Quick and Easy Christmas Tree Ornaments to Make

Glitter balls: Start with cheap plastic balls, or old balls that the color has come off of or balls that are just the wrong color for your tree. If this is your first tree you can usually find these balls cheap at yard sales or the dollar store. Buy a bottle of Tacky glue and glitters in your favorite Christmas colors. Brush the Tacky glue over the ball and sprinkle glitter over it until it is covered. You will need to do the top half of the ball and when it dries do the bottom half of the ball. Rest the balls in a muffin pan or egg carton until they dry. Be adventurous and mix your glitter colors for unusual one of a kind ornaments. You can also brush your paint on in designs and sprinkle with glitter for a textured ball. When finished, spray the balls with an sealant spray to keep the glitter from falling off over time.

Christmas Shapes: Pick up some modeling clay. There are two types, one bakes in the oven at a low temperature to set, the other air drys in about 24 hours. Roll out the clay with a rolling pin and use your favorite holiday cookie cutters to cut out shapes. When the glue is dry you can paint the ornaments with details if you're artsy and if not, paint them a solid cover and cover with glitter while the paint is wet or paint them with a metallic gold or silver paint. You can use brush on acrylic paint or spray paint.

Wooden Christmas Shapes: Hobby and craft store have wooden cut out shapes that you can paint and decorate using the same techniques as above. These little cutouts are usually under 50 cents a piece.

Beaded Icicles: Purchase small glass beads from your hobby shop, florist wire and ribbon. Cut the florist wire in lengths about 3" longer than you want the finished icicle. Tie a knot in one end of the wire. This is the bottom of your icicle. Thread the glass beads onto the wire and make a knot at the top to keep the beads in place. Make a loop at the top with your remaining florist wire and twist. Thread ribbon through the loop and tie in a bow to hang the icicles on your tree.

Beaded Fruit: Purchase Styrofoam pears and apples and your hobby shop along with a bottle of mod podge glue and tiny glass beads or glitter. Brush the mod podge on the fruit with a sponge brush and roll in the glass beads to cover.

Ribbons and Roses: This is a beautiful garland for any tree. Purchase stems of artificial roses at your local dollar store, some clothes pins, a bottle of paint that matches your roses and a roll of ribbon that matches your roses. Paint the clothes pins the color of the roses. Clip the stems off of the roses just below the bloom and hot glue the rose onto the clothes pin. Use the clothes pin to attach the flower to the tree and to clip the ribbon. Let the ribbon drape to the next spot on your tree and clip a Rose and the ribbon and continue.

Braided Garland: Buy the inexpensive bead garland in multiple colors at your local dollar store. Twist the strands together for a thick braided garland look.

Glitter Snowflakes: Use 3 Popsicle sticks to create a snow flake. Use two to make an X and place the third in the middle and glue together using craft clue or hot glue. Paint and decorate with glitter, flocking or spray snow.

Lame Icicles: Purchase ½ yard of gold or silver lame at your local fabric store. Unravel the lame to make whisper thin icicles that make a fairy land look on your tree when the lights are on.

Of course, you can also add traditional decorations to fill in empty holes like candy canes, decorated Christmas cookies sprayed with sealant, Ribbon bows, strings of popcorn, gingerbread men, small stuffed animals, Lego creations or anything that reminds you of Christmas' past.