How to make easy, cheap Christmas Ornaments!

Are you in need of a few more Christmas ornaments on your tree, but you don't want to invest anymore Christmas funds. Here is a quick and easy ornament that looks great!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Match boxes
• Wrapping paper
• Ribbon
• Tape
• Scissors

1. Buy as many sets of Matchboxes as you like from the supermarket, dollar store or hardware store. They usually come in sets of a half dozen or more depending on where you go.

2. Open up all the matchboxes and take out the matches and throw away.

3. Take each match box, using scissors and tape, wrap it with whatever color wrapping paper you like. If you don't want to use wrapping paper than use construction paper. Any color or pattern it is up to you, it is your tree.

4. Take a piece of ribbon and tie it at the bottom of the box. Then take the sides of the ribbon and bring them up and around the top of the box and make a bow on the top side.

5. Thread another piece of ribbon under the bow on the top of the box and knot it to make a loop.

6. Hang the box on the tree via the loop. Then repeat steps to do as many as you feel you want.

Tips & Warnings

• The great part is that if you change your color scheme for your tree any year you can throw out all of the ones you made and start all over again since the most expensive item is the matchboxes which are like $1 per pack of 6 - 12, making this a very cost effective ornament.
• Do these with your kids as a Christmas craft. Even a 3 year old can put the tape on the bottom of the box.
• Your can be more creative if you like. Add pom poms, glitter, gemstones, feathers, or sequins to the packages you are only limited by your own imagination and budget.
• I can't express enough how important it is to take the matches out of the boxes as if God forbid your tree caught on fire you would then have an inferno with little boxes of matches all over the tree.
• If you are worried about the matches being disposed of in the trash wet them first.

[Magentaslb]

on 1/31/2009 How cute! Though I'd probably save the matches in another box :-)