DIY on a Dime: Make a Button Ornament

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.

Add to your ornament collection or that of a loved one this year by crafting these easy and frugal button ornaments.

Want to save this post?

Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I'll send you time- and money-saving tips every week!

Save Recipe

I saw these cute button ornaments on Facebook via Andrea, a friend since junior high. I don’t know how she and her friends put them together, but I figured it couldn’t be too difficult, so I experimented.

Boy! Was it easy!

The girls and I made a pair of them this week in less than an hour. The FishChicks, ages 4 and 6, were absolutely giddy over the prospect of helping. While I helped the younger, the elder was able to do most of hers on her own. I filled in some of the spaces for a second layer of overlapping buttons.

Both of them are thrilled to add these ornaments to the tree and to their personal ornament collections as well.

This is a fairly frugal craft depending on what you already have at home. I am sure these would be gorgeous if you have an eclectic button collection. That is at my mom’s house. I will have to steal it next time I’m there. Instead I bought two packs of 130 buttons each for $1.97 a package at Walmart. Styrofoam balls ran me 60 cents a piece. I already had the ribbon and the color ball pins.

If you have to buy all the materials, I’m guessing it would cost you about $3 – $4 per ornament.

What you’ll need to create button ornaments:

  • buttons
  • ball pins
  • styrofoam balls
  • ribbon for hanging

I’m lucky I didn’t become a pin cushion, my four-year old was so eager to be pinning. Oh my!

To make the ornament:

  1. Lay a button flat on the styrofoam ball and secure it with a straight pin.
  2. Continue adhering buttons around the surface of the ball until the ball is covered. There will be some spaces.
  3. Add a second layer of buttons to cover those spaces.
  4. Pin a ribbon to the ball for hanging on the tree.

This is a super easy craft to do with your kids. They can be creative with the colors of buttons and pins. The combinations and designs are endless. And you can do it on a dime.

DIY on a Dime graphic, with text overlay reading Great Gifts.

DIY on a Dime

This is part of the DIY on a Dime: Great Gifts series. For more easy and frugal gift ideas, check out the list.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

5 Comments

  1. Me again, I have a styrafoam tree and vintage buttons, will need to see if I have any pins around here. Would be pretty sitting on a glass plate and displayed on a table.

  2. those are really cute and so easy to make. What for old button collections at estate sales and garage sales. And with using the pins no sticky glue fingers.
    Thanks for sharing. Grace