DIY Tree Ornaments Using Natural Materials

This holiday season, we're taking inspiration from nature with these on-trend rustic tree ornaments. With their earthy palettes and unrefined charm, we guarantee these decorations will add warmth and sweet appeal to your Christmas tree. For this easy-to-make project, we opted to use dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, pine cones, and branches. Who knew that raiding your pantry or backyard could be so rewarding?

Using scissors, cut a small hole approximately 1/2 inch from the top of each orange segment. Thread a piece of jute twine through the hold and then tie the ends together to hang.

To dry your own orange slices, place slices of orange on a baking rack or shelf in a cool oven (around 250 degrees Fahrenheit) for around three hours or until dry to the touch.

Take three of four cinnamon sticks and tie them together with ribbon or raffia to secure.

Cut off a small section of the jute twine, and then use a hot glue gun to secure the ends of the twine to the bundle.

You can slip a fresh tree cutting (or even a piece of rosemary) through the raffia to disguise the glue. These bundles smell great and look so pretty hanging on a tree!

This is a really simple but effective decoration. We're using plain pine cones, but you can frost them with some snow spray if you'd like a more decorative finish.

Cut off a piece of twine and secure the ends to the pine cone with a dab of hot glue. Done!

Gather some small branches and twigs and snap off a bunch of 3-inch pieces. Place three pieces into a basic tree shape and secure them together with a small dab of glue.

Snap some smaller pieces of the twigs to create a simple tree trunk shape. Secure into place with the glue gun.

Thread some twine through the top of the tree to hang it.

You can also make other simple shapes like stars in the same way!

All that's left is to adorn your tree with your collection of handmade ornaments.