DIY Christmas Ornaments (And Great Neighbor Gifts)

Here are a few simple ornaments that you can easily make yourself and they can be great neighbor gifts!

Nail Ornament

Free Printable

Look at the Candy Cane

Simply print, paste onto Christmas paper, tie onto a candy cane with a bit of string or ribbon and voila!

Cinnamon Ornaments (with or without glitter)

Recipe:

1 C. ground cinnamon

2 Tbsp. ground nutmeg

2 Tbsp. ground cloves or allspice

2 Tbsp. school glue

1 C. applesauce

Glitter

1.  Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl, adjust ingredients if dough is too wet or dry.  Knead a few time then roll out to 1/4-1/2" thick.  Cut out shapes with cookie cutters, use a straw to make holes to hang the ornaments, and place on parchment paper on top of baking sheet.

2. Bake at 200 degrees (F) for 2-3 hours until hardened.  Let cool, seal a few times with mod podge on both sides then tie with ribbon and hang on the tree!

p.s. It may smell a little funky when they first start baking, probably because of the glue, but after a little while the spices take over and your house will smell amazing!  Oh, and be sure to not take a big breath when you pour the cinnamon into your mixing bowl...learned that the hard way!  :)

DIY Mod Podge

-Simply mix white glue with warm water at a 50/50 ratio, mix well and store in airtight container.

Cornstarch Ornaments

These are so much easier to work with that salt-dough ornaments and they are so much prettier!  I just love them!  You could get quite creative with these ornaments and pass them around to your neighbors - it would probably be a nice break from all the sweets that get passed around this time of year.  Here's a link with the recipe & instructions:

Homemade Cornstarch Ornaments

"Let Him In" Key Ornament

I just helped assemble quite a few of these to pass out to our Relief Society ladies and I must say that I absolutely love this ornament.  The message is beautiful and I have been in love with skeleton keys ever since I first read (and watched) The Secret Garden.  You can find skeleton keys in bulk on several sites; I recommend searching on Etsy, eBay & Amazon.  Aside from the keys you will need some scrapbook paper, double-sided tape, a hole punch, ribbon & card-stock to print the poems on.  You can find everything you will need to print here for free!