Christmas Cranberry Ornaments

These ornaments smell wonderfully, look great on a tree and make wonderful gifts or they can be attached to gifts as a nice addition to the wrapping.

I first made these ornaments about 15 years ago. At the time, my kids weren’t old enough to make them with me but I decided to make them with them this year. They really enjoyed it. In fact, they found the process of stringing the cranberries very relaxing and they are planning to make more.

supplies needed:

wire (we used 22 gauge floral wire)
wire cutters
dried cranberries (we used Craisins)
silver jingle bells
raffia or ribbon

Cut a piece of wire to 14 inches. This should be done by an adult or older child with adult supervision.

String dried cranberries onto the wire. Again, the ends of the wire are sharp so this is something that should be done by older children or be closely supervised. Fill the wire with dried cranberries until there is just a bit of exposed wire on either end. Twists the ends of the wire together and then fold down the ends. Move the cranberries over to cover the closure. I like to have the closure at the side as it’s less noticeable there. Shape the ring into a heart.

String a jingle bell onto a piece of ribbon or raffia and place a knot above a small loop. Place the knot beneath the wire at the dip in the heart and attach it to the ornament by knotting again just above the wire. Create a loop to hang the ornament with and put one last knot at the top.

My kids enjoyed making these so much that they want to be able to make them on their own as gifts. I put all the supplies into a bag and have it ready for them to create with.

If you are interested in more Christmas crafts or activities, you may be interested in following my Christmas Crafts board on Pinterest.