Thanks to Pinterest, do-it-yourself projects are gaining popularity, especially around the holidays. Bust some projects are more difficult than they appear. After researching DIY ornaments, I picked out a few to create for myself.

When looking up ideas, I fell in love with a Santa ornament, a Christmas tree and a gold ornament reading “joy, peace or shine.” Hobby Lobby was having a sale on Christmas decorations, and everything was 50 percent off. I took advantage of the sale and bought the iridescent plastic ornaments needed for the Santa and gold ornaments. I purchased the rest of the supplies, such as ribbon, glitter, paint and string from Walmart. I looked at the picture and guessed on what supplies were necessary, but it would have been easier had Pinterest given me exact instructions.

Once I had all the supplies, I sat down and started crafting.

When picking your ornament, it is important to have instructions on how to put the ornament together. I did not think to check this out before starting the Santa, so I had to guess what to do. Because I am a person who tends to skip the instructions and look at the picture instead, this was not a problem for me, but I would not recommend it.

The Christmas tree ornament was made out of a popsicle stick and ribbon. It did not turn out exactly as the picture because I used a popsicle stick instead of a stick from a tree, and I added a
star to the top because I felt like it was missing something. When making the Santa ornament, I underestimated the amount of red glitter needed. The glitter was supposed to fill the entire ornament but only covered half. After the fact and with a little more research, I learned
if you pour hard wood finish into the ornament, spin it around the ball and then dump it out before pouring the glitter in, the glitter will stick to the sides and you will use a fourth of the amount of glitter. The gold ornament was the easiest to replicate and did not cause any issues. The writing on the bulb even looked identical.

Overall, I think making homemade ornaments or any kind of decorations is a great way to get in the holiday spirit, but it takes work. If you’re looking for something festive to do, I would recommend it. Creating DIY ornaments would be fun to do at a holiday party. You just can’t be disappointed if your ornament doesn’t turn out identical to the original.