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Handmade Ornaments

Birth of Christ Christmas Ornament

Every year I love to make a few new handmade Christmas ornaments to add to our tree. My favorites are ornaments that are beautiful, easy to make, and also meaningful.

One thing I really want to focus on this Christmas is keeping the birth of Jesus front and center in our Christmas celebration. As my boys grow older, it becomes easier and easier to get swept up in a wave of Santa Claus, Christmas wish lists, and fun decorating. 

And while I absolutely love those things, I don’t want that to be all our Christmas is about. For me the true heart of Christmas is the story of Jesus’ birth, and that is what this ornament is all about.

DIY Christmas ornament with the Bible story of Jesus' birth on the front.

A couple of years ago I found this awesome little New Testament at an estate sale.  It is dated 1911 and has several names written inside the cover.

Mini antique New Testament.

It may be a little worse for wear, but that’s what I love most about it – thinking about all of the hands that have held it and all the places it has been. 

So I turned to the Christmas story in Luke in this little book and that’s where my ornament started.

Don’t worry – I did not cut up my little Bible to make this ornament. I scanned the page and then printed a copy to cut.

And since I realize not everyone has an old Bible available, I also created a free printable from mine for you to use.  

This post contains affiliate links which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more.  Click here to see my full disclosure policy.

Materials

  • Blank wood ornament– mine is from Michaels, but you can also grab a pack from Amazon
  • Printable of the Bible  story (found below)
  • Matte Mod Podge – for attaching the Bible story to the ornament, you could also use glossy, but matte gives a great vintage look
  • Paint brush
  • Silver Glitter – I used German Glass Glitter which is gorgeous but any glitter will work
  • Red string – baker’s twine would also look beautiful
  • Jingle bells – the 1/2″ size works well

Free Printables of Luke 2

First you’ll need to download and print out the verses from Luke 2.  

Luke 2 from vintage New Testament.

I have two versions you can choose from. The first version (shown above) shows the full two page spread from my little Bible and the second version (shown below) is the close up on Luke 2: 6-11 that I used for my own ornament.

luke 2:6-12 pictured in antique Bible.

To download, just click the version you want below. Then you can download it and print. (If you are on a desktop computer, just right-click and choose ‘save image as’.) These images are jpg files so they can more easily be printed in a variety of sizes to fit your ornament or other craft project.

Two page spread of Luke 1 and 2

Close up of Luke 2: 6-11

How to make a Birth of Christ Ornament

Once you have your printout of Luke 2, trace your ornament shape onto the printout and cut it out.

I cut mine a little smaller than the ornament shape to leave a bit of a border.

Wooden ornament shape and Bible story cut out into ornament shape.

Brush matte Mod Podge all over the surface of the wooden ornament and smooth the paper onto it. This first layer of Mod Podge serves as the glue to hold the paper in place.

Once that dries, brush another layer of Mod Podge onto the top of the paper to seal everything down.

Adding glitter to the edges of the DIY Christmas ornament.

When that has dried, brush Mod Podge over all of the exposed wood surfaces and sprinkle silver glitter on.

Ornament with Bible story attached to front and glitter around the edges.

I loved the simplicity of the ornament just like this. 

But I didn’t want it to get totally lost on the tree, so I added three little jingle bells hanging from simple red string.

Finished ornament with string of three jingle bells attached.

And that is it – pretty simple!  

I can’t wait to hang this on our Christmas tree this year!

Finished Birth of Christ Christmas ornament hanging on tree.

Want more fantastic Christmas ornament ideas?  You can see all of my DIY Christmas ornaments right here.

I’d love for you to share this post on Pinterest!

DIY Christmas Story (jesus) Christmas ornament.
DIY Birth of Jesus Christmas Ornament

DIY Birth of Jesus Christmas Ornament

Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Estimated Cost: $1-$5

This DIY Birth of Jesus Christmas ornament is a great way to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. It is fast and easy to make and makes a fantastic gift as well.

Materials

Tools

  • Small paintbrush

Instructions

  1. Print the free printable of Luke 2. Trace your ornament shape onto the Bible story printout.
  2. Cut out the ornament shape, cutting it slightly smaller than the wood ornament.
  3. Use a paintbrush to brush Mod Podge all over the front of your wood ornament. Smooth the paper ornament shape onto the front of the ornament.
  4. Once the paper is fully dry, brush another layer of Mod Podge over top of the paper to seal it.
  5. Brush Mod Podge all over the exposed wood on the sides of the ornament and sprinkle glitter onto the Mod Podge. If any bare spots remain, add more Mod Podge and more glitter.
  6. Tie on three jingle bells with red string.

