Beautiful DIY Christmas Tree Complete With Inexpensive Handmade Ornaments

I think it’s fair to say Christmas 2020 was a bit different for most people than in years past. For us it definitely was! We had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend Christmas in Hawaii!

For those of you who don’t know, Grant was stationed at Pearl Harbor for 10 months in 2020. The kids and I were lucky enough to have an unplanned, extended visit during the holidays, 2 months total. It was awesome!! The only “downside” (if you can even call this a downside) was that we didn’t have any of our “Christmas stuff” with us. No tree, no ornaments, no Christmas pj’s. Like I said, not really a downside, but I really love and cherish our Christmas traditions.

I really had to get creative when it came to decorating and gift buying. You see, we have Christmas decorations back home, so we didn’t want to buy a bunch of stuff we already have. Also, if we spent a bunch of money on something we would definitely want to take it with us when we left the island, but suitcase space was limited. Homemade decorations seemed the most practical and cost-effective way to go.

Thankfully Santa brought gifts that would be used up prior to our departure and things that were small!

All that said, DIY Christmas was a success!! Today I am sharing with you how I created our beautiful DIY Christmas tree complete with how to make inexpensive ornaments to go along with it!

DIY Christmas Tree

Inexpensive was the name of the game when it came to Christmas decor last year. I wantd the magical Christmas feel, but on a budget. This is what I came up with.

The tree on the left, the more traditional of the two, was purchased at Walmart. Pickin’s were slim in the tree department, so I had to make do with what was available. I believe this tree was $39 + the cost of a few boxes of lights.

I didn’t mind spending this much on a tree because I knew we could find a home for it when we were done. On a military base there is always free stuff sitting out on the curb due to the steady stream of people moving in and out. I knew we could set this tree (with the lights) on the curb and it would be scooped up in no-time (and I was right!).

The tree on the right definitely took my “DIY Christmas” vision to the next level. I bought 1 piece of wood (2″) and had it cut in half at the store. I used hot glue and string to connect and secure it at the top. I leaned it up against the wall and that’s all there was to it!

Next, I used $5 garland I found at Home Depot to drape back and forth to form the “tree” shape. I think I used 3 garlands total and 3-4 strands of lights. The green twist-ties from the lights worked great to attach to the garland to the wood frame. I love how it turned out!

DIY Handmade Ornaments

Paper Chain Garland

Paperchain garlands are super simple to make. Minimal supplies, most of which you probably already have around your house. The best part about this project was that both of my kids could help (ages 5 and 3).

Cut paper into 1-inch strips OR buy this pre-cut paper garland kit. Use tape to secure the paper to itself. Continue until the chain has reached the desired length.

Peppermint Garland

Use hot glue to connect the peppermints. This project goes a lot quicker than you might think. It only took 10-15 minutes to connect the entire bag of peppermints.

I like Brach’s Peppermints because they have the little twisty tails that make your peppermint garland look so cool!

Popcorn Garland

Up until this point I had never made a popcorn garland, but had always wanted to. They always seemed so whimsical to me.

I used plain kernels on the stove because I didn’t want popcorn that had any salt or butter on it. I had also never popped popcorn on the stovetop before, so this was a project of “firsts” all the way around.

I put 2 T of olive oil in the pot along with 2 kernels. Set the heat to medium. Once those 2 kernels popped I removed them, added 1/2 C of kernels, shook them around, removed them from heat for almost 60 seconds. Placed back on the stove until the popping slowed. It worked perfectly!

You can begin stringing right away, however, I have found that it is much easier with day-old stale popcorn.

Salt Dough Ornaments

Salt dough ornaments are the perfect DIY Christmas project, especially if your want to get kids involved. All you need is flour, salt, and water. Easy peasy.

Mix 4 cups of All-Purpose Flour with 1 cup of salt. Stir in 1.5 cups of warm water. It will become to difficult to stir with a spoon, that’s when you have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Knead the dough for a few minutes.

Use a rolling pin to roll out dough to desired thickness. Flour your surface or use parchment paper to prevent sticking. Keep in mind, the thicker your dough the longer it will take to dry, however the thinner your dough the easier your ornaments will break.

Once your dough is rolled out. Use cookie cutters to cut out different shapes. Get creative!! Don’t foreget to create a hole for a string!

Bake at 300 degrees for about an hour. Keep an eye on them because baking time very much depends on how thick your ornaments are.

Once the ornaments have been removed from the oven and are cool, it’s time to start painting!! Use any kind of paint you want – spray paint, acrylic paint, finger paint, etc.

Applesauce & Cinnamon Ornaments

Applesauce cinnamon ornaments are similar to salt dough ornaments in that they are simple to make. Make the dough, roll with a rolling pin, cut out with cookie cutters then allow to dry. The only real difference is that applesauce cinnamon ornaments smell AMAZING!!!

Mix equal parts cinnamon and applesauce. For example, 2 cups applesauce with 2 cups of cinnamon. Knead with hands to form a nice dough.

Use parchment paper to prevent sticking.

Once all the ornaments have been cut out, leave to air dry for 1-2 days.

Dried Oranges

I started using oranges in my holiday decorating over the past few years and have really enjoyed the bright pop of color it brings to everything! One year I made orange pomanders by decorating oranges with cloves. Pomanders are pretty and make your house smell amazing!!

For my DIY Christmas tree, however, I wanted to use dried orange slices. To dry the oranges you can use a dehydrator or the oven on a very low temp. From what I can tell, a dehydrator keeps your oranges really bright. In the oven, you tend to have a little bit of darkening or deepening of the orange color. Both ways are beautiful!

I only have personal experience with the oven. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Slice oranges evenly about 1/4 inch thick. Pat dry with a paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible. Place on a cookie sheet in a single layer for several hours (6-8 hours most likely). I placed half on a wire rack (like this one) on top of the cookie sheet and those dried a bit faster.

Once you have the orange slices exactly how you want them, use a ribbon or string to tie them to your tree!