What is your favorite homemade Christmas ornament?

[Niamh]

My mom had us kids make a Christmas ornament every year. Some were simple, very obviously made-by-a-kid ornaments while others were more intricate.

I think one of my favorites was the one where you take fabric scraps and push them in to a styrofoam ball so that you have a 'quilted' ball to hang on the tree.

What were your favorites? I want to start a file.

[earthcore]

Well, I haven't actually made these yet, but I am thinking of having DD try them next year. You take a sheet of beeswax (like for rolling candles) and cut it with a cookie cutter (Like a star or something Christmasy). Hang it with a ribbon.

Here's a link for an angel ornament. http://www.hercraftideas.com/crafts/...ngelclip.shtml
Also on my to do list for some year.

[mamadege5]

My kids make ornaments every yr for teacher, Aunt and great aunt, grandparents, etc.
The most liked one was a paint stir stick painted white, then decorated like a snowman. DS made this in boy scouts and gave it to my aunt. I never got one, but she talks about it and re-thanks him every yr.
Another easy one is a doily folded in half, slid into a clothespin, paint on a face for an angel. not the clip style clothespins, the "old fashioned" ones.

Or three clothespins made into a reindeer.

[4evermom]

When I was a kid, we cut out gingerbread men out of brown currogated cardboard and glued beads on to decorate them. Not elegant, but suprisingly nice considering the materials. My grandma made felt angels that I am fond of.

[babydoll]

picture frame

we have a tradition in my family of doing a yearly picture of the kids on the tree. It is funny to look back at my own dorky pics from my childhood. Ideas for the frame: Popsicle sticks can be painted, colored with marker, bead or sequins or whatever glued on them. Insert picture. Use ribbon or whatever you want for the string to hang.

[notyourusual]

My favorite is a walnut painted like a strawberry with a little piece of green felt on top. I think we also have some really, really old decorations and ornaments that were made out of dough that my mom preserved. they're kind of scary looking . Some others that we have are cinnamon sticks glued together wrapped with some ribbon and mini-pine cones some hand painted ceramic pieces.

[Kari_mom]

My favorite for kids is a simple snow scene made inside a clear glass ornament. Easy to make, you take the top off the ornament, add fake snow, a evergreen twig and a small pinecone. Put the top back on and add a ribbon, done! Really very pretty.

[momof3sweeties]

Reindeer ornaments;
Take 3 old puzzle pieces for antlers and face. Paint them brown.Glue together. For face two googly eyes and a red or brown pom pom for nose. Glue a ribbon loop on back for a VERY cute ornament.


Christmas tree ornament-
Take 7 pieces of the round wagon wheel pasta and paint green. Glue in shape of a triangle tree with one wheel at bottom for trunk. THe 6 pasta pieces for tree glue a red hot candy in each center. Loop a ribbon or string through the pasta at the top for hanging on the tree!

[AntMom]

I have a few favorites from my childhood:

Santa clothespin: paint wooden clothespins (squeeze type) red, leaving a small part about 3/4" from the top unpainted to use for Santa's face. Glue white felt cutout pieces for hat (pompom and brim), beard, and trim on Santa's jacket. Draw face with black felt-tip pen, mouth with red, and clip on the branch.

Bells: Use 4 or 5 clean plastic creamer containers (the small ones you get at Dunkin Donuts or wherever). poke holes in the top to pull rickrack through, tie all bells together as a bunch. The creamers can be colored with ordinary crayons, so this is an easy and fun one for very small kids.

Life Saver men: thread a doubled-up strand of yarn through the Life Savers, with the looped end at the bottom. Use a needle to thread the strands through a small styrofoam ball to be used as the head. The yarn can then be looped at the top for hanging. Cut two bunches of yarn for the arms and legs, about 15-20 strands for each depending on how thick you want the arms and legs. thread the arms through the yarn between the head and body, then tie at the neck and at the wrists with other small pieces of yarn. Thread the legs through the loop at the bottom of the body and tie at the ankles. Use sequins and other decorations to make the face, adding hair, hat, whatever as you like.

I also used to make pinecone reindeer with small pinecones, using googly eyes and pipe cleaners or just twigs for antlers. You can use felt to make little scarves.

[htw90]

My all time favorite one was made with a tuna can with both ends cut off, we covered the outside with ribbon and rick rack and glued small trees and a reindeer inside it.

Snowman with two painted white walnuts glued together and mini pom poms for eyes and buttons.

Reindeer from popcicle sticks painted brown, piper cleaner antlers, google eyes, red pom pom nose

stars made with cinnamon/applesause dough.

Angels made with 1/4 of a paper plate for dress, 1/2 circle yellow paper for wings, and a wooden disk for head, and a small yellow circle for halo.

peace, Helen