Table of Contents:
- Make Your Own Christmas Decorations
- Gingerbread Person
- Poured Paint Ornament
- Glitter Ornament
- Penguin on a Wood Slice
Make Your Own Christmas Decorations
DIY Christmas tree ornaments add a personal touch to your holiday decorations as well as make wonderful gifts. And, when you get together with loved ones to make them, you can create your own Christmas traditions and special memories that will last a lifetime.
Here are four projects that are easy and fun to do and that are sure to make this year’s Christmas tree even merrier! To prepare for each project, we suggest watching the video that accompanies the step-by-step directions and gathering the supplies that are listed before you get started.
1. Gingerbread Person
List of Supplies
- ARTEZA 50 Assorted Stiff Felt Fabric Sheets, 8.3"x11.8" in Brown, Red, White, Pink, Green, Light Green, Yellow
- Paper
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Hot Glue
- Sewing Needle & Thread in Matching Colors
- Narrow Ribbon in Red, Burgundy, Green
- Small Black Beads & Bells
- Polyester Filling
Step 1. Make the patterns
Draw all the parts of the gingerbread person on a piece of paper to make a pattern for each. You will need the head, body, wavy frosting lines, small round circles for the cheeks and smaller ones for the buttons, and holly leaves in two sizes. Cut out each piece.
TIP: If you’re not confident enough to draw a gingerbread man, you can find free patterns on the internet or images to use as a reference.
Step 2. Cut the felt
Using your patterns, cut each shape from the felt.
Cut out:
- 2 body shapes (brown);
- 1 large hair shape and 1 small hair shape (white);
- 4 wavy lines (yellow);
- 2 circles for cheeks (pink);
- 2 smaller circles for buttons (pink);
- 2 large holly leaves (green);
- 2 small holly leaves (light green).
Step 3. Make bows
Make two small bows, one using burgundy and green, and one using red and green. Sew a bell to each bow and, after gluing the small holly leaves to the top of the large ones, the holly leaves.
TIP: To make tying these tiny bows easier, use a wide-tooth comb. Wrap the ribbon around a few of the sturdy prongs to hold it in place while you tie.
Step 4. Attach eyes and mouth
Using black thread, sew on the beads for the eyes and make a few small stitches for the mouth.
Step 5. Glue the detail pieces
First, hot glue the pink cheeks to the face. Next, glue the yellow wavy frosting lines to the legs and arms.
TIP: By making the wavy lines longer than the legs and arms, you can snip off the ends for a clean, even finish after they are glued.
Attach the buttons down the front, leaving room at the top of the body to glue on one of the bows. Glue the second bow to the side of the smaller piece of hair.
Step 6. Connect the front and back
Pin the front to the back of the gingerbread person’s body and head. Stitch the perimeter of both the body and head, leaving a hole at the top of each. This is where you will add the filling.
Step 7. Add filling and stitch
Stuff the body with polyester filling a little at a time. To get to the smallest areas that are hard to reach, such as the ends of the arms and legs, use a pencil, knitting needle, chopstick, or the end of a paintbrush to push the filling as far as it will go. Next, stuff the head, after gluing the hair to the front and back of it. Stitch the stuffing holes shut on both the head and the body. Then stitch the two sides of the hair together.
Step 8. Finish
Now glue the head to the body, add a ribbon for hanging, and you’re finished!
HINTS:
- Make sure all the detail pieces are glued on before sewing.
- Don’t forget to leave holes for the filler.
- Use a large needle and a thimble to make piercing the felt easier and to prevent pinpricks.
2. Poured Paint Ornament
List of Supplies
- Clear Plastic Ball Ornament with Removable Hanger
- ARTEZA Tempera Fluorescent Metallic Paints in A175, A330, A530, A266, A566, A366
- White Ribbon
Step 1. Pour the paint
Take the hanger off the top of the plastic ball ornament. Pour stripes of paint into it in the following order: А566, А530, А175, А266, А330, А566, А330, А530.
Step 2. Let dry
Place the ball upside down onto a container. As the paint dries, it will run down the sides and the excess will drip into the glass. Let it stay this way until completely dry.
