You know we love making ornaments, so we’re sharing the ones we made this year. If you’re someone who always wants to bake all the cookies and craft all the ornaments, these are for you.
These turned out to be the easiest grandparent gifts ever: a child’s masterpiece paired with a simple, personal ornament. They’re so sweet you’ll likely make extras for your own tree.
They cost only a dollar or two apiece and take about ten minutes to make — perfect when Christmas is just around the corner.
First, the wooden ornaments. I picked up flat wooden tags at Michael’s; I had intended to buy flat ceramic disks but they were out, so these distressed wooden tag-style pieces worked great. At 99 cents each and with an online coupon, six cost under $6. Similar blank ornaments with pre-drilled holes are also available from other retailers and can save time.
If your wooden blanks don’t have holes, drilling them is quick — I used a 3/16″ bit. If you’d rather avoid a drill, a taped ribbon loop on the back will usually hold fine.
When drilling, place the wood on a scrap 2×4 to protect your work surface. That little step prevents damage and keeps everything steady while you drill.
Next, add the artwork. Our son brought home caterpillar stickers from preschool and our daughter returned with blue birds from first grade. Many schools participate in programs that produce stickers of student art; our school sent the stickers home for free as part of a fundraiser.
If you don’t have pre-made stickers, scan or photograph any favorite piece of kid art and print it on sticker paper, or print on regular paper and seal it to the wood with Mod Podge. Both options preserve and display the artwork so it isn’t tucked away in a box forever.
After the sticker is applied, thread a thin ribbon through the hole. I used red ribbon saved from previous gift wrap — I keep every bow, ribbon, and bag, so I always have extras on hand.
Now about the clear domed ornament I made last year: these plastic ball ornaments with the front cut out are sold at craft stores and make a great terrarium-style display. With a coupon they cost about $1.50 each. I stuck the sticker on the inside back, added some fake snow to the base with Elmer’s glue, and applied a little snow around the top for a finished look.
Tip: don’t press the sticker fully into the curved back of the ornament or it will wrinkle. Instead, attach the four corners where they meet the curve and avoid pushing the center. That keeps the sticker flat and secure — mine stayed intact more than a year later.
I enjoy watching our kid-art ornament collection grow each year and like mixing shapes and materials so the tree doesn’t look too matchy. Some years try flat ceramic disks, other years a wooden block, and so on. It’s a fun way to document childhood creativity.
Hope holiday prep is fun and low-stress for you. I’ve been enjoying chai and too many cookies, and I recently got battery-operated LED window candles with timers so I don’t have to worry about flames. They turn on and off automatically, which has been a small but lovely gift to myself.
Psst — if you want more holiday projects, here are some other easy ornament DIYs and small Christmas projects from our archives:
- Once upon a time, we made a ton of painted homemade ornaments.
- How to make giant red reindeer — an unexpectedly useful skill.
- The ornaments we made from race medals.
- Silhouette ornaments and handprint keepsakes we created for our kids.
- Snowy boxes filled with tiny trees and puppies are always charming.
- We’ve also made antler and animal ornaments, snow-capped glass balls, and dried orange decorations.
- Rustic wood ornaments are another favorite we’ve shared.
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