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.

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