DIY Thumbtack Ornament

Use thumbtacks and a styrofoam ball to create stylish Christmas ornaments.

DIY Thumbtack Ornament

I’ve always wanted a white artificial Christmas tree. Even though I grew up always getting real trees, as soon as we bought our house and had room to put a tree I knew I had to have a white tree. We’ve always opted for a real tree since we got married but last year I told the Mr. that I really, really wanted a white tree…or a silver tree…or basically a solid colored non-green Christmas tree (I would even take a pink one). He wasn’t convinced. So when the holidays rolled around this year I asked him again and he was warming up to the idea. Perfect.

Wayfair  made my dreams come true when they sent me this crystal white spruce. When I started searching for trees, I found that they had a great selection of trees and Christmas decorations. As soon as it arrived, I set it up, fluffed it up a bit and plugged it in. Then, the Mr. was convinced and actually liked it a lot. Since it was already pre lit all I had to do was add our ornaments. Our ornament collection consists of my great grandmother’s glass ornaments, some new solid glass ornaments, and the ones we’ve purchased each year since we’ve been married.

I love adding and making ornaments to grow our little collection. The first ornament I made this season is this thumbtack ornament. It’s so easy to make and cheap too. Check out the tutorial below for a instructions and a few tips.

DIY Thumbtack Ornament

Supplies:

– hot glue gun
– 2″ – 2.5″ styrofoam balls
thumbtacks, about 150 for each ball
– ribbon, any kind to use as ornament hanger
– scissors
Optional: spray paint (I was planning on spray painting mine when I was done, but I liked the silver look so I decided to skip this step)

1. Cut a piece of ribbon about 6″ long. Use the hot glue to glue the ribbon onto the styrofoam ball.

2. Start placing thumbtacks around the ribbon. Continue placing thumbtacks all over the ball, working your way from the top to the bottom overlapping them as you go. Repeat this until the entire styrofoam ball is covered.

3. If you want to change the color of the thumbtacks, you can cover it was a couple coats of spray paint. Be sure to cover the ribbon loop with painters tape or plastic wrap so it doesn’t get sprayed. Allow it to dry completely then hang on your tree!

DIY Thumbtack Ornament

For more Christmas inspiration and DIY projects, head this way!

This post is sponsored by Wayfair, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks so much for supporting the brands that keep this blog going!

11 comments

  1. I am so not a white xmas tree kind of girl, but I can totally appreciate your sentiment for something different :) It is so easy to have a tree that comes with lights already! But this year, our first year of marriage together we’re getting a real tree! It may be a total hassle compared to our artificial tree in the closet, so we may just go back to that one next year ;)

  2. This is such a clever idea! And I’ve never been a fan of white Christmas trees but lately I’ve been seeing how people are decorating them and it’s really catching my eye. Think I might change up the green tree for a white one next year. ;)

  3. White Christmas trees are my favorite. I opt to have two trees in my house and I opt for tabletop trees because of our small space…so I have a green one and a white one. I love this little ornament as well. Thanks for sharing.

  4. Sadly Christmas is already over! But that idea for Christmas tree decoration is just great and sooo easy. I think, I’ll have to remember it for next Christmas ;)

  5. These were so fun to make! Even my husband enjoyed making one. I used the 2.5” foam balls. Each took more than 200 pins to cover the surface, though I wasn’t trying to save pins. I tried one starting from the center, and I found that starting from the bottom and going up was the easiest way to cover the ball and ensure that the pins were secure. Overall, it was a simple way to make cute Christmas ornaments!

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