Christmas Ornament Template
Seven classic shapes (bauble, star, tree, stocking, bell, candy cane and gingerbread man) printed at exactly the size you need. Trace them onto felt or salt dough, or print on card and hang them as they are.
What size Christmas ornament template to print
| Height | Good for | Per Letter page |
|---|---|---|
| 2 in (5 cm) | Mini trees, gift tags, garlands | About 12 baubles |
| 3 in (7.5 cm) | A normal-sized family tree | About 6 baubles |
| 4 in (10 cm) | Stuffed felt ornaments, kids' crafts | About 4 baubles |
| 6 in (15 cm) | Classroom displays, door and window decorations | 2 baubles |
Four ways to use a Christmas ornament template
- Felt ornamentsPin the paper shape to two layers of felt and cut both at once. Sew around the edge with blanket stitch, leave a gap, stuff lightly with polyester filling and close it. Add a loop of ribbon at the top before the last stitches.
- Salt doughMix 1 cup of flour, ½ cup of salt and about ½ cup of water, roll it ¼ inch thick, lay the paper on and cut around it with a small knife. Poke the hanging hole, then bake at 250°F (120°C) for 2 to 3 hours until hard. Paint once cool.
- Card ornamentsPrint on cardstock, cut out, punch the hole and thread ribbon or baker's twine. Glue two printouts back to back for a sturdier ornament that looks finished from both sides.
- Coloring and cutting for kidsPrint on plain paper for preschoolers to color, then laminate or glue onto an old cereal box before hanging. Safety scissors manage the bauble, star and tree; the gingerbread man's arms are fiddly for under-fives.
Tips for clean edges
- Cut inside the line. The outline is printed thin so the shape keeps its size when you cut just inside it.
- For felt, don't trace with a pen. Pins or a little double-sided tape hold the paper without leaving marks on the felt.
- For dough, chill before baking. Ten minutes in the fridge stops the points of the star from spreading.
- Need lots? Cut one shape from card and use it as a stencil for the rest; it's quicker than printing a page per ornament.
Questions
What size is a normal Christmas ornament?
Most glass baubles on a household tree are 2½ to 3 inches across, and that is the size most people print. Felt ornaments look better a little bigger, around 4 inches, because the seam takes up some of the shape. For a mini tabletop tree, go down to 2 inches.
How do I make sure it prints at the right size?
Choose Actual size or a scale of 100% in the print window, not Fit to page. The first page has a box marked 1 inch: measure it before you cut. If it comes out at 0.95 in, the printer shrank the page.
What paper or card should I use?
Plain printer paper is fine for tracing. To use the printout itself as the ornament, print on 65 lb to 110 lb cardstock, which most home printers feed one sheet at a time. For felt or fabric, print on paper, cut it out and pin it to the felt.
Can I print a whole page of one shape?
Yes. Raise How many and the shapes are packed onto as few pages as possible, with a little space between them for scissors.
Where does the hanging hole go?
It's marked as a small dashed circle near the top of each shape. Punch it with a standard hole punch for paper or card, or push a skewer through salt dough before it goes in the oven. The candy cane has no hole: hang it by its hook.
Can kids color these in?
Yes, print them on plain paper with Mark a hanging hole switched on. The outlines are thin and clean, so they color in like a coloring page and then become decorations.