Recommended Products

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Did you make this project?

I'd love for you to leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest!

Category: Handmade Ornaments
carrie signature in blue

Comments

    • Carrie says

      Thank you so much Diane! Thanks for inviting me to join in – I have had so much fun checking out everyone’s ornaments!

      Reply

  2. Paula says

    This may be my favorite ornament shared this month. I love that you used a scanned page from a 1911 bible to create this. Way to remember the reason for the season while creating something beautiful for your tree. If I taught Sunday school, we’d make this for sure!

    Reply

  3. Kimm at Reinvented says

    Oh my gosh, I love this SO MUCH! I have pinned and stumbled and scheduled a share on FB; next I need to add this project to my holiday To Do list! So so pretty, and the perfect way to keep Christ in Christmas.

    Reply

  4. Julie says

    This is just lovely in every way. I was so worried when I saw the bible and thought you’d maybe cut it up, but no, of course not! Such a lovely idea and so beautifully done.

    Reply

    • Carrie says

      Julie, I figured some people would think I had cut it up! I love the ornament but it wouldn’t be worth destroying that old Bible! Thanks so much for your kind words!

      Reply

  6. heather says

    I agree with Paula, this may be my absolute favorite. And that is SO kind of you to share the printable! I agree with you about the old Bible and thinking about all the little fingers and the history it’s had over the years. This ornament is precious. Thank you for sharing it with us!!

    Reply

  17. Cathy says

    I love this ornament. What a clever idea.

    I do have a question. You state, ‘Brush matte Mod Podge all over the surface of the ornament and smooth the paper onto it.’ Then you state to spread Mod Podge all over the wood surface.
    Where did you get the wood ornaments?
    Are you finishing the back side or is this double sided with the paper?
    Just another idea if giving this as a gift to someone…..use a wood burning tool and write the persons name on the back side.
    Thanks,
    Cathy

    Reply

    • Carrie says

      Cathy, I bought my wood ornaments at Michaels. As far as the Mod-Podge, I did two layers. The first layer acts as a glue to adhere the paper to the ornament and the second layer on top of the paper helps seal it all together. And I left the back of my ornament blank, but I love the idea of wood burning someone’s name into it. Or even the year would be a great touch!

      Reply

  18. Doreen Pehrson says

    Very nice. I have my grandma’s old bible – very similar. I would like to make these ornaments. What size are the bells?

    Reply

  19. Julie says

    Hi, this is a special ornament! I made 35 of them!! Let me tell you…it was a big job! I made one for each of my daughter’s classmates and teachers, principal and priests at her catholic school. I wrote the grade and year on the back of the ornament for each. Did I mention it was a big job?? Thank you for your wonderful idea!

    Reply

    • Carrie says

      Thank you Lisa! I think silver paint pen definitely would work and look beautiful. Originally I wasn’t even going to add anything to the sides but it seemed too plain without it. Good luck with your ornament making!

      Reply

  21. Michelle Leslie says

    That’s so lovely Carrie and what a special find too. IIt makes me a little sad to know that something that must have been treasured and passed down ended up in a thrift store. I’m glad you were there to save it and use it to make something beautiful

    Reply

    • Carrie says

      Thanks Michelle. I often wonder about things I find for sale at estate sales and thrift stores. I know it is just stuff but some of it was so special to someone at some point – like old baby shoes and vintage slides. It’s sad to think nobody cares anymore.

      Reply

  23. Sheila says

    I love this lovely ornament and making it now! After applying the final coat of modge podge, how did you make your glitter border so perfect? I’m afraid I will get glitter over the entire front side. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Carrie says

      Oh good, I’m so glad you are making this! To keep the glitter under control, make sure to let the mod podge fully dry. Then carefully apply glue just around the edges. You can use a small paintbrush to spread the glue exactly where you want it. As long as the glue is where you need it, the glitter will stay in place too. Good luck!

      Reply

  24. EK says

    Do you think it would be ok if the 2nd layer of mod podge wasn’t applied on top of the scripture? I want to use this as one of our rotations for our church’s Happy Birthday Jesus party, and kids as young as three years old will make one, but I think glitter may end up all over the scripture unless we only add mod podge to the outside and edges for the glitter.

    Reply

    • Carrie says

      Yes, it should be fine to only use the Mod Podge under the paper. The paper may be a bit more fragile and prone to wear over time that way though.

      Reply

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