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Home » Holiday » Christmas

Easy DIY Christmas Ornaments

Published: Dec 13, 2021 · Updated: Jun 18, 2024 by Carissa Erzen · This post may contain affiliate links · 5 Comments

Rushing to find the last minute perfect gift for Christmas? Take a few minutes to make these adorable, fun and easy DIY Christmas ornaments! They require minimal steps and inexpensive materials!

Easy DIY Christmas Ornaments shaped and decorated like gingerbread cookies

Homemade Holiday Gifts

Happy Holidays! We've made it to the most wonderful and giving time of the year! There are so many options for gifts these days, but I like to give my friends and family at least a few homemade presents each year.

It shows that I took extra time to make something with my own hands for their enjoyment. And for Christmas this year, everyone in my family is receiving one of my easy DIY Christmas ornaments!

hand hanging up a Christmas ornament that looks like a snowflake gingerbread cookie

These simple handmade holiday ornaments are so fun, so cute and soooo easy!

If you are short on time and want a super simple handmade gift, I'd suggest making some rainbow cloud ornaments.

If you want to invest a little more time in creating gifts this year, polymer clay ornaments are an excellent choice.

Keep reading for my tutorials to make both! And if you don't celebrate Christmas, these ornaments can still be enjoyed by everyone, year-round. You can make them for any occasion.

decorated Christmas tree full of handmade ornaments
Christmas tree decorations made from popsicle sticks

Rainbow Cloud Ornaments

This year, all my coworkers are getting these adorable DIY rainbow cloud ornaments!

Supplies

These ornaments are so easy to make and they are relatively inexpensive. All you need is the following:

  • Popsicle sticks
  • White poster board
  • Acrylic paint
  • Paintbrush
  • Scotch tape
  • Glue
overhead view of popsicle sticks, paint and a paintbrush

How to Make Popsicle Stick Ornaments

1. Paint the popsicle sticks

First, paint the popsicle sticks however you like. I painted each ornament of six popsicle sticks with a gradient of three colors. But you can paint each popsicle stick a different color, add splatter paint, glitter, whatever you like! Let them dry completely.

painted popsicle sticks ready to be made into Easy DIY Christmas Ornaments
side view of dozens of painted popsicle sticks

2. Cut out clouds from white poster board

Second, cut out cloud shapes from the poster board. Poster board is stronger than paper, but not as thick as cardboard, making it perfect for this project.

I drew one cloud shape with a pencil to get the perfect puffy shape. Then I cut out that one cloud and used it as a template to trace the other 15 clouds, so they were all the same shape and size.

a cloud drawn onto white poster board to create Easy DIY Christmas Ornaments
a puffy cloud shape cut out of poster board

3. Tape the popsicle sticks together

Third, use some strong tape like duct tape on the back of each group of popsicle sticks to secure them together. I staggered the popsicle sticks so they were all at different lengths. This made it look a little more reminiscent of falling rain drops.

popsicle sticks glued together for a DIY craft

4. Glue or tape the popsicle sticks to the clouds

Fourth, glue the poster board clouds onto the painted popsicle sticks. Let them dry completely.

I taped a second cloud on top of the first cloud, since the glue seeped through and warped the poster board a bit. But you may not have to worry about this, depending on the type of glue you use.

the back side of popsicle stick rainbow ornaments

5. Add a loop of string to hang the ornaments

Finally, tape a loop of string to the back of the popsicle sticks so your friends and family can hang it up! Ta da! That's it - you've created some gorgeous hand crafted gifts in no time!

string being glued onto ornaments to hang them on a Christmas tree

Polymer Clay Ornaments

If you haven't played with clay (or play-doh) then you're totally missing out! It's so relaxing and satisfying to squeeze the moldable clay between your fingers.

I use an oven bake polymer clay from my local craft store. Clay is really versatile because it comes in tons of colors and you can mold it into any shape you want!

I mainly use a rolling pin to roll out the clay. Once you create your shape, the clay gets baked in the oven for about 15 minutes. This allows the clay to harden, so your shape will last forever!

collage of four Easy DIY Christmas Ornaments made from polymer clay

Supplies

  • Polymer clay
  • Rolling pin
  • Cookie cutters
  • Puff paint
  • Straw (to make the hole to hand the ornament)
  • Yarn or metal ornament hooks
  • Baking sheet
a pretzel and a taco made from polymer clay

I also use cookie cutters to cut out intricate shapes in the clay. For example, I used a snowflake cookie cutter and white puff paint to make snowflake gingerbread ornaments.

brown polymer clay shaped into snowflakes and a pretzel

I also love playing around with creating different foods like sugar cookies with the same snowflake cookie cutters. I've made tacos, pizza, pop tarts, a lattice crust pie, and pretzels.

Pro Tip: I also use a straw to poke a hole through each ornament before they went into the oven, to be able to loop the string through to hang it up.

Let me know which easy DIY Christmas ornaments you make!!

white puff paint being painted onto Easy DIY Christmas Ornaments
a tree full of Easy DIY Christmas Ornaments like gingerbread cookies

More Fun DIY Crafts

  • Cute DIY Painted Pumpkin
  • DIY Halloween Gift Box
  • Christmas Treat Box
  • Homemade Lotion Bars
  • How to Dye Fabric with Kitchen Scraps
  • Naturally Dyed Eggs

More Festive Christmas Recipes

  • A hand holding a half-eaten small cookie next to evergreen sprigs.
    German Marzipan Cookies | Bethmännchen
  • Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate Puddles
  • A metal plate with half a dozen cookies topped with jam.
    Jam Thumbprint Cookies | Kulleraugen or Engelsaugen
  • A ribbon in the center of a ring of star shaped cookies.
    Easy Cinnamon Star Cookies | Zimtsterne

About Carissa Erzen

Growing up in Germany, I fell head-over-heels in love with ALL the German baked goods, from Lebkuchen to pretzels. Now I'm the founder, recipe developer, and food photographer behind Humbly Homemade, where I test and share German sweets lovingly created from scratch. So pull up a chair, and stay a while!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Azilde Elizabeth

    December 19, 2021 at 4:40 pm

    Wow I love these! I'm keeping these in mind for next year. I can start ahead and make a bunch. Great idea! The clouds is my favorite. I love the colors! 🌈

    Reply
    • strawberryandcream

      December 22, 2021 at 12:40 pm

      Thank you! They are great for birthdays and other holidays and events too! ☁🌈

      Reply
  2. Yum-number1

    December 14, 2021 at 9:13 pm

    Homemade ornaments are way better than store bought ones, because it is way more meaningful since you works hard yourself making them

    Reply
    • strawberryandcream

      December 22, 2021 at 12:37 pm

      Aww thank you! And they are WAY cheaper!! lol

      Reply

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