I spent $47 on ornaments in 2019. Forty-seven dollars. And my tree looked… fine. Not special, not personal, not anything worth mentioning. Just fine. That’s when I started hitting Dollar Tree every November instead, and honestly? Each year the tree gets better.
The secret isn’t some hidden talent. It’s knowing which cheap materials can convincingly fake expensive ones. A $1 bag of foam balls plus leftover fabric scraps can produce something that looks straight off an Etsy shop charging $18 a piece. You just need the tricks.
So here are seven ornaments I’ve actually made — some with my kids, some alone at the kitchen table with genuinely bad TV running in the background — all from stuff you can grab for a dollar or two.
1. Ribbon-Wrapped Foam Ball Ornaments
Grab a pack of styrofoam balls from Dollar Tree (usually 6-8 balls per pack for $1.25) and whatever ribbon you spot in the holiday aisle. Wrap it tightly in overlapping rows, securing each fold with a straight pin pushed into the foam. Ten minutes per ball, maybe.
The trick is mixing textures. One satin ribbon, one burlap. The contrast reads as intentional — expensive, even.
2. Salt Dough Cutouts
Four cups flour, one cup salt, one and a half cups water. That’s your whole recipe. Roll it out, cut shapes with cookie cutters (Dollar Tree sells a pack of 12 for $1.25), poke a hole at the top, bake at 250°F for two hours.
Paint them, leave them plain, whatever. But press a thumbprint into the wet dough before baking. Seriously — those end up being the most sentimental ornaments I’ve ever made, and they cost maybe 8 cents each.
3. Glitter Dipped Pine Cones
Collect pine cones outside (free, obviously) or grab a bag at Dollar Tree for $1. Dip the tips in craft glue, roll them in chunky glitter, tie a ribbon loop through the base.
Done. And they photograph beautifully. Every single person who sees my tree asks where those came from.
4. Clear Ornament Ball Fillings
Dollar Tree carries packs of clear fillable plastic ornaments — usually 4-6 per pack for around $1.25. Fill them with whatever: tiny pinecones, red berries, fake snow, cinnamon sticks cut to size, strips of sheet music, small photos.
But here’s what most people miss entirely: layering. Fill the bottom third with fake snow, add a few sprigs of dried rosemary, top with red mini berries. It looks like something from a boutique shop. Like a snow globe, basically.
5. Washi Tape Wood Slice Ornaments
Dollar Tree stocks craft wood slices in fall — usually 8-10 per bag. Apply washi tape in geometric patterns: stripes, chevrons, triangles. Seal with Mod Podge, add a twine loop.
Washi tape is forgiving, repositionable, and comes in dozens of holiday patterns for $1 a roll. It’s almost impossible to mess these up.
6. Button Wreath Ornaments
Twist a small piece of wire (Dollar Tree’s floral section) into a 3-inch circle. Thread buttons onto the wire until the whole thing is covered. Close the loop, tie a tiny bow at the top.
And yes, kids can absolutely do this one. Even a 4-year-old can thread large buttons onto wire with minimal supervision — no chaos required.
7. Painted Glass Ball Ornaments
Plain silver or gold glass balls from Dollar Tree, roughly $1.25 for 4-6. Paint them with acrylic in stripes, polka dots, or whatever freehand design you feel like attempting. Seal with clear spray.
These are genuinely hard to distinguish from the $6-per-ornament department store versions. I’m not exaggerating even slightly.
Bottom Line
Here’s something nobody really talks about when it comes to budget ornament-making: the constraint is actually the point. When you’re working with dollar store materials, you stop chasing perfection and start making actual choices. That’s when your tree starts looking like you — not a catalog, not your neighbor’s flawlessly curated setup. Cheap supplies don’t produce cheap-looking results. They produce honest ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I budget for a full set of homemade holiday ornaments dollar store supplies?
For a tree needing roughly 40 ornaments, expect to spend $15–$25 total. Buying in bulk at Dollar Tree and mixing five or six different ornament types keeps costs manageable while giving the tree real variety.
Are these ornaments durable enough to reuse next year?
Salt dough and glitter pine cones last 5+ years if you store them properly in a box with tissue paper. The clear fillable ornaments can be emptied, refilled differently each year, and used indefinitely. Glass balls are storage-dependent — bubble wrap is your friend there.
What’s the best Dollar Tree section to check for ornament supplies?
Hit the seasonal aisle first (it turns over weekly in November), then the floral section for wire, picks, and greenery. The craft aisle near the back usually stocks foam balls, wood slices, and Mod Podge. Don’t skip the party supply section either — ribbon and small decorative picks often hide there.
Can kids help make these ornaments?
Most of them, yes. Button wreaths, ribbon-wrapped foam balls, and clear ball fillings are all genuinely kid-friendly with zero hazard involved. Salt dough is a classic for a reason — kids have been making it since at least the 1970s, and it still holds up as a solid rainy-afternoon project.
Photo by Sergej on Pexels
