how to make a braided trim christmas ornament

I just got back from vacation in Costa Rica, which was absolutely awesome, but my mind never completely escaped Christmas. It didn’t help that even the resort was all decked out in Christmas decorations. (You should have heard my squeals of delight when I saw lighted reindeer surrounding the pools….EEEEEE!)

there are reindeer in costa rica

a rare and elusive Costa Rican reindeer

So, with Christmas inspiration even on a beach, I had an idea for December. I am going to attempt to do a 12 Days of Christmas (ornaments!) blog project…12 posts of handmade ornament DIY’s. This is going to be tough, because these things can get really time consuming, but I’m going to try my very best. I am positive that I will not be able to manage these 12 days to be all in a row…but still, I will try to do them all before Dec 24th.

So…it’s December 1st… the perfect day to start!

And today, I have something really simple: an ornament wrapped in braided trim. So easy to do, but such pretty results:

braided trim ornament

What you’ll need:

  • a styrofoam ball (I used a 3″ ball)
  • a pretty trim. The candy swirled trim I used for my ornament turned out awesome.  Here is one I found that looks similar to the one I used. But then again, a solid color, like gold or silver, would be incredibly elegant! (Okay…future blog post idea.) The amount you will need depends on the size of the ball and the size of the trim…for my ornament, I used 1/8″ trim and it took just under 10 yards to cover the ball.
  • clear glue. My favorite craft glue is Beacon’s 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue. It grabs quickly, and dries perfectly clear and permanent. (Just don’t wipe your glued up fingertips across your jeans like my spacey self keeps doing, because when I say permanent, I mean nothing seems to be able to take this stuff out.)
  • a couple of pretty beads for the top and bottom of the ornament.
  • a couple of straight pins
  • some ribbon for the hanger and embellishments
I found it easiest to start from the bottom up. Thread a bead onto a straight pin:

 

And then stick it through the end of your trim:

 

Put a dab of glue on the end of the pin, and stick it into the styrofoam ball:

 

Now, put a little bit of glue on the styrofoam around the bead, and just start winding the trim snugly around it…the bead will help you hold the end in place and makes it easy to wrap the trim. (Which is exactly how I had the idea to use a bead here in the first place.)

 

Add glue here and there as you go to secure the trim.

wrap trim around the ball

If you do not have a continuous piece of trim, no worries…just make sure the end is glued securely, and start with a new piece. It will be hard to see where the pieces start and end once the ball is covered entirely.

starting a new piece of trim

It took me a good 25 minutes to wrap this…when you get to the other end, be sure to use a generous amount of glue so that the trim will stay put:

glue the end of the trim

And go until the whole thing is covered:

cover styrofoam ball with braided trim

Honestly, it looks really cool just like it is now. Wouldn’t a few of these grouped together make awesome bowl fillers?

But I wanted to make it into an ornament, so I cut a few pieces of coordinating ribbons into varying lengths, between about 3 to 4 inches each, angling the edges:

ribbons for top of ornament

I also used an 8″ piece of ribbon for a hanger. Just thread a second bead onto a pin, and form a loop with your hanger ribbon right after the bead:

pin through ribbon for a hanger

Then pin right through the centers of each of your pieces of ribbon:

make bow for ornament

Put some glue where your trim ended:

glue where hanger will go

…and stick in your hanger.

handmade christmas ornament wrapped with braided trim

A little dab of glue right under the bead doesn’t hurt either:

glue bead at top of ornament

All done!

candy twist ornament

Isn’t that so easy and cute?

98 Comments

  1. Trish Coupe on January 18, 2017 at 2:29 pm

    That is so pretty and easy, I’ve been doing strictly fabric ones and this will make a nice change. I think I could get hooked on these.

  2. Diane on January 21, 2017 at 2:31 am

    You are Amazing !!! I totally love this !!!

    • Cicera on December 11, 2022 at 8:25 am

      Amei seu trabalho… muito lindo ?

  3. Joan on February 11, 2017 at 12:26 am

    I love this one! Thank you :)

  4. joyce giampapa on February 17, 2017 at 9:50 am

    I am getting mixed messages from your supply list. You say you use the rough balls for the quilted ornaments, and then you say the Dremmel knife cuts the smooth ornaments like butter. Well, we tried it and it didn’t work like you said. Aren’t the ones you cut with a knife the quilted ornaments? I have made some and use the smooth ball, now I am reading you use the rough ball for the quilted ornaments…very confusing, or is it me? Please, I love doing this stuff and want to get it right.

  5. Bernice Stackpole on February 21, 2017 at 4:55 pm

    Want to thank you for my first free ornament pattern and complete tutorial. No, I haven’t made it yet but I’m looking forward to it as soon as I can go get supplies. Your tutorial was outstanding in that it was completely detailed step by step, which I need , being 85 years old, I need to SEE it being made. Love all your patterns , and appreciate your sharing these lovely patterns and knowledge. Sincerely, Bernice (“Bunny”).

    • Deebi27 on July 9, 2019 at 5:04 pm

      Twenty years younger, but I agree with all you said! I am thinking this idea for the whole years for giving gifts, different colors, definately very versatile!

  6. LAnderson on February 24, 2017 at 8:56 pm

    Adorable. I shall make several of these. Thank you.

  7. Emilia Carvalho on December 6, 2017 at 9:24 pm

    That so perrty!!!!

  8. Joyce Mason on August 25, 2019 at 5:22 pm

    Love these ornaments, just beautiful. Thank you also for the wonderful instructions.

  9. Judy on December 8, 2019 at 9:49 am

    I love all your ornaments!! This ribbon one looks really cool. Just wish I could get all mine made in a timely manner! I also am a quilter; so it’s hard to devote enough time to both!

  10. Vanita Douglas on July 1, 2020 at 6:12 pm

    I going to try to make them I love the way they look

  11. Pat Huse on December 26, 2020 at 8:54 am

    I love the look of the ornaments I think I’ll make some

    • Janelle - Ornament Girl Support on December 28, 2020 at 3:35 pm

      Thanks so much! I hope you love making them.

  12. Carmen Pallares on December 26, 2020 at 10:51 am

    Il est dommage que vous n’envoyez pas les fournitures vers le Portugal (ce que je ne comprends pas car vous faites les envois vers l’Espagne et la France)

  13. Nella on November 29, 2021 at 11:47 am

    These are so pretty and easy to make. I make something different each year and these are my favorite. Whimsical, fun and chic is what they are. Thank you for your creativity.

    • Janelle - Ornament Girl Support on November 29, 2021 at 7:13 pm

      So fun! I bet yours are beautiful! Happy ornamenting.

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