Look no further than your kitchen for the best homemade ornament ideas. Utensils, containers and pantry staples (even paper towels!) are easily transformed into festive decorations with a little imagination. Just look at the DIY Christmas ornaments I was able to make using only things from around the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen. Pretty cool, huh?
Aluminum foil1. Aluminum Foil
Roll and squeeze an 8-inch piece aluminum foil into a thin rope. Shape into a candy cane and tie a ribbon around it.
Paper towels2. Paper Towel
Cut 1 piece paper towel into thin strips. Gather the strips together in a neat pile on a flat surface, then tie the center together with string; fluff and trim as needed. Just make sure it does not touch any Christmas lights when hanging.
Related: Party Planning for Procrastinators
Toothpicks3. Toothpick
Skewer a few pieces of candy onto 1 toothpick - I used green Dots to make an abstract Christmas tree ornament. Tie with metallic string to hang.
Cupcake liners4. Colorful Cupcake Liners
Flatten 1 colorful cupcake liner with your hands or press under heavy cookbooks. Punch a hole in the liner using a toothpick or skewer; thread a ribbon through and tie in a loop to hang.
Tea bags5. Tea Bags
Unwrap 1 tea bag. Tie a ribbon around the string to decorate, then tie to the tree to hang. Bonus: It smells amazing!
Related: Vegetarian Holiday Dishes
Kitchen twine6. Kitchen Twine
Wrap kitchen twine around your hand to make a wreath (the more you wrap, the thicker your wreath will be). Tie ribbon around the cut ends to secure, then hang on the tree.
Aluminum cupcake liners7. Aluminum Cupcake Liners
Fold 1 aluminum cupcake liner into eighths. Snip the folded edges in a few places with scissors, then unfold and tie string through a hole to hang.
Related: 35 Days of Holiday Shopping Tips
Tea strainer8. Tea Strainer
Fill 1 tea strainer with large dragées or sprinkles, if desired. Tie ribbon around the chain to decorate, then hang on the tree.
Butter knife9. Butter Knife
Tie ribbon around your prettiest flatware (something small, like 1 butter knife, works best) to secure, then hang on the tree.
What's lying around your kitchen that would make a great ornament? Leave it as a comment, I'd love to know!
-By Erin Phraner
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