Lovely Etc.

Creating home for less

You are here: Home / Christmas / Handmade Ornaments / How to Make Custom Wood Christmas Ornaments

Handmade Ornaments

How to Make Custom Wood Christmas Ornaments

See how easy it is to make personalized painted wood ornaments in any color you like to match your Christmas decorating style. 

I am so excited about Christmas this year. Like kid in a candy store excited. 

This year I really want to add some color and a hint of shine to my Christmas tree and these ornaments are just the ticket.

I used a super easy paint technique that gives them an artistic look that looks much fancier than your typical painted ornament. And the good news is you really don’t need to have any actual artistic talent to make these.

wooden Christmas ornament stained and painted red with the word Believe in gold letters.

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

materials for diy christmas ornaments - craft paint, paintbrushes, dark wood stain, gold paint pen, clean rag, and wooden ornament cut outs.

How to Make Painted Wood Ornaments

These ornaments are seriously easy and fast to make – you can definitely knock out three in less than thirty minutes.

The first step is to paint the ornaments. Don’t worry about painting the whole thing, just roughly paint the front.

making diy ornaments set of 3 wooden ornaments being painted.

You could also use basic acrylic craft paints for this instead of chalk paints, but I already had some chalk paint on hand.

Either type of paint can be painted onto raw wood without worrying about primer and they both dry very quickly.

Once the paint has dried, use a clean rag to rub stain all over the ornament, including the painted area as well as anywhere the raw wood is still showing.

Immediately after applying the stain, wipe it off the painted area using a rag dampened with Mineral Spirits. This will wipe any excess stain from the painted area while staining the wood and giving the paint a deeper, richer color.

This two step paint/stain technique is one of my favorites for creating a rich, weathered finish for decor and furniture so I figured why not ornaments too!

diy wood ornaments after paint and stain is applied.

Once the stained ornament is dry to the touch, you can add your words.

gold paint pen next to DIY wood ornament with the word Joy written in gold ink.

I used a gold oil–based Sharpie paint pen and it worked fantastically. 

The gold has a great shine and the paint pen writes incredibly smoothly. If your handwriting isn’t great, you print your lettering in any font you want and use this super simple technique to transfer it to your ornament.

Set of three painted wooden ornaments with the words Joy, Believe, and Peace.

And of course you could customize these any way you want with your own favorite Christmas colors and words. Or use them to create personalized ornaments with your family member’s names.

blue and gold joy diy ornament hanging on Christmas tree.
blue and gold rustic glam handmade peace ornament hanging on Christmas tree.

I am loving these ornaments so much, I think I just might make some more!

I also just made a set of rustic turned wood Christmas ornaments that coordinate perfectly with these. And you can see all of my DIY Christmas ornament ideas here.

rustic glam ornaments

DIY Painted Wood Christmas Ornaments

Yield: 3 DIY Ornaments
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Estimated Cost: $5-$10

Make beautiful rustic DIY Christmas Ornaments in any colors you choose with this easy tutorial.

Materials

  • Wooden Ornament Shapes
  • Chalk Paint or Acrylic Craft Paint in the colors of your choice 
  • Dark stain – I used Minwax dark walnut
  • Mineral Spirits
  • Gold Sharpie oil-based paint pen
  • Rag - for staining

Tools

  • Paint Brushes

Instructions

  1. Roughly paint the front of the ornaments in your choice of paint color. You don't need to paint the entire ornament, just a quick rough patch of paint over most of the ornament.
  2. Use a clean rag to rub stain all over the ornaments.
  3. Use another clean rag to immediately wipe mineral spirits all over the ornament. This will remove excess stain from the painted area.
  4. Allow the ornaments to dry.
  5. Add words of your choice using a Sharpie Paint Pen and allow them to dry.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Did you make this project?

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

© Carrie
Project Type: Ornaments / Category: Christmas

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

carrie signature in blue

Comments

    • Carrie says

      Thanks Paula! I am definitely looking forward to Christmas. Little ones just make everything seem new and exciting again.

      Reply

  9. Arlene Murphy says

    Just wanted to say hi! This is terrific. So impressed with all you’ve done!! Please say hi to M. Congratulations from your old friends from Roanoke!

    Reply

  13. Jan Jones says

    Just saw these on hometalk, and there was no link! Thankfully,I was able to find your blog and the instructions. I love the look of these! Thank you for sharing the information. I will make them if I can find the time!!

    Reply

    • Carrie says

      I am so glad you were able to find the tutorial! I used to have it on Hometalk but not anymore. These are some of my favorite DIY ornaments – I hope you find time to make some!

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Thanks for stopping by Lovely Etc! While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of the information displayed on this website, Lovely Etc. makes no guarantees as to the procedures and information contained here. The publisher will not be liable for direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages in connection with the information displayed on lovelyetc.com. This website is not intended to substitute for advice from a professional.

Lovely Etc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Skip to Instructions