DIY Christmas ornaments to make at home!

Don’t go buying new decorations for the tree each year, not when there’s so many homemade Christmas ornaments you can make yourself

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Published: October 24, 2023 at 7:00 am

You know the drill – every year you climb up into that dusty attic, search around for last year's baubles and decorations, only to find half of them are broken or are no longer to your taste!

Well this year, why not use your crafty skills to make your own DIY Christmas ornaments? It’s far more sustainable to use supplies from your stash rather than buying new, plus it’ll totally help to get you in the Christmassy mood.

Regardless of whether you’re an experienced crafter or just fancy being a bit thrifty this year, we’ve got loads of free patterns and tutorials to help you make your own homemade Christmas ornaments.

Read through for a range of inspiring makes, or use these handy links to jump to the craft you’re looking for.

UpcyclingPapercraftFeltAir dry clay

Cross stitchSewingEmbroideryCrochetKnitting

18 ways to make your own DIY Christmas ornaments

1. Make button DIY Christmas tree decorations

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If you’re someone who has a jar full of mixed-up buttons then here’s a simple Christmas tree decoration you can make… in the shape of a Christmas tree!

All you need is a selection of different-sized buttons (raid your sewing box or have a look in charity shops if you don’t have a stash of them) and a bit of twine or thread. Don’t worry if you don’t have any green buttons, you can always paint them afterwards… or embrace different colours, there’s nothing wrong with rainbow–coloured trees!

Can’t find any buttons at all – just get creative! Make your own by cutting out a range of different size circles out of card or foam board and using a pencil or wide needle to make your buttonholes.


2. Give your old baubles a new lease of life

DIY Christmas baubles gold dipped

If your Christmas baubles are looking a bit dull and boring after a few years of use, why not give them a fresh new look with our DIY Christmas baubles upcycling project?

We show you how to use nail varnish to transform bland baubles as well as using gold leaf to give them that extra-stylish shine!

Get thrifty with fabric scraps

Love the idea of giving old baubles a new look? Embrace upcycling with our How to turn fabric scraps into Christmas baubles tutorial.

3. Make pretty paper Christmas tree decorations

vintage paper christmas decorations group

You don’t need a whole load of specialist tools or supplies to make your own DIY Christmas tree decorations. All you need is coloured paper or card and a bit of glue.

Our tutorial on how to make paper Christmas decorations features three different designs to try – paper doves, poinsettia balls and vintage baubles. Your friends and family will be amazed by these detailed and impressive decorations.


4. Top it off with a paper star

How to make a Christmas star out of paper

Every Christmas tree needs a shining star on top. If you’re after a real show-stopper of a star, our tutorial on how to make a paper star will teach you how to make a fabulous 3D star to display at the top of your tree.

Alternatively, we also have another fab DIY origami Christmas star tutorial which is great for making slightly smaller 8-point stars out of shiny festive paper that you can use as decorations to hang on your tree.


5. Stitch a felt gingerbread house ornament

Gingerbread tree decorations

We love making homemade Christmas ornaments out of felt, as they’re easy to construct with just some simple hand sewing (no need for a machine).

These felt gingerbread house ornaments are a great example – just cut out the felt shapes then bring them all together with some easy sewing stitches. We think it’s the perfect way to spend a pre-Christmas evening!


6. Go kawaii this Christmas with felt animals

How to make felt animal Christmas decorations

If you fancy making some felt DIY Christmas tree decorations that really have the cute-factor, then you simply must try our felt animal Christmas decorations!

Our penguin, polar bear and reindeer will look absolutely adorable hanging from your tree.

Delightful Doggy Decorations

If your puppy is part of the family, you'll love making our DIY dog Christmas ornament.

7. Craft your own clay decorations

How to make air dry clay Christmas decorations small

Nothing says Christmas like pretzels, avocados and lobsters. Ok, so these are some of our more quirky DIY Christmas ornaments, but in our opinion they’re super cool.

Using air dry clay is a great way to try your hand at sculpting without the need for a kiln or other fancy tools, and our tutorial even shows you how to add a bit of sparkly glitter into your decorations - FAB-U-LOUS!


8. Create a glamourous garland

diy christmas tree decorations step 4
Creature Comforts DIY Christmas star garland

Lose the tacky tinsel on your tree this year and instead get inspired by subtle yet stylish Scandinavian style.

This Christmas star garland is made by using mini cookie cutters with air dry clay to create the shapes, which are then attached to baker’s twine with the help of a glue gun.


