Easy DIY Christmas Ornaments to Make for Your Tree and to Give
Pull out a box of Christmas ornaments and you can usually tell which ones are handmade, because they're the ones with a story. The dough star a kid made in second grade, the crocheted wreath from a friend, the little clay flower someone tucked into a card. Those are the ones that go on the tree first every year.
Handmade ornaments are also one of the easiest places to start if you want a handmade Christmas. They're small, so they don't take a lot of supplies or time, and they make great gifts on their own or tied onto a package.
At HobbyScool, we've hosted free online craft summits since 2022, and this year's Elves' Workshop Summit gives a whole day to ornaments and holiday decor. Here are the ornaments you can make along with us, sorted by the kind of crafter you are.
If You Want Something Simple to Make with Kids
Cornstarch dough ornaments
Cornstarch dough is a classic for a reason. It takes three simple ingredients, it comes together in a few minutes, and it rolls out smooth and dries a bright white that looks lovely plain or painted. Kids can cut shapes with cookie cutters, press in a pattern with a stamp or a piece of lace, and poke a hole at the top for the ribbon.
Shelly Carlson teaches Mix, Mold & Make: Easy Cornstarch Dough Christmas Ornaments. You'll mix the dough, then shape and decorate keepsakes for your tree or for gifting.
Press a child's handprint or thumbprint into a dough circle and write the year on the back once it's dry. It's the kind of ornament grandparents keep forever.
Dollar Tree ornaments
If you want a lot of ornaments without spending much, the dollar store is a great place to start. Wooden shapes, frames, glass balls, socks and ribbon can all turn into ornaments with a little paint and glue.
Jasmine Kaur Dhillon teaches Create 7 Beautiful Christmas Ornaments with Affordable Dollar Tree Supplies. She walks through seven projects step by step, from no-sew snowmen to vintage frame ornaments.
If You Crochet
A crochet wreath ornament
A little wreath is a quick crochet project and a nice way to use up green yarn from your stash. Add a red bow and a couple of tiny bells and it's ready for the tree, or tie one onto a gift instead of a bow.
Cindy Hopper teaches the Crochet Wreath Ornament using a simple spiral technique, then finishes it with bells and a bow for your tree or a gift topper.
A crochet cover for a plain bauble
Most of us have a few plain or scuffed baubles at the bottom of the decoration bin. A crochet cover turns them into something special, and it's a good stash-buster.
Nancy Hall teaches From Boring Bauble to Handmade Treasure. You'll make a crochet cover from stash yarn and personalize it with beads and charms. You should know the basic crochet stitches for this one.
A Santa stocking
It's not an ornament, but if you're in a crochet mood, Melissa Steiner teaches From Toe to Tradition: Crochet a Classic Santa Stocking on the same day. You'll work from the toe up and learn to shape the foot, heel, leg and cuff and finish it neatly.
If You Sew or Quilt
Quilt as you go ornaments
If you have a bin of fabric scraps too small for anything else, this is the project for them. Quilt as you go lets you piece and quilt at the same time on a small base, so each ornament comes together fast and no two look the same.
Siobhan Fitzpatrick teaches the Quilt as You Go Holiday Ornament, using your fabric scraps, with decorative options to personalize each one.
A holiday door gnome
For something bigger, Katherine McCrory teaches a Holiday Door Gnome, a larger-than-life gnome to hang on your front door. She covers supplies, design variations and putting it all together. This one's a sewing project.
If You Like Clay
A clay poinsettia ornament or brooch
Lightweight clay is great for ornaments because it won't weigh down a branch. Sculpey Ultralight is an oven-bake clay made to be light, and it's what Kira uses in her session.
Kira McCoy teaches Create a Lightweight Clay Poinsettia Brooch or Ornament. You'll shape a poinsettia and finish it as a brooch, a gift tag or a tree ornament, which makes it a nice two-in-one gift for someone who likes to wear a little holiday sparkle.
If You Want to Think Outside the Ornament
A few Day 3 sessions cover the rest of the tree and the house.
