22 of Our Most Memorable Handmade Christmas Ornaments

Silver Seed-Pod Ornaments

If pine trees are Mother Nature's Christmas gifts, seed pods are her stocking stuffers. To fashion your forest of easy and arresting ornaments, just spray an assortment—pinecones, poppy pods, acorns, and other natural beauties, like sponge mushrooms—with gleaming metallic paint. Add hooks, and they'll dazzle in your home or a lucky recipient's.

Paper-Clay Botanical Ornament

Crafting these delicate botanical ornaments is like second nature. Before you begin, note that paper clay comes in white only, but you can replicate the subtle shades here by kneading in a few drops of black or pink craft paint.

On a flat surface covered with wax paper, roll out paper clay like cookie dough, then press seasonal sprigs (like rosemary, spruce, fern, or dried berries) on top and press them in with your rolling pin. Remove the greenery, punch out with a round cutter, and poke a hole for hanging. To avoid warping: Place wax paper on top of the ornaments, then put down something heavy enough to add pressure but not so heavy it squishes them. Let air dry fully for five to seven days, and voilà: a batch of decorations or sweet gifts that won't disappear in a few bites.

Golden Wood-Bead Ornament

These elegant ornaments combine natural wood and lustrous gold for a perfectly subtle holiday glimmer. You'll need gold leather cord and round wooden beads in three sizes—we used 12 millimeter, 18 millimeter, and 35 millimeter—plus gold spray paint.

Start by painting some of the beads and letting them dry. String a small, medium, and large bead onto a 90-inch piece of gold cord. Loosely knot cord under a small bead. To make the cord design on the large bead, thread the cord around and back up through the large bead, as shown; repeat all around. Pull the cord tight. Top with a medium and small bead. Thread the cord back down through holes of all the beads, leaving a 4-inch loop at the top, and undo the knot at the bottom. Knot the two ends of the cord together; trim the excess and knot the loop above the top bead.

Glittered Spun-Cotton Ornaments

We've got just the thing for a starter tree: a box of handmade ornaments so delectable they'll conjure visions of sugarplums. And because they're crafted from shatterproof spun cotton—coated in craft paint, then glitter—you can gift a full set knowing they'll stand the test of time (and pets and toddlers).

Drum Ornament

Drum-shaped ornaments are among the most iconic Christmas decorations. But you don't need to scour antique stores and flea markets for your own set—all it takes to make these classics are plain boxes, festive ribbon, and glue.

Decorate round boxes by attaching patterned ribbons around the bases and lids with craft glue. (For our 3-inch-wide box, we glued a 1-inch-wide ribbon around the base.) To create a strap for hanging the ornament, cut a length of thin ribbon and glue each end to the inside lip of the box lid. Optional: If using the ornaments as favors, line their interiors with decorative paper cupcake liners and fill them with cookies, truffles, or other small treats.

Marbled Ornament

These swirled faux-stone orbs get their look from mixing paint in soft tones with marbling medium, a specialty product available at craft stores.

For the marbled ornaments, use clear glass balls and remove the top. Add a teaspoon each of two paint colors mixed with marbling medium, swirl, and dry. For the flashy one, we brushed glue on the bottom and dipped it in glitter.

Agate Pendant Ornaments

To adorn your tree in glitz, just add jewelry. For these sparklers, we used agate pendants from a craft store, removed the jump ring, and threaded gold cord through the remaining loop for an instant ornament—or an extra-special gift tag.

Glittered Cupcake Ornament

The Nutcracker is the harbinger of all things holidays, awakening a child's curiosity about sweet delicacies—namely, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her confection-themed companions. For our nod to the classic, we transformed champagne-colored glass baubles into sweet treats with glittered spackle for frosting, and lest you forget the (beaded) sprinkles and cherry on top.

Silk Flower Ornament

If a snowy landscape isn't in your holiday décor repertoire this year, you can always go bright and floral. For these odes to spring, we stocked up on silk flowers from the craft store and transformed them into ornaments. Bonus: They can be spray-painted to match your other decorations.

To paint them, start by removing flowers from stems. For flowers with multiple layers of petals, separate layers, remove flower centers, and pin flowers (and leaves and stems, if using) to cardboard (or place on a protected work surface) and spray-paint in desired colors. Turn and spray the other sides if necessary (paint may soak through the fabric). Reassemble flowers, inserting gold balls on picks for centers. Twist wire on the backs of balls into little loops to secure petals—and attach to your tree with wire.

