DIY Christmas Ornaments for Gifts or for Yourself (My Boys LOVED Making Them!)

The boys and I made these really cute ornaments last year for Christmas presents for my grandparents and some friends. They were perfect! All three of us were able to work on them together. They're easy enough for a toddler and preschooler to do, but really, even an adult could make them too! 

Supplies: 

Clear plastic ornaments

Christmas pom poms

Christmas confetti

Mini white styrofoam balls

First things first, make sure you get your supplies organized. Once you get going, especially if you're doing this with young kids, it will go fast! You want to be prepared! 

I put the ornaments into a muffin tin to hold them in one place without rolling around. This ended up being the best thing I could have done. 

I then got organized. I put the green pompoms in one cavity, then red in another, then confetti, then the syrofoam balls. 

I started with letting Cocoa Puff put the pom poms in the ornaments. His little fingers were too small to do the confetti and styrofoam balls, but man, he sure had fun pushing those pom poms into the ornaments! 

When he was done, I gave Froot Loop the confetti and styrofoam balls and let him put those into the ornaments. 

Then, when they were both done and off doing other things, I picked up each one and gently shook it to mix it up well. I think you'd want to fill them about 1/3 to 1/2 full so there's room to see everything inside the ornament. 

Anyway, they were a big hit. I was really impressed with the plastic ornaments. They did not break or shatter. I even tested one by dropping it before we used them to make sure they weren't a hazard to the boys, and it didn't do anything except bounce a little! 

They were very easy to fill with the supplies above, but you could use other things to fill yours. I remember once in college I made one filled with coffee beans. It was heavy, but it looked really cool! I have another one made with that shredded paper you can put in a gift bag. So, really, the possibilities are endless! 

Do you make your own ornaments?