- Paula Iniguez & Cori George teach Think Outside the Ornament: Make Your Own Christmas Tree Picks!, using inexpensive materials to make glitter foam flowers, chenille stem picks and custom ribbon picks for trees, wreaths and floral displays.
- Robin Simmons teaches Mason Jar Magic, turning dollar-store mason jars into glowing Christmas luminaries with a frosted snowy finish, snowflake wraps, greenery and twine, plus safe battery lighting.
- Susannah Brinkley Henry teaches Shake, Sip, Sparkle, making holiday drink garnishes ahead of time, like spiced orange peel-wrapped cinnamon sticks, dehydrated citrus and apples, and sugared rosemary.
Tips for Making Ornaments to Give
Make a set
One ornament is sweet, but a set of three in a small box feels like a real gift. Pick one project and make a little batch in coordinating colors.
Add the year
Write the year on the back with a paint pen or on a small tag. Years from now it'll be the first thing people look for when they unpack the box.
Use them as gift toppers
Tie a handmade ornament onto a wrapped present instead of a bow. It does the job of a bow and the person gets a second gift to keep.
Give yourself time to dry and finish
Dough, clay and painted ornaments all need drying or baking time, so don't leave them for the night before. Making them in mid-November means they're ready long before the tree goes up.
Storing Handmade Ornaments So They Last
Handmade ornaments are the ones you'll want to hang again next year, so it's worth packing them with a little care in January.
- Wrap dough and clay ornaments in tissue paper so they don't chip against each other.
- Keep fabric and crochet ornaments in a sealed bin with a lavender bag or cedar block to keep pests away.
- Store everything somewhere dry, because dough ornaments can soften in a damp basement or attic.
- Tuck a small note in the box saying who made each one and when, so the stories stay with them.
Make Your Ornaments Along with Us
Every ornament in this post is taught on Day 3 of the Elves' Workshop Summit, Thursday, November 12, 2026. The workshops go up at 9:00 AM ET and stay free to watch until 9:00 AM ET Friday, November 13. Nothing is live, so you can make along whenever you have time that day.
When you register, you'll get the supply list in your confirmation email right away. Lots of these projects use things you already have at home, like stash yarn, fabric scraps and old baubles, so you may not need to buy much at all.
Make Your Ornaments at the Elves' Workshop Summit
32 free holiday workshops, November 10-12, 2026, with a whole day of ornaments and holiday decor.
Save My Free Spot See the Full ScheduleFrequently Asked Questions
What are the easiest DIY Christmas ornaments to make with kids?
Cornstarch dough ornaments and Dollar Tree ornaments are two of the easiest to make with kids, because the materials are cheap and the steps are simple. Shelly Carlson teaches cornstarch dough ornaments and Jasmine Kaur Dhillon teaches seven Dollar Tree ornaments at HobbyScool's free Elves' Workshop Summit on November 12, 2026.
How do you make cornstarch dough ornaments?
Cornstarch dough is made from three simple ingredients mixed into a smooth dough that you roll, cut and shape into ornaments that dry bright white. Shelly Carlson walks through mixing the dough, shaping it and decorating the finished keepsakes in her Elves' Workshop Summit workshop.
What can I make with fabric scraps for Christmas?
Quilt as you go ornaments are a great way to use up fabric scraps, because you piece and quilt in one step on a small base. Siobhan Fitzpatrick teaches quilt as you go holiday ornaments at the Elves' Workshop Summit, with decorative options to personalize each one.
How do I crochet a Christmas ornament?
Two easy crochet ornaments are a wreath worked with a simple spiral technique and a crochet cover for a plain glass or plastic bauble. Cindy Hopper teaches the crochet wreath ornament and Nancy Hall teaches the bauble cover at the Elves' Workshop Summit. Nancy's session assumes you know basic crochet stitches.
Can I make a Christmas ornament from lightweight clay?
Yes. Lightweight oven-bake clay like Sculpey Ultralight is a good choice for ornaments because it won't weigh down a branch. Kira McCoy teaches a clay poinsettia you can finish as an ornament, a gift tag or a brooch at the Elves' Workshop Summit.
