Christmas Ornament Crafts

As more families strive to regain that "traditional" Christmas feeling, they're turning to handmade and do-it-yourself items. Christmas ornament crafts top the list, because they're something that can be saved - and because most of them can be done with the kids over Christmas break. It's a winner all around.

Coming up with ideas for great Christmas tree ornaments that don't involve the tissue paper roll and glitter decorating method can be a bit more daunting. You want something that, when finished, will be meaningful and that you'll proudly display on your Christmas tree. And you want something that won't take you until next Christmas to finish.

These Christmas ornament craft ideas are just a beginning. Add your own twist to the basic idea, play around with different materials and generally have fun with it. Christmas tree ornaments should be an expression of the people and families displaying them; make yours unique.

Stitch it up with felt ornaments
Christmas tree ornaments created from felt have so many possibilities. They're also extremely easy to design and to stitch. You only need craft felt in a variety of colors, a couple pieces of paper (this is a great way to recycle paper bags), a sewing needle, scissors and thread or embroidery floss. Embroidery floss works best, creating a thick stitch that can contrast or compliment your felt colors.

To design the Christmas tree ornament, think of the finished piece as being a bunch of layers. For example, a mitten ornament that has mistletoe stitched on top would consist of three layers: the mitten base as the bottom layer, the mistletoe leaves as the middle layer and the mistletoe berries as the top layer. Sketch out a few ideas before starting to design your pattern.

When you're ready to design the pattern, draw out each layer of the ornament on a piece of paper. It can be helpful to cut out each piece of the pattern as it is drawn so that you can layer the pieces of paper just the same way they will be layered in felt. Keep in mind that most felt ornaments should be 3 inches by 3 inches or smaller.

Once each of the pattern pieces have been created and sized, place them on the pieces of felt you will be using. Trace around the pattern piece with a pen or pencil, and cut each piece out. You will need two of every piece, so that you can create a matching front and back. Then, sew the layers in order from bottom to top layers before sewing front and back pieces together.

Some ideas for what you can make into a felt ornament:

• A heart with embroidery or felt appliqué on the front.
• Mittens with mistletoe or Christmas trees appliquéd to the front and a small string attaching the pair.
• A bird (think partridges in a pear tree or the peace dove), with simple flowers embroidered to the front.
• Stars with little starbursts embroidered to the front or a patchwork heart, mistletoe or dove.
• A snowman with embroidered eyes and mouth and a small scrap of flannel for a scarf.

Ring it in with bell angels
Done with a little bit of patience, bell angels are too adorable to pass up. They will require more materials than felt Christmas ornament crafts, but those materials only have to be in scrap amounts. You'll want large jingle bells, wooden balls slightly smaller than the bell, wide sheer ribbon, thin satin ribbon, a small amount of fabric, string or cord and a small length of chain.

To begin, consider painting the angel's face on the wooden ball. This isn't a must, but it does add a nice touch. Then, carefully glue the chain around the top of the angel's head in the shape of a halo. Set the head aside to dry.

Next, cover the top half of the jingle bell with your fabric. Any thick, rich fabric like damask or heavy satin will make a great Christmas tree ornament. Trim the fabric so that it aligns with the "lip" of the jingle bell, leaving the bottom clear for sound.

While the head and bell body dry, tie the wide sheer ribbon into a large bow that will be used as wings. Then, tie the thin satin ribbon in a bow that will be attached at the angel's neck. Once all pieces are dry, glue the head to the body, trapping the tips of the string or cord between to create the "hanger." Then, glue the large bow to the back and the small bow to the front of the angel.

These adorable Christmas ornament crafts are made so easily and quickly, they make a fun project to work on with the kids. You can also craft several of them at a time and attach them to the front of Christmas gifts; a tag and ornament in one!

Eat it up with gingerbread ornaments
Does anything seem to go more classically with Christmas than gingerbread? By creating gingerbread ornaments, you have a Christmas ornament craft that can be munched right up and will smell great hanging from your tree. To create this craft, you'll just need your favorite gingerbread recipe, a gingerbread man cookie cutter, a thick wooden spoon, tube icing in a few colors and several pieces of plaid or other Christmas-y ribbons.

First, prepare your gingerbread men according to the instructions in your favorite recipe. Roll them to a 1/4- or 1/2-inch thick and use the gingerbread man cookie cutters to cut them out. Before popping into the oven and baking as directed, use the handle of a thick wooden spoon to make a hole in the top of each gingerbread man's head.

Allow the cookies to fully cool before transforming them into edible Christmas tree ornaments. Once they're cooled, decorate with icing to create mittens, boots and a face. Then, tie a length of ribbon through the hole in each head for hanging. Fair warning: these little guys are addictive.