9 DIY Elegant Christmas Ornaments You Can Make on a Budget

Hometalk Highlights
by Hometalk Highlights

Get ready to make your Christmas tree shine with some fancy and beautiful ornaments you can create yourself. This festive roundup will show you easy and fun ways to create DIY elegant Christmas ornaments.


Using simple crafting materials, you'll make ornaments that look high-end, without the price point. Let's dive into these elegant ideas that will make your tree sparkle!


For even more ideas, see Hometalk's ultimate guide to DIY Christmas decor here.

Angel feather ornaments

1. Angel feather ornaments

Cynthia from Clockworkinteriors introduces her "angel feather" ornaments, created using clear glass bulbs, white feathers, sparkling glitter, spray adhesive, and either ribbon or metallic string, along with a hole punch.


Start by lightly spraying the inside of the glass bulb with adhesive and then sprinkle a generous amount of glitter. Once the adhesive is dry, insert a pure white feather into the bulb. Use a hole punch to make an opening in a printed verse or message, and attach it to the bulb using your preferred ribbon or metallic string.


These handmade ornaments not only add a touch of elegance to your décor but also make for heartfelt gifts.

Paperclay applique ornaments

2. Paperclay applique ornaments

Deer Run Revamps presents a special project for crafting one-of-a-kind Christmas tree ornaments. This creative endeavor involves using molds and a range of materials, such as paper clay and resin.


After the ornaments are carefully crafted, they are painted and adorned with waxes and metallic powders, resulting in a stunning, custom finish.

Ornaments with Christmas items inside

3. Ornaments with Christmas items inside

Bella Renovare by Crys'Dawna guides us through a straightforward tutorial on how to create a festive surprise with clear Christmas ornaments.


Begin by mixing and pouring crafting resin into a bell-shaped mold. Gently attach the two halves together, give the bell a shining silver coat, affix a see-through thread for hanging, add faux snow as decoration, and firmly seal the ornament.

Chinoiserie decoupage ornaments

4. Chinoiserie decoupage ornaments

Discover how to make your own decoupage Christmas ornaments with step-by-step instructions from This Dear Casa. Using beautiful blue and white floral paper from Paper Source, as well as delicate paper napkins, you'll employ Mod Podge to securely attach the paper to the ornaments.


Achieve a centered design by aligning the focal point, trimming, and gluing separate paper sections. Follow up with an extra layer of Mod Podge to seal them, and then allow them to dry naturally.

Drawing inspiration from high-end décor, these three wallet-friendly options let you capture the mercury glass aesthetic without breaking the bank.


Discover how to turn regular ornaments into stunning mercury glass works of art using different methods from Jennifer Howard | Cottage On Bunker Hill, The Painted Hinge, and Emily Rone Home. Play with colors and achieve striking, attention-grabbing results.

Painted ornaments

6. Painted ornaments

Revitalize your Christmas tree ornaments with these simple and creative painting ideas from Julie McDowell - Design Artist. Give your old ornaments a fresh look using only paint, a gold Sharpie, and a white Posca pen.


Explore a range of design concepts like crafting lines and dots, adorning ornaments with patterns inspired by Christmas gifts, adding a two-tone effect to pine cone decorations, and alternating segments of color, plus many more.

Marbled ornaments

7. Marbled ornaments

Learn how to craft marbled Christmas ornaments using nail polish in just five easy steps, with guidance from Emily Rone Home. First, set up your workspace, and cut slits in solo cups to securely hold the ornaments. Then, fill a wide-mouth bowl with water.


Gently pour drops of nail polish into the water, use a toothpick to create swirls, and dip your ornaments. Remember to add more nail polish to the water as needed. Once dipped, let the ornaments air dry in the slits of the solo cups, or speed up the process with a hair dryer.


Tidy up with acetone, and you'll be left with stunning marbled ornaments perfect for the holiday season.

Faux-flocked ornaments

8. Faux-flocked ornaments

Sonata Home Design presents how to make faux-flocked ornaments for your holiday decorations using an easy baking soda hack.


The steps include taking off the tops of ornament balls, blending flour and baking soda, spray-painting the ornaments, and dipping them into the flour and baking soda mixture.


Once you've reattached the tops and brushed off any extra flour, you can add a string for hanging. These final faux-flocked ornaments can be showcased in a bowl or hung on your Christmas tree.

Ornamentinis

9. Ornamentinis

Craft a lively and engaging centerpiece for your Christmas gathering with this ornamentini project. Gather a collection of clear plastic ornaments and fill them with your preferred cocktails - think about using green for apple martinis and red for cosmos.


Place them in martini glasses atop frozen cranberries to keep the beverages nice and chilled. Arrange them on a tray with seasonal accents like pine cones for a striking centerpiece.


When the moment comes to savor, just open, pour, and raise a toast!

More DIY Christmas ornaments

For more festive decor ideas, check out Hometalk's ultimate list of 71+ DIY Christmas ornaments.

DIY elegant Christmas ornaments

As you add these elegant DIY ornaments to your tree, take a moment to admire the craftmanship involved in creating a sophisticated look for less. Which of these DIY Christmas ornaments would you add to your tree? Let us know in the comments below.

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 2 comments
  • Mammaw Mammaw on Nov 28, 2023
    I’m gonna definitely try the angel ornament. My family have lost a lot of people in the last few years. It would be a great addition to our Christmas this year. Thank you for your inspiration. Have a wonderful holiday. Be happy and stay safe.
  • Mammaw Mammaw on Nov 28, 2023
    I made this for my son this year. He lost his dad when he was just 16.
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