Grab some Christmas tree ornaments and create your own easy ornament tree this holiday season! It makes a great decoration in anyone’s home and can be customized to the style of your decor easily!
A Christmas ornament tree is the perfect hands-on idea to get the whole family involved in making Christmas crafts this festive time of year. Creating something special is always a fun way to spend time together during the festive holidays.
Plan a special Christmas craft night to entertain friends or family and have everyone bring their supplies over! Serve some holiday snacks and enjoy some time together.
It’s a great idea for not only slowing down during the busy holiday season, but it gives you a chance to connect while making a gift or a new decoration for your own home.
How to Make a DIY Christmas Ornament Tree
This holiday project could not be easier. Although I do build my own wood frame, there are lots of ways to achieve this look without pulling out a saw. You can try a premade wood sign or even use a styrofoam cone for a 3D ornament tree.
I’ve also seen crafters on social media use a smaller bulletin board to make the background. The possibilities are endless! Shop the sales and see what’s out there—no need to pay full price.
I used plastic ornaments from the Dollar Tree, but you can put vintage ornaments to good use, feature some colorful glass ornaments or even use some special DIY ornaments or homemade Christmas ornaments to make into a special display to enjoy year after year.
The skill level is fairly easy for this craft project, depending on what you use for your board. You can use a blank wooden craft sign from Walmart, Hobby Lobby or find something similar at most any craft stores if you don’t want to make your own.
Supplies:
- Ornaments- different colors and sizes.
- Styrofoam vase filler balls
- E6000 glue or hot glue gun
- 2 foot by 2 foot square board—you can use a smaller sized board if you’re purchasing a wooden sign
- Acrylic paint, optional
- Pencil or black marker
Make the board
I made my own framed board by cutting the underlayment down to 23 3/4″ x 23 3/4 inches. This is a great size for most homes, but feel free to adjust the measurements to fit your vision.
Next, carefully sand off any splintered wood.
Glue and staple 1×2 pieces on the back edges, then frame the square with 1×2, nailing into the 1×2 wood pieces on the back.
Stain the wood
Stain or paint your wood and let it dry. I used Minwax Special Walnut, it was a bit of a rustic look but I love how clean it looks with the shape of a tree on it.
Pro tip: Glue will not stick to the wooden surface unless it’s completely dry.
Measure and draw Christmas tree
Mark the center of the board at the top. This will be the point of the top of the tree.
Next mark two inches in from sides, These will be the two other points to complete the shape of the tree. Measure and mark in from sides to create the trunk. Draw lines connecting the points.
Start by laying out your ornaments along the lines to get a feel for a pattern or order you like them in.
Lay out your ornaments along the lines and see what pattern or order you like them in. Do this just to get an idea of how it’ll look BEFORE you start gluing and can’t change your mind.
Glue the ornaments
Squeeze out a dab of glue at the very top corner and place your top ornament on the glue, with the bulb facing up.
Then add a bead of glue below it along the lines, and start placing the ornaments on the line. Make sure not to get too far ahead or the glue will harden before you get the ornaments added.
Continue to do this until the outline of the triangle shape is complete and the ornaments are in the right place.
The trunk is made from the Styrofoam vase filler balls. To make it easy, I filled the trunk area with glue and filled it in with the smaller vase filler.
This is a great place to use something like silver ornaments that don’t steal the show from the gorgeous homemade ornaments or whichever type of decorations you use.
I let the glue dry on the outer triangle before I started filling the next row, just so that they would stay in place.
For the next step, add some smaller ornaments or vase filler in the small crevices. Every inch of the board doesn’t have to be covered up, but you don’t want the sweet ornaments to look scarce.
Add more ornaments and fill in the shape the rest of the way. Put a spot of glue down and then place the ornament down with the top of the ornament pointing upwards.
It’s best to use a variety of different sized ornaments to fill in gaps and make the tree full and cheerful. The different shapes and various colors of the ornaments make it so pretty!
Try something fun like adding a star ornament as a tree topper or hide smaller themed ornaments like a reindeer ornament in the project. You can even add a little piece of tinsel garland in to fill open spaces where the board might show through.
Once you have a base layer of ornaments, you can add more as a second layer if you have extra ornaments left and wish to do so. The best part of this craft is how you make it your own! There’s not one way to do it.
This special decoration will look wonderful in any room of your house, in fact, don’t be surprised when everyone wants one in their room! Time to head back to the Home Depot for extra supplies…
I hope you enjoy just one of our many DIY Christmas ornament ideas to make your own holiday decorations this December. Even younger children can help make the DIY Christmas decorations and get into the holiday spirit!
The artificial Christmas tree is one of my favorite things and make a perfect addition to our home. It’ll become one of your favorite Christmas tree ornament projects you do each year for friends and family.
If you’re looking for more Christmas crafts, I have some posted under Christmas, including this DIY wood Christmas tree.
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