Easy DIY Ornaments

It’s officially the most wonderful time of year and part of the fun is sending and receiving holiday cards! I love this idea from Amy of Maker Mama to use old holiday cards to make paper Christmas ornaments for your tree.  These adorable easy DIY ornaments can be made with any kind of patterned paper, but Amy actually used vintage Christmas cards she found at a thrift store. If you are looking for more ideas to up cycle Christmas cards, be sure to check out 11 creative uses for old Christmas cards. I also love the idea of using old holiday cards to make gift tags!

I found the cutest set of vintage Christmas cards years ago, but they’ve been hidden away because I didn’t want to use them up! I’ve done this with more thrift store finds than I’d like to admit, but pretty vintage items are so hard to resist. Inspired by some other paper ball ornaments I made a couple years back, I decided to make a more modern version, and still keep those gorgeous cards to myself!

Psst… this post contains affilate links.

Here’s what you need to make DIY paper ornaments

• Holiday cards (or card stock)
• Glue
• A circle punch (Here’s a great deal on a set of 3!)
• Baker’s twine

How to make easy DIY ornaments

Step 1- Cut circles

The main tool used to make these DIY ornaments is a circle punch. You can use any sized punch depending on how big you want the ornaments to be. The circles should be identical, so cutting them by hand would make that tricky (and take a really long time). I punched seven circles from the card design and seven circles from the back of the card for my ornaments. You can use more or fewer circles depending on how you want your ornaments to look.

Step 2- Fold and glue circles

Next, fold each circle in half and then glue the backside of each of the pieces together alternating the white and colored circles. (I think they kind of look like peppermints that way, don’t you?).

Step 3- Add string

Don’t forget to add a string before gluing the final pieces and then tie off and trim the bottom of the ornament. 

Step 4- Hang

Hand up your new paper Christmas ornaments and enjoy!

How easy was that? These are a simple way to add a handmade touch to your Christmas tree, and perfect for an ornament making party! If you loved this holiday craft, Amy has tons more Christmas themed thrift store crafts you don’t want to miss like how to turn holiday cookie tins into a beautiful garland and this DIY citrus garland that is sure to make your house smell amazing.