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DIY Christmas ornaments Archives - Call Me Grandma
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An idea blog for grandparents and parentsWed, 22 Oct 2025 17:54:15 +0000en-US
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1 Easy Christmas Tree Ornaments to Make with Kids
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Wed, 22 Oct 2025 05:00:12 +0000https://www.callmegrandma.com/?p=16345Don't eat the sweets! These candies and cookies are Christmas ornaments crafted from air dry clay and felt.
]]>Now’s a good time to make some Christmas tree ornaments with the grandkids before life gets too busy. These budget-friendly sweet treats are made with felt scraps, paper, or air dry clay.
Sweets? Air dry clay cookies, felt lollipops and candy, and peppermint Christmas ornaments.
For a smaller cash outlay, an 8.8-ounce pack of air dry clay is $1.25 at Dollar Tree.
I have a bin-ful of felt scraps from such projects as a felt book for toddlers and my tiny stockings Advent calendar.
Every ornament made was from materials at hand in my craft room.
These Christmas ornaments are designed for older children, younger kids can get involved by painting pre-dried clay cookies (below).
Felt Lollipops
You can make these the easy way or introduce a bit more effort. The simplest is to wind felt strips into a circle and glue on a stick. A little more work is to cut and glue a circle of felt on the back for a nicer finish. A final upgrade is to cover the lollipop with a cellophane square and tie it in place with a bow.
Felt lollipops are easy to make. For a fancier look, wrap in cellophane and tie with a bow.
Materials Needed:
Felt in assorted colors
Lollipop sticks or coffee stirrer sticks
White school glue (like Elmer’s)
Cellophane (optional)
Narrow ribbon (optional)
Tools Needed:
Ruler
Pencil
Sharp fabric scissors
Coffee stirrer stick or bamboo skewer to apply glue
Needle and thread for hanging
Lay two strips together and begin winding to form a circle, dabbing glue at intervals.
Method:
To make lollipop Christmas tree ornaments, cut two different colors of felt into 1/2-inch strips. Lay one strip on the other and begin winding, creating concentric circles. Dab wit glue every so often to keep strips in place. Build the lollipop to whatever size you want, joining more strips, as needed.
Glue lollipop stick to the back of the felt. For a nicer finish, cut a felt circle and glue it to the back of the lollipop to hide the part where the stick attaches to the lollipop head.
Optional: Cut a square of cellophane large enough to cover the lollipop with enough margin so you can gather the cellophane around the lollipop and tie in place with ribbon.
Stitch a loop for hanging the ornament, stitching through the felt.
Variation: Instead of lolllipops, you can make simple candy by winding the felt strips and wrapping in cellophane.
Felt candy wrapped in cellophane.
Peppermint Candy
This is a simple ornament but the difficulty is in scrunching the paper to cinch it at both ends. Use the thinnest paper you have that’s still opaque.
Peppermint Christmas tree ornaments are built around half a toilet paper roll.
Measure printer paper so that it’s wide enough to wrap around the toilet roll half with a little overlap and with 2 inches of margin at top and bottom.
Depending on the brand, toilet rolls come in different sizes. My paper was 6 inches wide and 6 1/2 inches high.
Peppermint candy ornaments are made by drawing red stripes on printer paper.
Turning the printer paper horizontally, make diagonal stripes across the whole page with your red marker.
Wrap the red-striped paper around the toilet roll with 2-inch margins on either side. Secure to the paper to the roll with a glue stick.
Now cinch the margins on either side of the toilet roll and tie with ribbon.
Stitch a loop for hanging the ornament.
Variation: Fill the ornament with a few pieces of candy as a surprise treat. Or make 24 of them, number them, and fill with small toys to create a candy Advent Calendar.
To make this Christmas tree ornament, lay out a sheet of parchment paper. Put a lump of air dry clay on the paper. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper. Roll clay to 1/4-inch. Remove top parchment sheet.
