12 Christmas Tree ornaments made from nature!

On the twelfth day of Christmas, mother nature gave to me…..

12 Homemade Christmas Tree ornaments crafted from nature!

I admit that I am on a mission to destroy purchased Christmas ornaments. The popularity of my post, “14 Christmas decorations made from Recycled Garbage,” proves to me that many others are taking on this mission as well. And, with good reason. Homemade Christmas decorations offer fun holiday-themed activities for kids, encourage creative time spent with the family and enhance your holiday decor with a unique personal touch. You can see, in the photo at left, I collected quite a bit of nature from my own front yard.

 

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Natural Garland for your Christmas Tree

Pine Cone Christmas Tree Garland
This is a simple project that can
be tackled by any age crafter.
Collect pine cones from the yard
or local park. Wrap twine around
the cone, making sure the twine wraps
deep around the inside of the cone and
continue adding more until you have enough
to string around the tree or hang from the mantle!
[no link. image found on pinterest]

Acorn Garland for your Christmas Tree
From The Magic Onions
I don’t know about everywhere.
But, here in the Southeast US, I noticed an overabundance of acorns this year.
My yard is covered in a blanket of acorns, which makes this Acorn Garland,
from the Magic Onions, the perfect solution for trimming our tree.
Here’s how to make it.

Sweet Gum Garland
Design Sponge made this garland
for a Thanksgiving centerpiece.
But, that doesn’t mean it won’t
look great on your Christmas Tree.
[Read How to Make it]

Here are the garlands I managed to craft out of items in my front yard

Natural Wooden Ornaments

Stamped Wooden Medallion Ornaments
Depending on your skill level and time constraints,
this is an easy project that the family can enjoy.
Grab an old branch from the forest floor,
use a saw to slice it into medallions.
Stamp, Draw, or Burn designs on the wood.
[Read more from Craft Ideas]

Rustic Twig Christmas Tree Ornaments
Add a touch of rustic charm with these Rustic Twig Ornaments.
Break some twigs, from the yard, and glue them to a strip of
cardboard cut from a cereal/snack box.
Loop a pipe cleaner through a hole in the top
and trim your tree!
[Read More from Stow & Tell U]

Rustic Twig Star Ornaments for your Christmas Tree
Using only some twigs from the yard,
a hot glue gun and some colored raffia,
these Twiggy Stars from Happy Hooligans
happen to be one of my favorite natural ornaments.
[Read more from Happy Hooligans]

Acorn Christmas Tree Ornaments

Painted Acorn Ornaments
like these from, My Very Educated Mother,
are a great way to add some color while still using inexpensive
items collected right from your yard or park!
Looks like the hardest part is figuring out
how to string them on the tree, but MVEM covers that!
See the below photo, and this tutorial on How to Paint Acorns,
for a more colorful collection!

[Photo from Home Stories A to Z]

Fragrant Dried Citrus & Food Ornaments

Fragrant Dried Citrus and Cinnamon Stick Christmas Ornaments
These are simply the most aesthetically pleasing dried citrus ornaments I found.
I love the combination of the orange slice with the cinnamon stick
and acorn. Hung on the tree with a line of twine, these
country charms, from Natural Suburbia, fill your home with holiday aroma.
[Photo from Natural Suburbia]

Dried Fruit Ornaments
Don’t stop at oranges and cinnamon sticks.
No Meat Athlete has instructions for drying
Grapefruit, Apple, and Lemon slices as well.
[Photo from No Meat Athlete]

Pine Christmas Tree Ornaments

Pine Cone Christmas Tree Ornaments
This may be the simplest ornament that
adds a touch of mother nature and
a splash of color.
Collect some good looking
pine cones and attach a looped
ribbon with a dab of hot glue!
[no link. photo found on pinterest]

Pine Tassels
I loved these, but couldn’t find the source
of photo or instructions.
Grab a handful of pine needles
(living or dead for various colors)
and hot glue them into an acorn hat
to make these tassels.
[no link]

Get creative with what you have…

Get Creative!
We made these in 2012. Using items found in our yard,
we crafted these flying dragons to hang on the tree.
The only non-nature material used were googly eyes,
string and hot glue.
[Read More]

See the other 12 Days of Christmas in Nature for more fun, natural Holiday and Winter ideas.