Do you like making your own ornaments? I usually try to do one handmade ornament per year. One of my favorites was the rustic twig Christmas tree, so this year I decided to try a variation. Instead of twigs, I went with moss, but kept the card board base because left over cereal boxes are virtually free. For a bag of natural moss and some glue, I think these ornaments turned out pretty darn cute.This post contains affiliate links, see full disclosure, here.

DIY moss Chirstmas tree ornaments

I think these would be really easy to do as a group craft or bulk gift project. I created a template for the three types of tree shapes. You can download the FREE template from our resource library, get ACCESS to the library, here.

Supplies:

Card board from cereal boxes or similar. Optionally, I recommend using a green card stock, if possible

Christmas tree stencil  – Grab the template from our free printables library, see details, here.

Clear craft glue – This fast drying glue is my one of my favorites.

Moss – I used loose, preserved moss 

Craft paint and foam brush (Use a paint color that is bark or mossy in color)

Scissors

Pencil

Twine, raffia or string

Single hole puncher (optional)

*Also optional:  Use 2 or 3 twigs (or card stock) to add a tree trunk

Making Moss Ornaments: Follow these 11 SIMPLE STEPS

1 – Cut out the tree shades from the FREE printable tree template in the Printables Resource Library, get ACCESS to the library, here

2 – Trace the shapes onto GREEN CARD STOCK (recommended method), or trace them out on card board, as I did.

3 – Cut out the card stock (or card board) Christmas trees.

Note: I used a green/ gray paint mix and only painted one side. After making my first batch, If you are going to use cardboard, I recommend painting both sides of the card board and using either a bark colored brown or mossy green craft paint instead of the color shown in these photos.

4- Paint both sides of card board trees, let dry. (You can skip this step if you use the card stock).

5 – Use single hole punch to make hole for twine hanger. Don’t make hole too close to edges. If you don’t have a hole puncher, use a pencil, as shown here.

6 – Pull some moss out of the bag and pull it apart into smaller clumps.

7 – Apply glue to one side of the card board, then place clumps of the moss on top of the glue.

8 – Press down on the moss to squish in place.

Note: If you paint the card board a bark or moss toned color, you won’t have to be as heavy handed with the moss as I was with these. Because I used loose type moss, some of the moss will shed off. A moss mat or sheet could also be used, but I really like the look of the loose moss, personally. 

9 – Turn ornament face down to dry. Card board should straighten out when dry. (Note, I had a little problem with the card board curling up a bit because it got wet from painting. That is why I recommend a greenish toned card stock.)

10 – Once completely dry, trim off excess moss with scissors by following the shape of the card board trees. Optional: If this doesn’t seem quite finished looking to you, glue a few twigs or some dark brown card stock to the back side to create the look of a tree truck.

11 – Re-poke hole for hanging with a scissors or pencil. Insert string, twine or raffia to make an ornament hanger.

It’s a simple, rustic handmade holiday gift idea, and I think it would make for a fun group-craft project because it’s easy, inexpensive and doesn’t require a lot of materials.

Consider writing a message on the back side, or use a gift tag and write the gift receiver’s name on the back. Put one at each place setting for a party table. Attach them as embellishments to your wrapped Christmas gifts.

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Scroll on down for the Creative Christmas Link Party, where you’ll finds plenty of holiday ideas to get you decorating for the season.