It’s easier to peel away the margins to remove “cookie.“
Cut the clay with cookie cutters. The clay will be sticky; it’s easier to peel away the margins around the cookie cutter than to try to lift the cutout from the rolled-out clay.
Poke a hole for hanging using a straw or chopstick. Move the clay to the cookie rack while still on the parchment. (This keeps the clay cookies from taking on the impression of the rack while drying.)
These cookies will take a few days to dry completely. After a day, flip the cookies to enable the underside to dry, Flip again every day until cookies are dry. Once they seem to have firmed up a little, remove the parchment so the cookies get better air circulation.
Air dry clay cookies drying on a rack.
Once fully dried, paint the cookies. When paint has dried, paint again with Mod Podge to give the cookies some shine and to protect the paint. You can also use white glue; it will dry clear, but matte.
Notes:
Select cookie cutters that have simple shapes.
Roll out a small amount of clay at a time, keeping remainder covered tightly.
To paint the side of the cookie, hold it in the palm of one hand.
Paint the edges of the cookie by holding it in the palm of your hand.
Decorating tips:
Roll a small bit of clay by rubbing a piece back and forth on your work surface to make a skinny snake. Dip it in water and press into undried cookie for a three-dimensional touch.
After painting cookies with Mod Podge, sprinkle while still wet with glitter to resemble sugar sprinkles.
After painting cookies with Mod Podge, while still wet, add sequins and small beads to mimic cookie decorations. Repaint with Mod Podge to hold decorations in place.
Other uses for Christmas Ornaments
These ornaments have uses beyond decorating a Christmas tree. Here are some ideas:
Pack and assortment in a basket and give as a hostess gift.
Have kids make them as personalized Christmas gifts for their parents.
Tie them to gift packages as festive decorations.
Host an ornament-making party for kids or adults as a holiday social activity.
Decorate your table for Christmas dinner with a candy theme. Put an ornament at each place setting as a table favor.
“Call Me Grandma!” is in the holiday spirit. Each Wednesday, we’ll be featuring a new idea for a Thanksgiving or Christmas project to do with–or for–the grandkids.
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]]>How to Make a Snow Globe and Angel Ornament
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Wed, 11 Dec 2024 05:00:07 +0000https://www.callmegrandma.com/?p=14379Get kids focused on fun holiday craft projects, such as snow globes, angel ornaments, and small wreaths.
(*) Note: choose a small, wide-mouth jar, like a condiment jar or jelly jar, without writing on the lid edge or paint out the writing with oil-based, enamel paint.
Tools Needed
Glue gun
Conventional oven or toaster oven
Make the Snow Globe: Step 1
Turn the jar lid upside down. This will be your base. Take a wad of polymer clay and shape it into a mound that covers most of the inside of the jar lid. You want the mound to be thick enough so that your decorations can be pressed into the clay and stay firmly in place, but not so thick that the clay will take long to bake.
Plastic decorations on a polymer clay base.
Make a Snow Globe: Step 2
Arrange the decorations, pressing them into the clay. You’re creating holes you will need to anchor the decorations later. Remove the decorations and bake the clay. Sculpey recommends 275 degrees F. for 15 to 30 minutes per 1/4 inch thickness.
Make a Snow Globe: Step 3
When the clay has cooled, glue the clay to the inside of the jar lid using your glue gun. Then glue the decorations in place on the clay with the glue gun, positioning the decorations in the holes you made previously.
Miss T glues her decorations using a glue gun.
Make a Snow Globe: Step 4
Add distilled water to your jar and enough glycerin to thicken the water so the snow will fall gently to the bottom, about 3 teaspoons per 1 cup of water. Do not fill water all the way to the top. Add about 2 teaspoons of glitter. Put the lid on the jar and screw tightly. Adjust amount of glycerin, water, and glitter as desired. Seal the jar tightly. (See caution below.)
Glitter added to glycerin-water.
CAUTION: I learned (the hard way) that a jar lid, no matter how tightly screwed on, will leak. So after screwing and tightening the lid, we sealed the lid to the jar with a glue gun and sprinkled glitter into the seam. Or use a silicone sealant.