Step 3. Finish
Replace the hanger on the top of the ornament and add the ribbon. It’s ready to hang on the Christmas tree!
HINTS:
- To help the paint flow faster, shake the bottle well before using it.
- You should start with the most transparent colors first to preserve their translucence. You won’t be able to do this if you start with the darker colors.
3. Glitter Ornament
We recommend wearing a respirator mask when working with glitter.
List of Supplies
- Clear Plastic Ball Ornament
- ARTEZA Glitter Shaker Jars in Red and Gold
- ARTEZA School Glue
- ARTEZA Chalk Marker in Gold
- Detail Paint Brush
- Masking Tape
- Scissors
- Plastic Cup
- Varnish
- Red Ribbon
Step 1. Make the design
Using the chalk marker, draw the star-shaped design on the top and bottom of the ornament.
Step 2. Mask, glue, and add glitter
Beginning on one end, place masking tape on the ornament, leaving the star shape uncovered. Apply glue to this area and paint it evenly across the shape. Pour a generous amount of gold glitter over the glue.
TIP: Use your finger to lightly press the glitter onto the glue. This will ensure the glitter will completely adhere to the ornament and there won’t be any vacant areas.
Pour excess glue back into the bottle.
Step 3. Let dry
Place the ornament on a plastic cup for a few hours to dry. Once it’s hardened, apply a coat of varnish and leave it for 30 minutes or until the ornament is completely dry. Remove the masking tape.
Take a clean tissue or paintbrush and sweep away any extra glitter for nice, clean edges.
Step 4. Repeat steps 1 - 3 on the other end
Turn the ornament over and repeat the previous steps using the red glitter.
Step 5. Add alternating colors
Next, paint a thin stripe of glue along the edges of the gold design. Pour over it a generous amount of red glitter. Once it has dried, do the same on the red design, sprinkling it with gold glitter. Wait for this to dry and apply varnish over the stripes.
Step 6. Finish
Once the varnish is completely dry, thread the ribbon through the cap and the ornament is ready to hang!
HINTS:
- Work on a sheet of paper so you can easily funnel the extra glitter back into the bottle. If you use a new sheet for each color, the glitter won’t get mixed together and will go cleanly back into its bottle to be ready for the next use.
- Use plenty of glue. Since school glue dries fast, it is best to work in sections.
- Wear old clothes or an apron, as glitter tends to get on everything and is difficult to get off clothing.
4. Penguin on a Wood Slice
List of Supplies
- ARTEZA Wood Slices
- ARTEZA Outdoor Pigments Multi-Surface Paint in А201, А235, А221, А213, А224, А206, А234, А210, А285, А236, А271
- Pencil
- Detail Paint Brush
- Palette
- Red Ribbon
Step 1. Prime the wood slice
Paint a layer of white paint over the front of the wood slice. Let dry.
Step 2. Draw the design
Lightly sketch the features of the penguin’s face in pencil, using the video as a guide.
Step 3. Paint the largest areas first
Squeeze a small amount of the colors to be used onto a palette. Begin by painting the face light beige. Next, fill in the top of the head, starting with purple on the right side and adding blue and then black to the left side to darken and indicate light coming from the right. Paint the bottom green, adding in some light green for the penguin’s scarf.
Step 4. Paint the details of the penguin’s face and scarf
Add a darker shade of beige to the penguin’s face under the eyes and nose. Paint in the eyes with dark blue and add highlights with white. Make the beak orange. Place red stripes on the scarf. Color the cheeks with pink.
Step 5. Finish
Let the paint dry and then thread the ribbon through the hole and your wood ornament is ready to display!
HINTS:
- Unless you want the wood grain to show through, always prime the wood slices first.
- Since outdoor paint dries really fast, you can add more color quickly, but you must work quickly as well.
We hope these four simple DIY Christmas craft ideas to add that personal touch to your Christmas decorations will inspire you to make your own designs or use these as a way to connect with your loved ones during the holiday season. We know that once you’ve made these, they’ll be keepsakes for many Christmases to come!
