Treehouse Holiday Ornaments

Yes the holidays can be busy and they can also be expensive. These crafts can make great gift ideas, as well as something fun to do with you toddler just in time for all the festivities.

1. Cartoon Tree Ornaments

You’ll need to purchase some plain foam or plastic ball ornaments at the mall. Probably any department store will have them – usually in packages of six or 12. Don’t buy glass ones because they can shatter easily.

Using a glue pen or just regular glue bottle, draw your favourite cartoon character – maybe Dora or Diego or Max and Ruby - on the ornament.

Take some brightly coloured glitter or beads and sprinkle or set them on the still wet glue.

Set it down to dry for about 15 minutes and then hang it on the tree or wrap it up and make it a gift from your child to someone special.

You can also draw your favourite Treehouse cartoon character on a piece of paper. Cut it out and glue the paper to the ball ornament.

2. Salt dough Cartoon ornaments

Look – it’s Dora, Farzzle, Maggie and Toopy and Binoo – and they’re all made out of…dough? Who knew that you could bake tree ornaments?! And here’s how:

You’ll need:

2 cups plain flour (not self-rising)
1 cup fine-grained plain salt
1/2 cup water at room temperature

Mix the salt and flour in a bowl and then add the water. Knead it for a while until it becomes smooth and stretchy. Cover with cling wrap to keep the dough from drying out, and let the dough sit for 30 minutes before using.

Now roll out the dough on a cutting board until it’s about ¼ of an inch thick.

Using a small knife or a toothpick, draw a simple outline of your child’s favourite Treehouse cartoon character. Also, poke a small hole into the top of shape – big enough to thread a ribbon through.

Place the shapes on to a greased cooking sheet and bake for 2 hours at 250 degree F.

When they’re done – set them aside to cool.

When cool – you can paint them to look like Dora, Toopy, Farzzle and Maggie.

Now thread a ribbon through the hole at the top of the shape. You can hang them on the tree or give them as gifts!