Bunchland

Spruce up that spruce with these charming homemade ornaments

The great thing about a decorated Christmas tree is that is can always be more decorated. Undoubtedly, if your kids have Christmas-y content at school, they will come home with a new addition or two for your tree. And the ornaments will be awesome! But why should the kids and their Christmas craft-loving teachers have all the fun? Here are six decorations we think you should add to your tree this year.

Golden Pine Cones

A mainstay of winter-y crafts, from bird-feeders to wreaths, the pine cone is great way to start a project. We like the simplicity of spray-painting one gold (or silver!) and affixing a pretty ribbon (via glue gun or wire) to hang it on the tree. (From Country Living)

Paper Bulbs

You have to see to believe how great a few strips of paper can look on your tree. We’re so thankful that Jeffrey Rudell on CraftStylish includes step-by-step photos in his how-to post. Rudell starts with two same-size rectangles in coordinating colours and precisely marks the halfway point on each. Then he cuts equal-sized strips from each. (He does 9-inches long by 1/4-inches wide, seven strips of each colour) Using a needle, poke a hole through each strip’s midpoint, and at each end. Take a six-inch piece of craft wire and make a loop at one end. Then start threading the strips through the wire at their midpoint, alternating colours. Once the wire is through each strip’s midpoint, start with the bottom strip and fold up to thread wire through the end hole. Repeat with other strips, always taking from the bottom. When all strips are attached at the top, make another loop to secure the strips. Thread ribbon through loop to hang on your tree or doorway.

Wool Trees

Heather at Dollar Store Crafts provides the how-to on these adorable trees made from recycled materials. Basically, take an old wool sweater (from around the house or maybe pay a visit to  your local Sally Ann), wash and dry it in the drier, then cut into tree-shapes. Hand or machine-sew a running stitch around the edge for a border and sew on “ornaments” from whatever you can find around the house. (buttons, beads, sequins) We like the Nightmare Before Christmas-Dr Seuss-y vibe we get from the slightly wonky trees. We also really like this recycled sweater bird. Image from Dollar Store Crafts

Old Toys = New Ornaments

One Oprah Magazine writer (what? you mean Oprah doesn’t write the whole thing herself?) dealt with her pack-rat tendencies by attaching some wire to her kids’ old toys. She didn’t have to get rid of all those memory-laden Thomas the Tank Engine figures, but those toys are neatly packed away with the Christmas decorations for 11 months of the year. For another take on this project, paint old toys white before ornament-izing them. (By which we mean attach some craft wire to some loop on the toy)

Paint-Splattered Bulbs

You can buy clear glass or plastic bulbs from your favourite craft supply store. We like the idea of throwing in a few drops of different coloured acrylic paint and swirling the paint around the inside of the bulb. Leave to dry and then attach the top of the bulb so it can be hung on the tree. We also like the idea of putting objects like sparkles, feathers or curled ribbon into the clear bulb – but not in addition to the paint.

Yarn Wreaths

Tia, of Christopher and Tia, sent us her step-by-step tutorial for the yarn wreath ornaments she and the kids made this year. She started with styrofoam wreath shapes (in tiny ornament size) and two different yarns. She tied two strings of yarn to the wreath and tightly wrapped the yarn around it until it was fully-covered. Then she tied the ends of the yarn to the starting ends. With the little ends of yarn hanging down, she tied on little charms like candy canes and tiny bells.

Image of yarn wreaths courtesy of Christopher and Tia