Looking for DIY Christmas ornaments? Look no further than this cupcake liner Christmas ornament! It’s cheap, beautiful, and easy to make. No skills required.
I started making these the year I ran out of ornaments halfway through decorating the tree. A pack of metallic cupcake liners cost me almost nothing, and by the end of that evening I had a bowl full of little striped balls ready to hang.
That is the part I love about this craft project. The supplies are cheap, the folding gets into a nice rhythm, and no two ornaments come out the same because it all depends on which colors you stack.
If you have ever wanted a quick Christmas craft you can do on the couch while something plays in the background, this is it. Kids can help with the folding, and you can knock out a whole set in one sitting.
Every year, we make different Christmas crafts at home. It’s a great way to spend time with the whole family and explore our creativity, so I am always on the lookout for beautiful Christmas projects. They don’t have to be expensive or grand. I actually prefer the simple yet creative ones that everyone can try to recreate, even the kids.
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One of the projects I find interesting is this DIY cupcake liner Christmas ornament. Yes, this eye-catching ornament is made from cupcake liners. It features a beautiful and colorful pattern, perfect for DIY Christmas decorations. You only need metallic cupcake liners (also known as foil cupcake liners) and a few other materials for this Christmas project. If you can’t find this type of liner, you can also use metallic paper. Just cut it into circles, and you are ready to start crafting. Making these DIY ornamanets is super easy and quick, go ahead and give them a try!
How to Make a Christmas Ornament Using Cupcake Liners
In this step-by-step tutorial, I will show you how to make beautiful holiday decorations using cupcake liners.
Ornament Craft Video Tutorial
Craft Supplies Needed
- Metallic foil cupcake liners (I used blue, gold, green, red, and white)
- Plain white paper cupcake liners
- Hot glue gun with glue sticks
- Jute twine for hanging
That is the whole list. Standard cupcake liners from the baking aisle work fine, and the metallic foil ones are what give the finished ornament that shiny striped look.
Stacking
Start by stacking 4 cupcake liners in different colors (blue, gold, green, red), then flatten them.
Folding
Fold each one in half, colored sides together.
Gluing
Take one folde cupcake liner and slightly open it. Add hot glue from the center toward the edge, forming a straight line, then close the liner. Repeat with the remaining cupcake liners. Be careful as it is hot.
Making the Christmas ornament
Take one folded piece and add glue from the straight edge to the curved edge. See the photo above for reference. Place another one on top. Repeat the process with the remaining pieces until all of them are glued together.
Gluing the ends
Once they are all glued together, add glue to the top the same way with step 3, then glue both ends together.
Adding the string
Take a small piece of yarn or string, then fold it in half. Make a knot on the ends to tie them together. Add hot glue to the top center of the ornament, then insert the knotted end of the string. Gently press the liner toward the center until the glue dries.
Tips for Neat Cupcake Liner Ornaments
Press each crease with your thumbnail as you fold. A sharp fold is what makes the finished ball look like clean stripes instead of a soft ruffle, and it takes about two extra seconds per liner.
Use small dots of hot glue, not a line of it. Too much glue soaks through the foil and shows as a shiny patch on the outside once everything is pressed together.
Alternate your colors as you stack instead of grouping them. Going blue, gold, green, red, white and then repeating gives you that even striped effect all the way around the ball.
And glue your twine loop in before you close the ornament up. It is much easier to tuck the string into the center while the pieces are still fanned out flat.
Creative Ideas and Variations
- Make them in other colors. Try gold and silver, red and green, or gold and rose gold.
- Make them in different sizes. Cupcake liners are available in different sizes, mini, standard, and jumbo. Creating them in various sizes adds visual interest and balance to your Christmas tree decor.
- Create a ceiling hanging Christmas decoration. Loop several pieces in a long string and hang it from your ceiling.
- Create a Christmas garland. Make the ornaments in small sizes and loop them together to make a garland.
Crafting Tip
Make sure to align the cupcake liners as neatly as you can.
These are budget friendly enough to make by the dozen, which makes them a good handmade gift idea when you need something small and personal. I like tying one onto a wrapped present instead of a bow.
They also store well. Lay them flat in a shallow box with tissue between the layers and they will be ready to hang again next year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of cupcake liners work best for these ornaments?
Metallic foil liners are what give these ornaments their shine, and that is what I used for most of the stripes. Plain white paper liners work too, and I mixed a few in for contrast. Anything standard from the baking aisle will fold the same way.
Do I have to use a hot glue gun?
A hot glue gun is what I use in the tutorial, and it holds the folded liners together fast so you are not sitting there waiting on anything to dry. If you would rather skip the heat, a strong craft glue can work, you will just need to hold each piece in place a little longer.
Is this a kid friendly craft?
The stacking and folding parts are easy for kids and honestly kind of fun to do together. I would keep an adult on glue gun duty, since hot glue is the one part of this project that can burn little fingers. Let them pick the color order and it becomes their ornament.
How do you hang the finished ornament?
I glue a loop of jute twine into the center of the ornament before closing it up, so the string comes out of the top and holds the whole thing steady. Once it is set you can hang it straight on a tree branch, a garland, or a gift. Do this while the liner pieces are still flat, not after.
DIY Christmas Ornament With Cupcake Liners
Make one to see how the folding works, then make five more while you watch a movie. Once you have the rhythm down, this step-by-step craft goes fast, and a tree full of handmade ornaments beats a boxed set every time.
