so I used the red & green ink on some.

 Step 4- Here are the ornaments all together and I was able to personalize a few of the tags with our names, just to add a special "one of a kind" touch!

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial for homemade Christmas tree ornaments and hopefully you'll get a chance to make some your own festive holiday decor! Good luck! :-)

Birthday Wishes

Supplies: Textured Cardstock- Bazzil; Patterned Paper- Sassafrass; Ribbon- Making Memories;

Distress Ink- Ranger; Stamp/Button & Embroidery Thread-Other

home·spun

[hohm-spuhn]
–adjective
1. spun or made at home: homespun cloth.
2. plain; unpolished; unsophisticated; simple; rustic

Origin:

1580–90; home + spun


This birthday card I created a while back and thought I would share it with you today. I used the Studio Calico Back 40 kit. I really like the patterned papers that have the decorative scallop edge, they're perfect as a finishing touch! This patterned paper is from Sassafras and I love their papers, they always have a homespun feel, very vintage. The patterned paper is attached to the card using a zz stitch with a ribbon running across the center attached at the sides with zz.

The sentiment was created with a stamp on a piece of textured card stock that I shaped using a tag stencil. The border was made using a glitter gel pen and Tim Holtz's Ranger distress ink. The button is attached using ivory embroidery thread wrapped and tied into a bow.

Below is a color palette I've created inspired by this card. Maybe it will inspire your next project! Enjoy!