How to Make Budget Friendly Chinoiserie Christmas Ornaments

Made with paper napkins and inexpensive glass ornaments, these blue and white DIY Chinoiserie Christmas ornaments are cheap and easy to make but certainly don’t look like it!

This year I want my Christmas tree to augment the décor of the room where it is set up.

I love the blue, white and gold theme in that room with its collection of blue and white Chinoiserie-patterned porcelain ginger jars and vases.

Under the guise that more is better, I started to search for some Chinoiserie ornaments.

Imagine my excitement when I found some (HERE) that are over-the-top gorgeous with a price to match — more than my budget can justify, particularly since I envisioned using lots of them.

I needed to come up with a reasonably priced alternative, which. of course, means a DIY project.

When I saw Monica’s dollar store onaments, I knew I had found my inspiration.

Keep reading to find out how easy it is to make stunning DIY Chinoiserie Christmas ornaments in any pattern of your choice.

What You Will Need

Materials

• (optional) newspaper, kraft paper or cardboard – to protect your work surface
• plain white, silver, or clear Christmas balls in your desired sizes.  I wanted statement ornaments so I chose the 3.1″ and 3.9″ sizes at Michaels. (I think the white ones turned out the closest to traditional Chinoiserie colors).
• mod podge in gloss finish*
• paper napkins — the luncheon size works well. This pattern* is similar to the one I used, but you can pick any pattern or color that goes with your Christmas tree decor. Depending on the size of your ornaments, you’ll need about one napkin per ornament.
• narrow 1/8″ ribbon to make hangers for the balls.  I used dark blue to match my blue and white napkins.

Tools

• small paint brush
• scissors

How To Make DIY Chinoiserie Christmas Ornaments

It is a good idea to cover the working surface with newspaper, kraft paper or a piece of cardboard box to protect it from Mod Podge drips.I did not do this and wished I had when it came to washing it off at clean up.

If your napkins come with multiple layers (like mine did), remove the plain white layers, keeping the patterned layer to use.

Cut the patterned layer into quarters.

Then cut three of those quarters into four squares again. Leave the 4th quarter whole.

Remove the metal hanger from the ball.

Paint the ball with a layer of Mod Podge.

Start with the larger piece of patterned tissue paper and center it on the bottom of the ornament.

Carefully bring the points up on four sides, bringing the centers of each side toward each other.

Stick the edges down. Work quickly because the glue dries fast. If this happens, just add more Mod Podge.

Use the smaller squares of napkin to fill in any bare spots.

Although the smaller squares are easier to smooth out than the larger one, it may be difficult to get rid of all the wrinkles. These imperfections are part of the unique look of these ornaments. You won’t notice them once they are hung on the tree.

Cut off the peaks and edges of unglued napkin with the scissors.

Paint over the entire ornament surface with another layer of Mod Podge.

Replace the metal hanger.

Cut a 6″ length of ribbon.

Run the ribbon through the metal loop and knot the 2 ends.

Hang to dry.  I used a dowel stuck into a kitchen drawer as a temporary drying hanger.

The ornaments dried shiny and translucent.

I am thrilled with how beautiful they look on the tree in my room.

Other DIY Christmas ornaments you might like

• Easy pine cone ornaments
• DIY crystal ornaments
• Gold bird’s nest ornaments
• Copper leaf ornaments

How comments or questions about our DIY Chinoiserie Christmas ornaments? Tell us in the section below.

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