Glittered Shell Ornament

Bring the coastal décor trend to your tree! Shells, sea stars, and sand dollars are dusted with glitter—a single color or two shades blended for an ombré effect—or simply left as is. Naturally spotted tun shells sport sparkly stripes, while spangled sea urchins morph into "jellyfish" with tinsel tentacles. Miniature wooden sailboats, awash in glitter, introduce another shape to the nautical mix. For hanging, the ornaments are outfitted with metallic thread and, in some cases, a single pearl bead.

Frozen Ice Ornament

For glittering accents, these silvery frosted glass ornaments are as cool as you can get. Mix fine and shard glitter, and apply one or two strips of tape to each glass ornament, dividing it into two or three sections. Brush glue onto one section, and working over a tray, sprinkle lightly with seed beads, not coating completely, then sprinkle with glitter mixture. Remove the tape and let dry for two hours.

Flower and Gem Ornament

Let metallic pink, copper, and gold glass "gems" dangle—many pendant-style, on chains—from the boughs for a dripping-with-jewels effect.

Gather supplies from your craft bin, costume jewelry box, or craft store. Make flower gems by positioning two same-size flowers back to back. (If desired, use three flowers for more dimension, sandwiching a larger one between two smaller ones.) Thread wire through the centers and around the petals to secure flowers together. Trim the wire, then hot glue the rhinestones to the flower centers. Open a jump ring with pliers, then use it to attach a length of chain to a flower or glass gem. Close the jump ring and attach a length of wire to the other end of the chain for hanging; wrap the wire around the tree branch.

To make the sequined balls, glue a rhinestone to a sequin. If desired, glue that sequin to a larger one; continue making "stacks" of two and three pieces, then glue stacks to the ornaments, spacing evenly.

Glittered Bird and Nest Ornaments

Birds are a natural motif for Christmas décor and can bring beauty and whimsy to any tree. To add some magic to these avian adornments, which we purchased at a floral supply store, we used a brush to add details with glue, such as outlining wings and tail, dotting tips of beaks, and making speckles on the body, then sprinkling with glitter. Position birds in your Christmas tree and hang ribbons from their beaks. Spiral lametta roping into a nest shape, or wrap tinsel garland around the wire and spiral that into a nest shape—and let it serve as a home for a special bird.

Plaid Ball Ornament

Red- and yellow-based tartans are a twist on the traditional Christmas colors of red and green. The ornaments are easy to make by winding bias strips of plaid fabric around foam balls or by folding and snipping ribbon into banners and finishing them with kilt pins (for either a Scottish or a decidedly punk vibe).

To make plaid ball ornaments, use a rotary cutter and ruler on a cutting mat to cut 1/2-inch strips of fabric on the bias. (A few will be too short to use.) Use glue to tack the end of one strip to a ball. Wrap the rest of this strip around the ball, gluing the end when the strip runs out. Continue wrapping with more strips in various directions until the ball is covered—glue to secure. Cut an 8-inch piece of ribbon, fold it over, and knot. Press a bank pin into the ball, anchoring the knot under the head of the pin.

To make pennant ornaments, cut a ribbon into 8-inch lengths. Fold each length in half; pinch the sides in at the fold, creating a point, as shown, then iron to set the pleat. Cut a serpent-tongue shape at the bottom. Using a pin, pierce a hole through each ribbon at the point to thread a jump ring. Thread an 8-inch piece of cord through and knot. Optional: Adorn with a kilt pin.

Needle-Felted Woodland Ornament

Forest animals, mushrooms, and bristle ornaments mix the natural and the fantastical—and bring texture to your tree. Start by printing our templates and cutting them out. Trace templates onto felt with tailor's chalk and cut them out.

Place a felting-needle mat under the felt, and lay a few tufts of roving side by side where desired. Using a needle-felting tool, punch fibers through felt until they transfer evenly to the reverse side. Remove stray fibers by pressing the felted area with one hand and teasing out stray pieces with the other. Repeat until the area is covered. Use a screw punch to make a hole at the top. Hang with twine.

