15 HANDMADE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS IDEAS

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. This year I decided to have completely unique decorations of my house - handmade stockings and a Christmas tree which I decorated with my own handmade ornaments. It took me some time to figure out what I can do with those boring colorless ornaments and after some research, I realized that there're endless options to give them a personal touch and transform them into uniquely customized memorable ornaments. Handmade ornaments are also a great Christmas present, easy to make on a budget.

Here is what I made and wanted to share with you:

1. Penguin from an old light bulb

This idea is sooo simple and speaks for itself. My penguin turned to be a bit grumpy but well, aren't they the cutest with their attitude?

2. Creative fillings

You can fill up glass ornaments with anything you want: beads, pearls, feathers, coffee beans, popcorn. Use your imagination!

One of my favorite and what I call "Memorabilia" ornament is this clear ornament with pine cones and branches from Alaska. It was always my dream to visit Alaska and this year my dream came true! It was truly one of the most favorite trips. Alaska is an incredibly beautiful and vast place. It is raw, untouched and that what makes it so special. The wildlife is just out of this world. One can drive aimlessly for hours and not get enough of this magical place. Alaskan people are warm, friendly and sincere and everyone I met would share their beautiful stories and how they absolutely love living there. I can't wait to visit again. Every time I catch sight of this ornament, I remember how beautiful Alaska is.
I made few other "Memorabilia" ornaments this year but our tree was a bit skewed and fell off and most of these ornaments were broken into pieces before I took any pictures (It was a very sad moment and I had to make completely new ornaments) One ornament had sand that I brought from Zion National Park trip. I painted cactus with acrylic paint and put similar stickers for the sign. Now it's alive only in my memory 😉
This ornament is stuffed halfway with faux snow and painted with mod podge and covered in Epson salt.

3. Creations with Mod Podge

These absolutely adorable decoupage ornaments are made with mod podge and scrapbook paper. You can see a full tutorial here. I used a mapped paper and a music sheet. Don't forget to cover all surfaces with mod podge when you're done, it will protect ornament from damage.
These lovely rustic delicate ornaments are easily made with any scraps of lace and jute twine. Just simply apply mod podge on the glass surface and attach lace to it.
This "snowy" ornament was dropped into mod podge and then rolled into Epsom salts. Let it dry completely for a couple of days. You can also add sparkles into it to make it more festive.
Another technique that I used is mod podge and glitter.

4. Painted Ornaments

I probably had the most fun creating these ornaments. At first, I tried to paint them from inside but it didn't quite work out. I was moving very slowly and I quickly lost my patience painting the inner surfaces. Instead, I took Gold Leaf Acrylic Paint and with a brisk brush painted over the ornaments. It gave me a gold base to paint on.(I created this drying rack for ornaments with sticks glued to an old picture frame)
I wish I could paint very detailed precise pictures, but unfortunately, that's not my talent. I'm sure it will come with practice but that's what I came up with:
Kate Spade inspired ornaments. They are...just...terrific.
I made these Kate Spade ornaments and they were marvelous. They were the first ornaments I used to decorate my Christmas Tree. Unfortunately, after the tree accident, the below ornament is the only one that survived to tell the tale 🙁

That's my handmade ornaments this year. I hope you got inspired to make your own. Are you crafting anything these days? It's such a relaxing fun thing to do, especially with kids. I'm sure they'd love to get their hands dirty in the paint, mod podge, sparkles and create something unique and beautiful. It also could be a great present on a budget. I can't wait to hear about all the ornaments you've made. Merry Christmas folks 🙂