The holiday season is here faster than you might think — before you know it, it’s time to start decorating the house! If you’re on a tight budget but want to replace a few of those broken ornaments, a great option is to make them yourself.
This way, you save money, and if your family also helps out, it can make for lovely and personal decorations, especially if you make ornaments that show your affection for your dog.
Here are 10 DIY plans for dog-themed Christmas decorations and ornaments for you to try out. Some are more affordable than others (depending on the materials that you might need to purchase), but either way, you can have fun decorations that the whole family will enjoy.
The 10 DIY Dog Christmas Decorations & Ornaments Are:
1. Snow Globe Photo Ornament
| Materials: | Clear round ornaments, printer paper, photo, ribbon, artificial snow, or glitter |
| Tools: | Printer, scissors, packing tape |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
This snow globe photo ornament is easy, and the finished results will look amazing on your Xmas tree (or anywhere else you see fit). It gets a bit messy if you’re using glitter, though!
The plan calls for clear plastic or shatterproof glass ornaments (round is best because of the snow globe effect), and you’ll need to print the photo of your dog twice, as it will be placed back to back so it can be seen from all sides. You can make as many as you want and even add photos of your family!
2. Paw Print Salt Dough Ornament
| Materials: | Salt, water, flour, acrylic paint, glitter, paint pen or sharpie, matte finish Mod Podge |
| Tools: | Rolling pin, mixing bowl and spoon, cup, straw, baking sheet, parchment paper |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
This paw print ornament is cute and easy to make and can be personalized any way that you want it. You mix the ingredients to make a dough, use the straw to create a hole so you can hang it up, and press your dog’s paw into it for the paw print.
Ensure that the cup that you use to cut the circles from the rolled-out dough is larger than your dog’s paw. Once it’s baked, you can use any colors on it that you want, tie it with a ribbon, and you’re done!
3. DIY Dog Treat Wreath
| Materials: | Wire wreath frame, bone-shaped treats, ribbon |
| Tools: | Scissors, tape, hot glue gun or stapler |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
If you’re interested in trying out a dog-themed wreath, this one is quite easy. You can also make a wreath base yourself using cardboard or Styrofoam. Wrap the frame with a wide ribbon, and incorporate the bones with a contrasting ribbon (the example given with instructions uses green ribbon as the base and red ribbon to secure the treats).
Then, you can add any bows or other embellishments that you like. You could also paint the treats in a contrasting color.
4. Customized Homemade Christmas Ornament
| Materials: | Photos, cardboard, yarn or ribbon, red paper, cotton balls |
| Tools: | Glue or tape, printer |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
These dog ornaments are silly but cute and easy to make. Print a picture of your dog that clearly shows their face. Cut around the dog’s face and glue it to cardboard or cardstock. Cut out the Santa hat from the red paper (or felt), and glue it on top of your dog’s head.
Cut out the face and hat carefully, add cotton balls to embellish, and attach a ribbon or string, and you’ll have an adorable ornament!
5. DIY Silhouette Pet Ornament
| Materials: | Photo, black felt, tartan/plaid fabric, wooden sewing hoops, ribbon |
| Tools: | Scissors, sewing pins, fabric glue, glue gun, and glue, printer |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
These silhouette ornaments can be of your dog’s head or anything else that you want, like a paw print. You’ll need to invest in one or more sewing hoops, and you’ll want to have clear profile pictures of your dog.
What follows is precise cutting of the black felt and then putting it all together. You’re bound to receive many compliments on these eye-catching ornaments!
6. DIY Dog Bone Holiday Ornament
| Materials: | Black cardstock, 4 popsicle sticks, photo, ribbon, 10 small Milk-Bones |
| Tools: | Mod Podge, glue, scissors, paintbrush |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
This dog bone ornament is easy to make and can be hung up anywhere in your home year-round. A Milk-Bone-framed photo of your dog makes a cute addition to your Christmas tree or even your wall.
You can choose to use the original photo or print out a copy, and the ribbon can have paw prints or a Christmassy vibe. Even the Milk Bones can be painted (gold, silver, white, etc.).
7. Wood Slice Ornament
| Materials: | Wood slices, photo, pen |
| Tools: | Mod Podge, paintbrush, drill with small bit, printer |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy or moderate |
These wood slice ornaments can provide a homemade or rustic look. You can cut your own wood slices from firewood if you have that opportunity, or you can try purchasing wood slices already predrilled. If you opt for the latter, the drill is optional.
You can use any photos that you like, and the wood will give it a handmade appearance. Using twine to tie it up will contribute to the rustic feel, but you can use ribbon if you want.
8. Adorable Felt Dog Ornament
| Materials: | Felt in your dog’s colors, red and green embroidery thread, ribbon, cotton balls |
| Tools: | Yarn or embroidery needle, hot glue gun and glue, scissors, chopsticks |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
These felt ornaments take a bit of skill and imagination, as you need to look at your dog’s face and figure out how to recreate it using felt. It can help look up cartoon images of your dog’s breed, so you can see it in a 2D form.
Follow the instructions on the website, and get your family to help. The final product is a great way to show off your dog on your Christmas tree!
9. DIY Dog Bone Picture Frame
| Materials: | Dog bones (Milk-Bones), red, white, and green paints, picture frame, photo |
| Tools: | Hot glue gun and glue |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
You can customize this dog bone photo frame for any time of year, not just Christmas. But it does make a charming frame to display for the holidays. You can use red, green, and white paints for Christmas, but you can also use your favorite colors for the rest of the year.
Place the photo on your mantle surrounded by evergreen boughs, and you’ve got a festive and adorable picture of your dog.
10. DIY Dog Bone Christmas Stocking
| Materials: | Christmas fabric, ribbon |
| Tools: | Pen, ruler, small bowl, scissors, paper, pins |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate to advanced |
If you’re handy with a sewing machine, this dog stocking is a great way to include your dog in the festivities and gifts. The better you are at sewing, the better it’ll look, but it’ll be cute no matter what!
The instructions include a video, but the pattern is simple enough to make on your own. The fabric and other embellishments will make it the coolest Christmas stocking in the family!
Final Thoughts
The beauty of making crafts is that you can take these ideas and get creative with them. Use your imagination, and add items to embellish the projects: paw print stickers, stamps, ribbons, etc.
You could even take your used ornaments and with glitter paint and stencils, give them puppy pizzazz!
- See also: 10 Best Dog Advent Calendars
Featured Image Credit: MGAstudioArt, Pixabay
The 10 DIY Dog Christmas Decorations & Ornaments Are:
