The holiday season is a time for magic, warmth, and dazzling displays that capture the spirit of joy. While traditional Christmas ornaments hold a special place in our hearts, there’s an undeniable allure to oversized decorations. Large Christmas ornaments don’t just adorn a tree; they transform spaces, creating focal points that command attention and evoke a sense of grandeur. Imagine a towering Christmas tree adorned with ornaments the size of beach balls, or a front porch welcoming guests with giant, glowing baubles. While store-bought large ornaments can be expensive and sometimes lack a personal touch, the world of large Christmas ornaments DIY opens up a realm of creativity, affordability, and unique expression.
This comprehensive guide will delve into the art of crafting magnificent, oversized Christmas ornaments, offering a plethora of ideas, materials, and techniques to help you infuse your holiday décor with unparalleled scale and personalized charm.
The Allure of Grandeur: Why Go Big This Christmas?
Before we dive into the how-to, let’s appreciate the compelling reasons behind embracing large Christmas ornaments DIY:
- Visual Impact and Focal Points: Large ornaments are instant showstoppers. They draw the eye, creating a dramatic visual impact that smaller decorations simply cannot achieve. Whether on a tree, mantelpiece, or outdoor display, they become the undeniable centerpiece.
- Filling Large Spaces: If you have high ceilings, a grand entryway, a spacious living room, or a large outdoor area, regular-sized ornaments can get lost. Large ornaments are perfectly scaled to fill these expansive environments, making the décor feel balanced and complete.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Purchasing pre-made large ornaments, especially high-quality ones, can be surprisingly expensive. DIY allows you to achieve a similar or even more impressive look for a fraction of the cost, often utilizing repurposed or inexpensive materials.
- Personalization and Uniqueness: Your DIY large ornaments will be truly one-of-a-kind. You can tailor them to your specific color scheme, theme, and personal style, ensuring your holiday décor reflects your unique taste.
- Family Activity and Tradition: Crafting large ornaments can be a wonderful family activity. It’s a chance to bond, unleash creativity together, and build cherished memories that become part of your annual holiday tradition.
- Sustainability and Upcycling: Many large ornament DIY projects lend themselves beautifully to upcycling. Repurposing materials like cardboard, plastic bottles, old fabric, or even discarded tires gives them a new life and reduces waste.
- Beyond the Tree: Large ornaments aren’t just for Christmas trees. They can be hung from pergolas, suspended from ceilings, placed in garden beds, used as porch accents, or even incorporated into grand stairwell garlands.
Getting Started: Essential Supplies and Safety Tips
Embarking on large Christmas ornaments DIY requires a slightly different approach than crafting delicate baubles. You’ll need more robust materials and a larger workspace.
Basic Toolkit:
- Strong Adhesives: Hot glue gun (with plenty of glue sticks), E6000, construction adhesive.
- Cutting Tools: Heavy-duty scissors, utility knife/box cutter, wire cutters.
- Measuring Tools: Tape measure, ruler.
- Painting Supplies: Spray paint (primer, base colors, metallic finishes), acrylic paints, brushes, paint trays.
- Embellishments: Glitter, sequins, beads, ribbons, bows, tinsel, LED string lights.
- Hanging Mechanisms: Sturdy wire, thick rope, strong fishing line, eye hooks.
Safety First:
- Ventilation: When using spray paint or strong adhesives, always work in a well-ventilated area or outdoors.
- Protective Gear: Wear gloves, safety glasses, and a mask when appropriate.
- Sharp Tools: Handle utility knives and wire cutters with extreme care. Always cut away from your body.
- Hot Glue: Be mindful of the hot tip and melted glue to avoid burns.
Inspiring Ideas for Large Christmas Ornaments DIY
Here are several popular and effective methods for creating large Christmas ornaments, ranging from simple to more involved:
1. The Inflatable Wonders: Beach Ball & Exercise Ball Transformations
This is perhaps the most popular method for creating large, lightweight spheres.
- Materials: Inflatable beach balls (various sizes), exercise balls, newspaper, flour and water paste (or pre-made paper mache paste), white primer, spray paint, glitter, embellishments.
- Process:
- Inflate: Inflate your beach ball or exercise ball to your desired size.
