The holidays are approaching faster than ever this year! Not only does the day after Thanksgiving mean gobbling down leftover turkey (no pun intended), but it also initiates the countdown to Christmas! The boxes of ornaments get dusted off, the twinkling lights become untangled, and wintry-green trees are placed into many homes around the world. Decorating is one of the main ways that families come together during this time of year and really celebrate the Christmas season! So, instead of going out and spending a large amount of money on that porcelain Santa Clause or that glass snow globe, here are some totally adorable DIY Christmas decorations that are a fun holiday activity and easy to make!
For these Christmas decorations, you will need: corks, ribbon, buttons or jewels of any kind, googly eyes, plastic ornament balls, decorative paper, scissors, and a glue gun.
1. Corky Christmas tree
To create this cute little Christmas tree, you simply need to stack the corks in the arrangement as seen above. The base of your tree will consist of two corks. After connecting those using your glue gun, proceed by adding a layer of five corks, attaching them to the base. Repeat this process of gluing the corks together but make sure the layers are decreasing in amount as you go up (from five corks, to four, to three, to two, to one cork at the top). Once you complete the shape of your Christmas tree, glue decorative buttons or jewels on each separate cork. Finally, make a bow and glue it at the top of your tree to finish off the look!
2. Christmas Wreath Ornament
This Christmas wreath ornament is perfect for decorating your tree for the holiday season! All you need to create this festive piece is seven corks, some string, ribbon, and buttons. Glue the corks together in a circular formation, place them vertically and connect them by their edges. It is important that you only glue the corks by their ends so that your finished product resembles the shape of a wreath. Once you have your desired look, make a bow and glue it at the bottom of your wreath. You can place a button in the middle of the bow and accessorize the rest in any way that you like! Lastly, intertwine string between the crevasses of the corks and make a loop at the top so you can hang your wreath on your tree as its feature ornament!
3. Reindeer Ornaments
We all know how adorable these reindeer are right? But I’m sure that most of you don’t know how easy they are to make! To complete one reindeer ornament, you will need six corks, ribbon, buttons, googly eyes, and pipe cleaners. First, you will need to cut five out of the six corks that you have in half. The full cork will be the body where as the other corks will be used for the legs and the head. Glue the two half-sized corks on each side of the full cork to make the legs, and another half-sized cork on the top of the body to create the head. Proceed by gluing a googly eye on each side of the head. Then, attach a ribbon around the ‘neck’, a brown button on the back to make a tail, cut two pipe cleaners down to a small size for the antlers, and another button (or small colored ball) for the nose. Once you get your reindeer to look the way that you want, make a loop with a thin ribbon and glue it to the body to complete your ornament!
4. Festive Ribbon and Paper Ornaments
Of course everyone is familiar with the standard glass ball ornament, but what if I told you that you could create the same look using simple and inexpensive materials? You will need plastic ornament balls, ribbon, and decorative paper. First, cut your desired choice of paper into thin strips. Then, either curl the pieces using one end of your scissor or roll them up into a spiral formation. Once you have a fair amount of curled pieces, open up the plastic ball and place the paper inside. Glue a bright bow made out of ribbon at the top of your ornament for a cute finish! The possibilities are endless with this project; feel free to design your ornament however you want!
(Plastic ornament balls can be found at Michaels Craft Store)
There you have it! 4 DIY Christmas decorations that are adorable, easy to make, and are guaranteed to get you and the whole family into that fun holiday spirit!