Tree Ornaments Made From Household Items

Save money and help the environment by making your own tree ornaments.

When trying to pinch every penny during the holiday season to save for gifts and holiday meals, there is not much room in the budget for decorations. Make the tree stand out for less by adding homemade ornaments to the heirlooms and store-bought decorations. Use recycled items and materials from the household craft supplies to create one-of-a-kind ornaments that add a personal touch to the tree. Give homemade tree ornaments as gifts to friends and family members.

Things You'll Need

• Cereal box
• Christmas tree cookie cutter
• Scissors
• Glitter
• Markers
• Paint
• Glitter glue
• Magazine pictures
• Hole punch
• Ribbon
• Pine cone
• Green spray paint
• Glue
• Soda bottle cap
• Poster board
• 1/2 cup of rice
• Red and green food coloring
• Picture of loved one

Instructions

Cardboard Christmas Trees

1. Cut the front off of a cereal box. Keep the other pieces of the box to make more ornaments.

2. Place the Christmas tree cookie cutter on the plain side of the cereal box. Trace the cookie cutter with a pencil. Cut the tree out of the cardboard with scissors.

3. Decorate the tree with glitter, markers and paint. Add glitter glue in different colors to make tiny ornaments. Cut pictures from magazines and glue them to the tree.

4. Punch a hole in the top of the ornament using a hole punch. String a piece of ribbon through the hole. Knot the ribbon at the top, and place the ornament on the tree.

Pine Cone Ornament

1. Paint the pine cone green with green spray paint. Cover the entire pine cone with the paint. Let the green paint dry, then add glitter glue to the tips of the pine cone.

2. Glue the soda bottle cap to the bottom of the pine cone. Check to make sure the cap is secure and will not fall off. Let the glue dry before decorating the rest of the ornament.

3. Dip beads in glue with tweezers to represent tiny ornaments. Place the beads on random branches of the tree ornament.

4. Poke a hole through the top of the pine cone. String a ribbon through the hole, and hang the ornament on the tree.

Sparkling Wreath

1. Trace a circle on a piece of poster board using the top of a small bowl. Cut the circle out and set it aside.

2. Place one-quarter cup of rice in a bowl and add 10 to 15 drops of red food coloring. Dye one-quarter cup of rice green the same way.

3. Cut out a small, round picture of a loved one. Glue the picture to the center of the poster board circle.

4. Add glue to four or five small areas on the outside of the wreath, and add red rice to the glue. The red rice represents the berries. Cover the rest of the wreath in glue, and add the green rice. Use a toothpick to arrange the rice.

5. Let the wreath dry overnight. Punch a hole in the top of the ornament, and string ribbon through it. Write the name and date on the back of the ornament to capture the memory.

Tips & Warnings

• Let all paint and glue dry on the ornaments before hanging them on the tree.