Rustic Wooden Christmas Ornaments

Every year I love to make a few new Christmas ornaments to add to our tree. I’ve already shared one set of DIY ornaments this year, and today I have a second set to share that complement them perfectly.

So these ornaments didn’t come about in the usual way – they were actually inspired by the dresser I painted for my son’s bedroom. You know what they say – inspiration is everywhere!

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Materials for Rustic Wood Ornaments

Wooden ornaments – from Michaels

chalk paint – I used Americana Décor Chalky finish paint in Treasure and Craft Smart chalky paint in Scarlet (found at Michaels). Acrylic craft paints will also work.

paintbrushes

dark stain – I used Minwax dark walnut

rag

gold Sharpie oil-based paint pen

optional: Howard Restor-A-Finish – this can help your ornaments look a little nicer, but isn’t necessary

Rustic Wooden Christmas Ornaments

I started with these plain wooden ornaments from Michaels – I love the variety of shapes they have.

The first thing I did was stain them using dark walnut stain.

My husband thought they looked amazing just like this. And I had to agree – they look really beautiful just like this with all the wood grain highlighted. But I knew they would be completely lost on the Christmas tree if I left them so dark.

So I carried on and painted them with a thin coat of paint in my Christmas décor colors – red and aqua. (I made sure to leave a few sections stained wood for hubby.)

Then I used a wet sanding technique to expose more of the wood. Sounds fancy huh? It really just means I wet the paint with a wet paper towel and then sanded with 180 grit sandpaper while the paint was wet and pliable.

If you choose to, this is when you would rub on a little Howard Restor-A-Finish. It will darken up the stained finish and paint a little. It looks nice, but isn’t necessary – I definitely wouldn’t but any just for this.

I was liking them at this point but I wasn’t loving them. Something was still missing. And since my trusty gold paint pen seems to be my go-to this Christmas (I’ve got another gold project coming up tomorrow), I added a touch of gilt.

A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll. You can’t get much better than that!

If you’re looking for more handmade ornament ideas, I’ve got more than a dozen for you right here. If nothing else, be sure to check out this rustic glam version.