- Paper Mache: Tear newspaper into strips. Dip strips into your paste, wiping off excess. Apply layers smoothly over the entire surface of the ball, overlapping slightly. Aim for 3-5 layers for durability. Leave a small area around the inflation nozzle uncovered if you plan to deflate the ball later.
- Dry Thoroughly: This is crucial! Allow each layer to dry completely before adding the next. This can take 24-48 hours per layer, depending on humidity. Hang them to dry for even airflow.
- Deflate & Remove (Optional): Once fully dry and hard, you can deflate the ball and carefully remove it through the uncovered hole, leaving a hollow shell. This makes the ornament lighter and easier to store. If you want a solid, heavier ornament, leave the ball inside.
- Prime & Paint: Apply a coat of white primer for an even base. Once dry, spray paint your ornament in your desired color (e.g., metallic gold, silver, vibrant red, deep blue).
- Embellish: This is where the magic happens!
- Glitter: Apply a layer of spray adhesive or Mod Podge and generously sprinkle glitter.
- Sequins/Beads: Hot glue individual sequins or beads in patterns.
- Fabric: Cut fabric scraps into shapes and glue them on.
- Ribbons/Bows: Attach large bows or wrap ribbons around the sphere.
- LED Lights: For a glowing effect, cut a small hole and insert battery-operated LED string lights inside the hollow sphere.
- Hanging Mechanism: Attach a sturdy loop of wire or rope to the top using strong adhesive or by threading it through small holes.
2. Upcycled Cardboard Creations: Stars, Snowflakes, and Geometric Shapes
Cardboard is incredibly versatile, inexpensive, and easy to work with for flat or multi-dimensional shapes.
- Materials: Large cardboard boxes (appliance boxes are great), utility knife, ruler, pencil, hot glue, spray paint, glitter, fairy lights.
- Process (for a Large Star or Snowflake):
- Draw & Cut: Draw your desired shape (star, snowflake, initial, geometric design) onto a large piece of cardboard. Use a ruler for straight lines. Carefully cut out two identical shapes using a utility knife.
- Add Dimension (Optional): For a 3D effect, cut strips of cardboard (e.g., 2-4 inches wide). Glue these strips along the edges of one of your main shapes, creating a "wall."
- Assemble: Glue the second main shape on top of the cardboard strips, creating a hollow 3D form.
- Paint & Embellish: Prime and spray paint your cardboard creation. Once dry, add glitter, attach battery-operated LED fairy lights (either along the edges or inside the hollow structure), or decorate with other embellishments.
- Hanging: Punch a hole and thread sturdy wire or rope through it.
3. PVC Pipe & Wire Frames: Structural Wonders for Outdoor Displays
For truly massive, durable ornaments, especially for outdoor use, creating a frame is key.
- Materials: Lightweight PVC pipes (various diameters), PVC connectors, wire (chicken wire, hardware cloth, or sturdy craft wire), zip ties, spray paint, outdoor LED string lights, weather-resistant fabric (burlap, netting).
- Process (for a Large Sphere or Geometric Shape):
- Build the Frame: Use PVC pipes and connectors to build a skeletal sphere, cube, or other geometric shape. You can also bend and secure heavy-gauge wire to form the frame. Use zip ties to secure connections.
- Wrap with Lights: Tightly wrap outdoor-rated LED string lights around the entire frame.
- Cover (Optional): For a more solid look, cover the frame with weather-resistant fabric, netting, or even chicken wire (which can then be covered with fabric or spray-painted).
- Weatherproof: Ensure all electrical connections are sealed and the materials are suitable for outdoor exposure.
- Display: These are fantastic for lawns, large porches, or hanging from trees.
4. Repurposed Plastic & Metal: Creative Upcycling
Look around your home for large plastic containers or metal items that can be transformed.
- Plastic Jugs/Bottles: Large water jugs (5-gallon), laundry detergent bottles, or even multiple smaller bottles can be cut, reshaped with heat (carefully!), painted, and embellished to create unique forms. Imagine cutting the bottom off a large water jug, inverting it, and painting it like a giant bell.
