Making Christmas ornaments is a yearly tradition in our house. This year’s inspiration was buttons because they’re super colorful, less mess/clean up than glitter (which we usually lean towards), and inexpensive. These ornaments are also pretty quick to make which was nice. I chose 2 classic shapes, the Christmas tree and the snowman, and they turned out really cute! If you are looking for a new holiday project or DIY gift this year, give button Christmas ornaments a try!
NOTE: Both ornaments take similar steps to create, but the snowman is a bit more challenging because it requires more specific sizes and colors to get the look right. That also means you may need to buy more buttons to give you enough options (I used the extra buttons to make 3 different sized snowmen…not the worst trade-off). Just a heads up when shopping and laying them out.
FOR MORE ORNAMENTS PROJECTS:
- Glitter Ornaments: Create Easy Beautiful Custom Ornaments
- How To Make Glitter Light Bulb Ornaments
- Rhinestone Ornaments: Easy to Make, Inexpensive, and Kid-Friendly
CHECK OUT MORE GREAT HOLIDAY SUPPLIES AND TOOLS: Resources I Love
Button Christmas Ornaments
The Christmas Tree
What You’ll Need:
- Buttons – assorted colors and sizes
- Small metallic bead (heart, star, etc) for top of tree (Optional)
- 22 Gauge Wire
- Wire Cutter
- Round Nose Pliers
- Yarn, twine, thread for hanging
1. Cut a piece of wire about 10″ long and bend it in half.
2. Now it’s time to pick the buttons for the tree. For the trunk of the tree, use teeny tiny buttons. I actually bought a separate set of mini buttons specifically for the trunk. For the rest of the tree, select 14-16 buttons of varying sizes and colors and lay them out in the order you want to build your tree. Be sure that they get smaller as you move up the tree.
3. Starting with the bottom of the tree (the trunk), thread the buttons on the wire. Push them to the bottom.
4. Continue stringing the rest of the buttons on the wire, from base of the tree to the top. For any buttons that have 4 holes, use opposite holes, like in the pic below.
TIP: While stringing/stacking the buttons, you may want to flip some of the buttons over as they will fit together better. There are so many shapes of buttons: curved, flat, indented, etc., so creating these trees can be like putting a puzzle together. There’s no right or wrong way, just your personal preference.
5. To create the loop at the top of the tree, hold one wire with the round nose pliers. Wrap the wire around the pliers to create a loop. Flip the pliers so it is now to the outside of the loop.
6. While still holding the loop, take the tail of that wire and wrap it around the base of the loop a few times snuggly. Cut the rest of the wire with the cutters.
7. Now is time for finishing off the top of the tree. String the metallic bead through the wire that is still sticking out the top of the tree. Snug it up to the loop and hold the wire with the round nose pliers. Wrap the wire around the end of the pliers a few times and then cut off the rest of the wire.
8. Thread the yarn/twine/thread through the loop and knot it to make the hanger.
The Snowman
What You’ll Need:
- Buttons (Body) – assorted sizes in white/off white
- Buttons (Hat) – assorted sizes in black
- Button (Scarf) – 1 fairly large one in contrasting color (I chose red)
- Small metallic beads (heart, star, etc) for top of snowman (Optional)
- 22 Gauge Wire
- Wire Cutter
- Round Nose Pliers
- Yarn, twine, thread for hanging
NOTE: You want about 3 times the amount of white buttons to black buttons to get the snowman’s proportions correct. In this example I used 21 white buttons and 7 black buttons. Make sure that the largest white, black and one contrast button are about the same size. That also helps in getting the proportions correct.
1. Cut a piece of wire about 10″ long and bend it in half.
2. Now it’s time to pick the buttons for the snowman. We are trying to create a snowman that is made of 3 snowballs (2 for body and 1 for head) with a scarf and a black top hat. With that in mind, select white buttons of varying sizes and lay them out from small to large and back to small again. This is the first snowball of the body. Repeat for the second snowball of the body. Now lay out the contrasting button for the scarf. Add the third and final snowball of buttons. Last step, add your black buttons for the hat starting with the largest and getting smaller. (See, I told you it was a bit more involved!)
3. Starting with the bottom of the snowman, thread the buttons on the wire. Push them to the bottom.
4. Continue stringing the rest of the buttons on the wire, from body to the top hat. For any buttons that have 4 holes, use opposite holes, like in the pic below.
TIP: While stringing/stacking the buttons, you may want to flip some of the buttons over as they will fit together better. There are so many shapes of buttons: curved, flat, indented, etc., so creating these snowmen can be like putting a puzzle together. There’s no right or wrong way, just your personal preference.
5. To create the loop at the top of the snowman, hold one wire with the round nose pliers. Wrap the wire around the pliers to create a loop. Flip the pliers so it is now to the outside of the loop.
6. While still holding the loop, take the tail of that wire and wrap it around the base of the loop a few times snuggly. Cut the rest of the wire with the cutters.
7. Now is time for finishing off the top of the snowman. String the metallic bead through the wire that is still sticking out the top of the hat. Snug it up to the loop and hold the wire with the round nose pliers. Wrap the wire around the end of the pliers a few times and then cut off the rest of the wire.
8. Thread the yarn/twine/thread through the loop and knot it to make the hanger.
These button Christmas ornaments were a fun holiday project. Give them a try and add some color to your tree or cuteness to any gift!