TEST: Turn the jar upside down in a pan or bowl and leave it overnight to check for leaks. Just to be safe, I wouldn’t put this snow globe on a good wood table or any other surface that could be damaged by water, even if I have tested for leaks.
And if you are keeping your snow globe for another year, be sure to store it with lid-side up to ensure there is no leakage during storage.
How to Make an Angel Christmas Tree Ornament
Miss T and I made clothespin dolls when she was seven. All you need is some acrylic paint, yarn, fabric swatches and trim. Plus, indelible ink for drawing faces, and a heavy-duty glue stick. You’ll find directions for make the dolls here.
Sample of a clothespin angel ornament.
It’s not difficult to turn clothespin dolls into Christmas ornaments. I made the sample above to give you an idea. Below are her original clothespin dolls.
Little Miss T’s bevy of clothespin beauties.
Angel Ornament
Materials Needed
Wooden clothespins
Acrylic paint in various flesh tones
Indelible ink for painting faces, such as fine-point Sharpies
Yarn for hair
Wide white lace for skirt
Satin ribbon for bodice
Bits of ribbon, lace, rickrack, etc., for trim
Gold mesh lace for wings
Glue stick, such as Elmer’s Extra Strength Glue Stick
Follow basic instructions for clothespin dolls. Use a band of white lace for the angel’s skirt, tie on a strip of satin ribbon for the bodice, leaving a few inches of “tail,” at each end. Glue trim between bodice and skirt.
To make the wings, cut gold mesh lace a little more than twice the wing span you would like for your angel. Fold both cut ends of the lace to the center, overlapping about 1/2 inch. Sew a running stitch through the center, pull thread and tighten to gather; knot thread to secure. Glue wings to back of the angel with the glue gun, with raw cut ends against the back of the angel.
Make a halo from a gold pipe cleaner and glue to the angel’s hair with the glue gun. Make a loop for hanging by stitching through the angel’s hair and tying thread ends together.
Next Week, More Holiday Ideas
We are cooking, crafting, and decorating at “Call Me Grandma!” If you are looking for even more holiday ideas, check out my previous Christmas posts.
]]>How to Make an Advent Calendar: Start Now
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Wed, 27 Nov 2024 05:00:47 +0000https://www.callmegrandma.com/?p=14291Make tiny stockings, fill with gifts and hang on a Christmas tree for a novel Advent calendar. Plus more ideas.
]]>Advent calendars are a fun way for the grandkids to channel their excitement as they count down to Christmas.
Last year, I made tiny stockings from felt. It wasn’t meant to be an Advent calendar, but once I had the idea, I wanted to pursue it.
Advent calendar stockings: numbers are embroidered, stamped, or added with a sticker.
So, I enlisted 10-year-old Miss T to help with the project. Stitching up 24 stockings is a feat, so we took turns at the sewing machine. Find instructions for making tiny stockings here.
Miss T stitches a felt stocking.
Note: only invite a child who has taken sewing classes or is an experienced sewer. Sewing tiny stockings on an electric sewing machine can be dangerous for a novice.
Many Types of Advent Calendars
If you’re not into sewing, at the end of this post, I’ve provided a simple alternative, an Advent calendar using small paper bags, along with a link to my curated collection of more Advent Calendar ideas on Pinterest.
Miss T uses a glue gun to glue numbered stickers on our Advent calendar stockings.
Next, I struggled to come up with a way to display the stockings. My best thought was to string them up and hang them, but that would take too much space on a wall.
How to Display your Stockings for an Advent Calendar
In the end, we hung the stockings on the children’s Christmas tree, which we set up for them each year.
Advent calendar stockings filled with small treats on the children’s Christmas tree.
If you don’t have a Christmas tree, just group the stockings in a small wicker basket. Or hang them like a mobile on a decorated wire hanger.
What to Put in your Advent Calendar
In Japan last month, I scoured stores like Daiso or Hands, to find small, fun things suitable for Advent calendars. In the U.S., there may be a Daiso near you, as the company continues to open more stores in the U.S. Dollar stores and Target are also good options.
Here are some ideas:
Tiny craft items like washi tape, a tube of glitter, or a tape runner
Promissory notes, like a trip to a favorite ice cream store
Some of my Advent calendar finds from Japan: Clockwise from panda paper clips, stickers, small pen, panda stamp, chick eraser, washi tape.
Easy Alternative: Paper Bag Advent Calendar
Make an Advent calendar from small paper bags.
Tuck little gifts into small paper bags. The ones I bought were $7.29 for 100 bags. Write or stamp numbers onto paper punch-cut shapes from cardstock, by using a Cricut machine, or cut freehand. Adhere to the bag.
Or simply write numbers on the bags with colorful markers. You could even get kids to decorate the bags with markets before you stuff them.
More Ideas for Advent Calendars
For other great Advent calendar ideas, visit my PInterest page. You’ll need to sign up for a Pinterest account (free).
Next Week: We’ll Plan our Holiday Table Setting
I love to come up with a new table setting idea each holiday season. We’ll look at what I did last year, with a Christmas tree theme, and other table setting ideas from years past.
]]>How to Make Photo Christmas Ornaments
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Wed, 07 Dec 2022 05:00:56 +0000https://www.callmegrandma.com/?p=8341DIY family photo Christmas ornaments are a prized keepsake. Make them with the grandkids.
]]>Last year on Pinterest, I saw some darling photo Christmas ornaments made to look like snow globes. I had to try making a version myself.
Miss T and I, forever captured in “snow.”
Below is how I did mine; you’ll want to check out the original as well, by Busy Kids Happy Mom.
This is a project that could be made by older grandkids as gifts for family members. It’s quick to assemble and requires few materials, except for the clear acrylic balls that you have to buy in advance.
Materials for the photo Christmas ornaments: photos cut to size, manilla folder backing, and school glue.
Materials needed to make photo Christmas ornaments:
Lay the slightly smaller half of the plastic ball over the photo, center it, and trace a circle.
Lay your photograph on a flat surface. Open a plastic ball and lay the slightly smaller half of the ball over your photograph, open-end down. Maneuver the ball over the photo until the image is centered the way you want it. Lightly trace around the ball with a pencil. Cut out the photo along the traced lines.
Do the same with a second photo so the ornament can be seen from both sides. You can use the same image or a different one. For example, I made one that showed Miss T on one side, and Little N on the other.
Trace another circle from lightweight cardboard. This will be your backing.
Little N is featured in this ornament on one side; Miss T is on the other.
Using a sponge brush (or any kind of inexpensive brush), brush white school glue over the entire front of the photograph and dry completely. Repeat with second photo. The glue coating seems to repel glitter so it won’t stick to the photos when you shake the ball.
Glue both photos onto the cardboard circle, one on each side of the cardboard.
Assembly
The ornament deconstructed: two halves of a clear, acrylic ball sandwiched with glitter and double-sided photo in between.
Now spoon some glitter into the slightly smaller half of the ball. Next, lodge the photo circle in the ball half, at the seam. Spoon some glitter over the photo and carefully close the ball. Thread ribbon through the hole for hanging and make a bow.
Notes:
Chunky glitter seems to work better than fine glitter because it won’t adhere as readily to the inside surface of the ball. Some people rub the inside of the ball with a dryer sheet to minimize cling. The glitter I used, size .035, had no static cling issues.
Be sure to lock the halves of the ball securely when you put the two halves together.
If the photo goes in crooked and not exactly in the seam, you can use a heavy-duty needle or T pin to tease out the photo and try again.
Little N and daddy share an ornament home.
Shake the ornament and watch it snow!
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Don’t forget to sign up for my email newsletter. Every Wednesday, I’ll give you a new idea for an activity or insight to nurture the little ones in your life. Next week, I’ll share another holiday idea.