Spun-Glass Butterfly Ornaments

These butterfly ornaments were inspired by an antique spun-glass German pair. The supplies for making them are not as elusive as the originals: We purchased spun-glass wings from a specialty craft shop and combined them with clay bodies—adding painted details in red and white.

Holiday Card Ornament

For preserving memories and upcycling at the same time, these ornamental balls are made from holiday cards from Christmases past. You will need enough cards to cut out 20 circles: For a small ball, use a 1 1/4-inch hole punch; for a large one, trace around the bottom of a glass.

To make a template, cut one more circle from cardboard, draw an equilateral triangle, points touching the circumference, and cut it out. Trace it onto the inside of each circle, then score and fold along all the lines. Next, use clear-drying craft glue to join one flap from each of two circles; triangles should point in the same direction. Using the same technique, attach three more circles to these two, forming what will be the top.

Make the bottom the same way. Glue the remaining ten circles together, triangle points alternating up and down, forming a line. Glue two end flaps to form what will be the middle section, then glue the top and bottom to its flaps. Hang from a silver thread.

Quartz Icicle Ornament

Add some wintry wonder to your tree with this creative take on icicles. We made these shimmery, dangling strands by grouping top-drilled clear and light-pink quartz points on jewelry wire, adding a loop to each end, and attaching a metallic cord.

Glossy Painted Ball Ornament

When former Living crafts editor Blake Ramsey didn't have enough trimmings for her first Christmas tree, she beautifully embellished affordable glass balls.

To make your own, fill squeeze bottles with acrylic paints, adding a gloss finish as desired to thin the color and make it more translucent. Make a drying rack by inserting wooden skewers into some foam board. Remove caps from ornaments.

For speckled ornaments: Use a narrow-tip bottle to squirt paint upward into an ornament so it spatters. Let it dry upside down for one day on the rack. Then add a second layer, squeezing a small amount of new color into the ornament so it runs down the sides, then rotate the ornament to spread the paint. Repeat as needed for the desired effect.

For streaked ornaments: Repeat the above steps, but don't let the first color dry. Add a second layer right away so colors swirl together.

For solid ornaments: Use a wide-tip bottle to squeeze paint into the ornament so it runs down the sides, then rotate the ornament to spread the paint. Repeat to achieve the desired look. Let all the ornaments dry for one day on the drying rack. Paint caps with a paintbrush and let them dry.

Star Ribbon Ornaments

If you have flat ornaments or snowflakes in need of framing, a simple star ribbon ornament, seen top and bottom left here, is the way to go. They are even beautiful all on their own for a star-studded tree you won't soon forget.

In this easy, no-sew method—the ribbon is cut into lengths, looped, and pieced together with fabric glue, forming a figure-eight shape.

Salt Dough Ornaments

Two by two, they adorn the boughs of your Christmas tree. These animal ornaments look just like cookies but are long-lasting and "iced" with glue and glitter.

To make a batch, combine 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of salt. Slowly mix in 1 cup of warm water. Knead for seven to 10 minutes on a floured surface. Roll it out to 3/8-inch thickness and freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and use cookie cutters to cut out animal shapes. Insert screw eyes at the top of shapes. Freeze for 30 minutes, then bake for four to six hours. Let them cool.

In a bottle, mix craft glue and paint to your desired color. Outline an animal with colored glue, then fill in the surface with colored glue. For a solid glitter effect, coat glue with glitter immediately. For a more layered look, let the first coat of glue dry overnight, then apply the second color for details, adding tinsel, regular glitter, or microbeads as desired. Use glitter glue pens for small details. You'll need one screw eye (for hanging) for each ornament.

Metallic and Spun-Glass Ornaments

These refined ornaments—some brightened with gold or silver leaf, others tinted in soft pastels—are among the dozens adorning Martha's tree. Her own collections of antique china, including Wedgwood drabware, jasperware, and Old Paris porcelain, served as inspiration.

To make them, use a paintbrush to apply acrylic paint (yellow ocher for gold leaf, white for silver leaf) to both sides of an architectural ornament; let dry. With another brush, apply size (an adhesive available at art-supply stores) to the front of the ornament and drape a gold- or silver-leaf sheet over the front of the ornament; smooth gently with fingers. Loop a cord through the top of the ornament and tie it, or attach a looped cord with hot glue.