9. Make a mini-wreath bauble with cross stitch

Christmas-wreath-cross-stitch-pattern

Maybe you only want to do a little bit of crafting rather than making a whole tree-full of DIY Christmas tree decorations. Then why not try this cute and easy cross stitch bauble? It’s so simple you could easily make one in an evening!


10. Cross stitch your own adorable angel

angel cross stitch

Whether you’re placing it proudly atop your tree or making it as an additional hanging decoration, this angel is perfect for relaxing pre-Christmas stitching.

Once you’ve done your stitching, it’s time to make it into a 3D shape… And you won’t believe how easy it is!

Have a happy cross stitch Christmas

Can’t get enough of Christmas cross stitch? Then you’ll love our list of 150 Christmas cross stitch patterns!

11. Easy sew Christmas ornaments

Easy sew Christmas decorations

These sweet DIY Christmas tree decorations are super easy to make and you could easily stitch up a range of them in a few hours.

These 2D star, heart and Christmas tree shapes only require some simple sewing, so is a great project for new stitchers or more experienced sewists who are after a quick festive make.

They’d look great made in Christmas fabrics, but why not get creative by choosing a colour scheme out of fabrics already in your stash?


12. Sew your own 3D homemade Christmas ornaments

How to sew Christmas tree baubles

Fancy a bit more of a sewing challenge? Then take your DIY Christmas ornaments to the next level and sew some 3D shapes!

Grab some fabric scraps, download our template and give them a go – They’re a great way of upping your skillset!


13. Use embroidery to create DIY Christmas tree decorations

Free Christmas embroidery patterns

If you’d prefer to settle down with some hand stitching during the festive season, then we’ve got a range of endearing embroidery ornaments that you can make.

These simple Hexi ornaments really show off your stitching, and there’s four designs to make – a kawaii wreath and snowflake, plus ‘happy holidays’ and ‘season's greetings’ lettering designs.


14. Enjoy embroidering a mini Christmas jumper

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Everyone loves a Christmas sweater, but if you don’t have the time to craft up one big enough to wear, you can always make these mini ones to hang on your tree!

These little felt ornaments are easy to construct and feature some lovely embroidery stitches – we particularly love the whipped back stitches that create a candy cane effect. The tutorial even shows you how to make adorable mini clothes hangers too!


15. Show your love this Christmas with crochet

Crochet Christmas heart crochet pattern

We love the simple folk-art styling of this Christmas crochet heart, which is also reminiscent of traditional gingerbread heart biscuits. They’d make adorable DIY Christmas tree decorations, but you can also use them as a festive brooch too!

They’re made up of simple crochet stitches but do involve shaping with increases and decreases – a great first shaping project for crochet newbies!


16. Go super cute this Christmas with amigurumi crochet

Amigurumi-Christmas-ornament-patterns

Christmas is all about the food and indulging yourself, so what could be more appropriate than some tasty DIY Christmas tree decorations?

Lauren Espy has given traditional festive food the kawaii amigurumi treatment in the form of a cheerful Christmas pudding, a happy hot chocolate and a smiley sprout!

A whole Christmas of crochet

Crocheters sure do love Christmas, so much so that we’ve got over 100 Christmas crochet patterns for you to hook this year!

17. Knit some delightful decorations

Christmas Star and Tree Knitting Patterns

Grab your needles and get ready to make some classic Christmas shapes with our free star and Christmas tree knitting patterns!

These simple shapes each have an extra element of interest to keep knitters entertained, like knitting in the round to make the star or using the backwards loop cast on method to create the ridged trees.


18. Sing a song with our Christmas mice!

This is a full portrait picture showing all 4 christmas mice hanging from a tree decked with fairy lights and silver and red glitter baubles

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, apart from a carol-singing mouse!

If you’re looking to make homemade Christmas ornaments that really show off your knitting skills, these super-cute carol-singing mice are sure to impress your friends and family.

There’s three free patterns for these fabulously festive critters, plus extra instructions on how to make a special angel mouse too!

Knit a really special Christmas decoration

Use your knitting skills to create a really cute and wholesome Christmas display with our Free knitted Nativity pattern.

Get creative with your DIY Christmas ornaments

Now that you’re feeling inspired and have plenty of ideas for ​​DIY Christmas tree decorations, it’s time to decide which ones you’d like to have on your tree.

Try selecting a consistent colour scheme for your various ornaments to tie them all together, or mix it up with lots of different homemade Christmas ornaments – you could even get the whole family involved so you each have a special decoration of your very own!

Get really crafty by making your own Christmas cards

Let your friends and family share in your crafty skills this Christmas by sending them their own bespoke card. You can find a huge range of DIY Christmas card ideas right here on Gathered.

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