How to Make a Christmas Tree Ornament From a Picture

Turn your favorite photos into holiday ornaments.

Favorite photos can bring back special memories year after year when they adorn your Christmas tree. But hanging a plain picture from a tree bough doesn't add much of a festive touch to the decorations. Why not make a keepsake ornament by framing your picture in an extra-festive way? With materials you find around the house and a little holiday imagination, you'll find that making a Christmas ornament from a picture is a snap.

Things You'll Need

• Craft sticks (such as Popsicle sticks)
• Jar lids
• Twigs or branches
• Scissors
• Paint
• Paint brushes
• Hot glue gun
• Ribbon

Instructions

1. Select a favorite photo for your ornament. Look for clean details in the picture, whether you want to frame a closeup of a smiling face or a summer vacation scene.

2. Choose the frame style you like best. If you are a crafter, you can make a frame from craft sticks. A recycler can make a frame from a jar lid or the lid of a box. Jewelry boxes are the perfect size. A gardener might make a frame with gifts from Mother Nature, such as twigs or branches.

3. Build your frame, choosing the size that best fits your picture. Craft sticks can be glued together to make a simple, square frame. A clean jar lid will hold a picture snugly. You can even glue three lids together to make a snowman frame. Find twigs that will make a square frame and use twine to tie the twigs together at each corner. Or choose a V-shaped branch, using a twig for the third side of the frame, to make a triangle picture frame.

4. Prepare the picture to fit the size of your frame. Lay the frame against the back of the picture and outline on the inside of the frame, using a pencil. Make sure that you are framing the part of the photo that you like best before you cut the picture.

5. Decorate the frame. Craft sticks can be painted first, then holiday sparkle can be added. Glitter, cotton ball puffs, even chipped-up pieces of peppermint candies can be glued to the frame. Lids will need three or four coats of paint to cover well. After the lid is completely dry, paint a holiday scene on it. Try your hand at painting Christmas trees, stars or a simple manger scene. For the twig frame, natural is best. But you can glue a few holly leaves or twine ivy around the frame to add a little color. Artificial greenery will last year after year.

6. Use a hot glue gun to glue the picture to the frame. The lid frames will need only a small drop of glue in the center, while the twig frames will require extra care to affix them properly.

7. Tie a ribbon onto a hanger, adding a bow if you like. Glue one end of the ribbon to the back of the frame. Now, you've made a Christmas ornament from a picture

Tips & Warnings

• You can use a printer to make copies of photos for your ornaments.

• Use extreme care when handling a glue gun. Adult supervision is recommended.

References

• Tips for Creative Photo Ornaments