- Tin Cans: Large coffee cans or industrial-sized food cans can be cleaned, painted, and even punched with designs (using a nail and hammer) to create glowing lanterns or rustic ornaments.
- Old CDs/DVDs: Break old CDs into shards and hot glue them onto a large sphere (paper mache or Styrofoam) for a dazzling, mosaic disco ball effect.
5. Yarn, Fabric & Textile Art: Soft and Cozy Giants
For a softer, cozier aesthetic, textiles offer fantastic possibilities.
- Yarn-Wrapped Spheres: Over a deflated beach ball paper mache base, or directly over a large Styrofoam ball, tightly wrap thick yarn or rope. Secure with hot glue. You can use different colors or textures for stripes or patterns.
- Stuffed Fabric Shapes: Sew large fabric shapes (stars, gingerbread men, simple spheres) from festive fabrics like felt, fleece, or burlap. Stuff them with poly-fil or old fabric scraps. Embellish with buttons, embroidery, or fabric paint.
- Burlap Accents: Burlap is rustic and holds its shape well. Create large bows, rosettes, or wrap it around other forms.
6. Natural Elements, Super-Sized: Rustic Charm
Embrace the beauty of nature by scaling up natural elements.
- Giant Pinecones: If you’re lucky enough to find very large pinecones, they make stunning natural ornaments. Spray paint them metallic, add glitter, or simply tie a large festive bow around them.
- Large Branches/Twigs: Collect sturdy branches and twigs. Arrange them into large star shapes, wreaths, or abstract designs, securing with wire or hot glue. Spray paint or leave natural.
- Dried Citrus Slices: While typically smaller, you can create oversized "slices" from cardboard or thin wood, paint them to resemble dried oranges, and add cinnamon stick accents for a fragrant, rustic touch.
Embellishment and Finishing Touches
The details truly elevate your large Christmas ornaments DIY projects.
- Paint: Use spray paint for quick, even coverage. Metallic gold, silver, and rose gold are classic. Bright reds, greens, and blues pop. Consider specialty paints like glitter spray or textured paints.
- Glitter: Always a winner for Christmas! Apply spray adhesive or Mod Podge, then sprinkle generously. For less mess, use chunky glitter or glitter spray paint.
- Ribbons and Bows: Oversized ornaments demand oversized bows. Use wide satin, velvet, or wired ribbons.
- LED Lights: Battery-operated LED fairy lights or string lights can be wrapped around or inserted into hollow ornaments for a magical glow, especially effective at night.
- Faux Snow/Flocking: For a winter wonderland feel, add artificial snow or flocking spray.
- Weatherproofing: If your ornaments are for outdoor display, ensure all materials and paints are weather-resistant. Apply a clear, outdoor-grade sealant or varnish.
Displaying Your Masterpieces
Once your large Christmas ornaments DIY projects are complete, it’s time to showcase them!
- The Christmas Tree: For truly grand trees, strategically place your largest ornaments first to anchor the design, then fill in with medium and smaller ones.
- Entryways and Foyers: Suspend large ornaments from the ceiling, or place them on pedestals or in large planters.
- Mantels and Hearths: Lean large flat ornaments (like cardboard stars) against the wall, or arrange oversized spheres alongside garlands.
- Staircases: Weave large ornaments into stairwell garlands or hang them individually from newel posts.
- Outdoor Spaces: Hang them from tree branches, pergolas, or porch ceilings. Arrange them in garden beds, along pathways, or beside the front door. Ensure they are secured against wind and weather.
- Grouping: Often, a collection of 2-3 large ornaments in varying sizes or slightly different designs creates a more impactful display than a single one.
Conclusion
The joy of large Christmas ornaments DIY lies not just in the stunning visual impact they create, but in the process itself. It’s an opportunity to unleash your creativity, repurpose materials, and spend quality time with loved ones, all while crafting unique pieces that will become cherished parts of your holiday tradition. From transforming humble beach balls into glittering spheres to upcycling cardboard into majestic stars, the possibilities are as vast as your imagination.
This holiday season, dare to go big. Embrace the challenge and the immense satisfaction of crafting your own magnificent decorations. Your home will not only sparkle with festive grandeur but also tell a story of personal creativity and cherished memories, making your Christmas truly unforgettable.