Cheap Homemade Ornaments

Part of the enjoyment of Christmas is the endless possibilities for crafts. Homemade Christmas ornaments are a favorite and they can be cheap, fun and easy to make. Some are great projects to share with children.

Styrofoam is Wonderful

Styrofoam comes in all shapes, some of which are ideal for ornaments. Decorate Styrofoam balls by pinning sequins on them. Use ribbon for accents and as a way to hang the balls. Use the small wreath-shaped Styrofoam for ornaments by wrapping them with ribbon. Use tiny Styrofoam balls to create ornaments on the wreaths.

Ornaments Fun for Children

Ornaments made from dough recipes are fun for kids to decorate and can be cut with Christmas cookie cutters. A traditional recipe is 4 cups flour and 1 cup salt, mixed with 1½ cups water. Knead until the consistency of putty. Roll the dough out and use the cookie cutters to make shapes. Before baking for about ½ hour at 325 degrees, put a small hole at the top of each ornament to use for hanging. After the ornaments have dried, use acrylic paints to decorate. For finishing, apply a clear coating for protection.

If you sew, don’t throw away your empty thread spools. Collect them during the year and your children can string them together to form small reefs. Help them decorate the spools with ribbon, sequins, and paint.