Make a DIY Christmas Ornament with Twisted Paper

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You’ll love making this easy DIY Christmas ornament to decorate your home for the holidays using twisted paper.

Raise your hand if you love crafting for the holidays.

Us too!

We always enjoy a good DIY project, but during the holidays it feels like we shift into crafting overdrive.

Especially this year!

After all, this year, Christmas is going to feel a little different than years past for so many people.

We usually get to travel back to our childhood homes in Maryland (Anne) and New Jersey (AnnMarie) to see our families. But this year, we’ll be staying home in North Carolina.

Both of us have parents who are in high risk categories so we’ll be doing our part to keep them safe.

We haven’t seen them in person since last Christmas, so we’ll all be missing them so much!

Since we won’t be able to celebrate in person, we’re trying to find other ways to keep the holidays special for all of us. And handmade crafts make some of the most special gifts, dontcha think?

Woman hanging DIY Christmas ornament on farmhouse style Christmas tree in front of a window.

We were so excited to try a new craft when Babbleboxx sent us this project from Joann Stores.

Joann has been inspiring customers to get creative for almost 75 years now! Their goal is to help everyone find their happy place as they try all sorts of crafts.

We love that you can shop for everything you need to make these ornaments from the safety and convenience of your own home.

This simple DIY Christmas ornament is made using strips of rolled paper, and we’re planning to make some to send to our families!

This craft is both easy and affordable. And we love that you can customize the ornaments to work with any style of Christmas decor!

Simply change up the colors and styles of paper you use to make a one-of-a-kind gift that will be beautiful and sentimental.

What You Need to Make
Twisted Paper Christmas Ornaments

Let’s take a look at the supplies you’ll need to create these simple ornaments.

Supplies to make rolled paper Christmas ornaments on a table. Supplies include patterned paper, cardstock paper, a hot glue gun and glue sticks, scissors, ribbon, and a plastic ornament.

Clear plastic Christmas ornaments (not glass!)
Assorted papers such as patterned paper, cardstock, glittered cardstock
Scissors or paper trimmer
Spritz bottle filled with water
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Ribbon, twine, or yarn

A few extra items we suggest:

When we use a hot glue gun, we like to place it on a paper plate to catch any glue drips.

We also recommend placing a towel under the paper when spritzing it with water to protect your craft surface.

How to Make This DIY Christmas Ornament

This project is easy to do, but it does take a little time.

It took us about an hour to make our first ornament, but each one we made after that went a little faster!

Be sure to use plastic ornaments for this project. The heat of the hot glue could cause a glass ornament to shatter in your hand!

Step 1: Cut Strips of Paper

Use scissors or a paper trimmer to cut the paper into 1-inch strips.

You’ll need approximately 2 sheets of 12 x 12 paper to make enough strips to cover one large plastic ornament.

Hands holding a piece of patterned paper covered in drawings of Christmas trees and using scissors to cut a strip

If you’re using a paper trimmer, it’s super easy to cut perfect 1-inch strips.

But you really don’t need those strips to be perfect!

We did find it helpful to use a ruler and make little cuts to help us better estimate an inch.

Hands holding a piece of patterned paper and using scissors to cut the paper into strips with a ruler on top to help make the strips even

This step would be great to do with a young crafter!

Depending on how coordinated they are you could either cut the notches to help them get started, or draw lines on the back to help guide them.

Step 2: Roll Paper Strips

Once you’ve finished cutting the paper into strips, it’s time to roll them!

This is another step you could easily do with kids.

We did learn a few things along the way to make this process so simple.

Two piles of patterned paper cut into 1-inch strips and a small spritz bottle filled with water

Mom tip: Use a towel to protect your surface.

Lightly spritz the paper with water.

You’ll need less water for the patterned papers and a little more for the cardstock or glittered paper.

Our kids would’ve loved doing the spritzing!

Woman's hands spritzing a strip of paper on top of a dish towel

We found we preferred the way the paper rolls looked without the unpatterned parts showing.

Simply fold the strips long ways so the pattern shows on both sides.

Then twist the paper into a rope.

Woman's hands folding a strip of patterned paper on top of a towel

If you notice the paper is tearing while you try to roll it, you’ve used a little too much water.

No worries!

Just set that piece aside and let it dry a bit before rolling it the rest of the way.

Wanna guess how we figured that one out?!

Yeah, we might’ve been a little heavy handed with our spritzing at first…

While that paper strip is drying, just move on to some more strips and use a little less water.

Rolled strips of patterned paper in two coordinating patterns lying on a table

You should do all of the paper rolls first and let them dry a little bit before starting to attach them to the ornament.

Step 3: Attach Paper Rolls to the Ornament

Now it’s time to assemble your custom DIY Christmas ornament!

This step is one you might want to do yourself so little fingers don’t get burned by the hot glue.

Start at the top by the cap and apply some hot glue.

Then take a strip of rolled paper and work your way around the plastic ornament.

Woman's hands holding a clear plastic Christmas ornament attaching a rolled strip of patterned paper at the top

We learned that it helped to twist and roll the paper a little more tightly as you add each strip since the rolls sometimes loosen up a bit while they’re sitting.

Woman's hands holding a DIY Christmas ornament partially covered with strips of rolled patterned paper and a hot glue gun

Be sure to press each new roll of paper tightly up against the ones already attached to your ornament.

You don’t want the ornament to show through the paper.

Woman's hands holding a DIY Christmas ornament partially covered with strips of rolled patterned paper in two coordinating patterns

If you’re using multiple patterns, it’s simple to switch to the next pattern.

Just attach one pattern as far as you want it to go, then start a new row with the next kind of paper.

You can scroll to the bottom to see some other paper combinations we tried!

If the hot glue leaves some little strings behind, simply brush them off as you work.

Woman's hands trimming the last piece of rolled paper on a DIY Christmas ornament covered with strips of rolled patterned paper in two coordinating patterns

When you get to the bottom of your ornament, make a spiral so the ornament is completely covered and then trim the paper.

You might want to add a final dot of hot glue to attach the end of that last paper roll securely.

Step 4: Add Some Ribbon

You can get creative with how you hang your ornaments!

Try tying a knot with tails at the bottom of the hanger like AnnMarie did here for a unique look.

Woman's hands holding a DIY Christmas ornament covered with strips of rolled patterned paper in two coordinating patterns and tying ribbon to the hanger

Here’s how it looks closeup!

DIY Christmas ornament made from rolled paper with white ribbon hanger lying on a wood table

This ornament has a subtle holly berry patterned paper on top. The middle is glittered white paper. And the bottom row is a sold green cardstock.

Anne used a sheer gold ribbon for the hanger with a bow tied at the top.

DIY Christmas ornament made from rolled paper with sheer gold ribbon hanger lying on a wood table

Don’t be afraid to pick really bold patterns for the paper!

We were a little skeptical about a bold, colorful marbled paper they sent to us to try, but it ended up being one of our favorites!

Once the paper is rolled, the pattern ended up being so pretty!

The center is a solid cardstock, and the bottom is a different patterned paper.

Since this ornament was a little smaller, we used a more narrow ribbon tied in a simple knot at the top.

DIY Christmas ornament made from rolled patterned paper and rolled cardstockwith narrow white ribbon hanger lying on a wood table

If you like a little glitz in your holiday decorating, you could even mist your finished ornament with spray adhesive and give it a dusting of glitter!