How to Make Easy DIY Wood Slice Santa Ornament Craft
Transform simple inexpensive wood slices into adorable homemade Santa decorations that are perfect for your tree or holiday home decor! Kids and adults will both have a blast making this wood slice Santa ornament idea!
You can do a quick search on Google and find people much more crafty and handy than I am. But I do love making simple crafts that have big returns on them! In other words, they have to be easy and super cute.
A couple of years ago, a friend gave me the idea to make these adorable Wood Slice Rudolph Ornaments. And ever since then, I just haven’t been able to get them out of my head (or stop making wood slice Christmas ornaments each holiday season as DIY gifts!).
I’ve made a few other DIY gift ideas, like these Snowflake Apple Cinnamon Dough Ornaments and my festive Cranberry Candles.
But this year, I wanted to go back to making wood slice ornaments!
So I decided to make two versions of wood ornaments. First up was a Santa wood slice ornament that I just love. It’s not like anything else I’ve seen out there, but it was super easy to make!
Why Make Homemade Ornaments
I have three powerful arguments for making homemade ornaments.
They’re Personal
Homemade ornaments give your tree and your holiday decorations and unique and personal touch.
Although I have plenty of store-bought decorations, I love having a personal element too. Homemade ornaments add more than just decorations to my holiday decor – they add cherished memories that I love looking back on!
They Make Great DIY Gifts For Everyone On Your List
Ornaments are great gifts! A homemade touch turns an ordinary gift into something special.
When I give these ornaments to friends and family, it’s like sharing a piece of my holiday spirit with them.
Plus, homemade gifts are perfect for those people on your list who have everything, and you can’t think of anything to give them. Give them a small piece of you by sharing your handmade ornament with them! They’re quick and easy to make and put a smile on everyone’s faces – great handmade gifts!
They Get The Kids Involved
Crafting ornaments is also a fun kid’s activity. Children can help with painting or gluing, which makes the process even more fun and memorable.
And crafting helps spark imagination and creativity, which are great skills for kids to explore and build.
Wood Slice Santa Ornament Supplies
These bright and cheery Santas will look amazing peeking out from anyone’s Christmas tree! Here’s what you’ll need to gather to make this craft:
- Wood Slices – I like using slices around 2 to 3 inches in diameter.
- Acrylic Craft Paints (in white, red, and black) – These are great crafting paints because they’re vibrant and dry quickly
- Permanent Black Marker – or black paint pens
- Paint brushes – I highly recommend a foam brush or two plus a small crafting paint brush
- White mini pom pom
- String or twine
- Hot glue gun and hot glue
How To Make Santa Wood Slice Ornaments
Just follow these simple step-by-step instructions to make a new ornament for your Christmas decor!
Step 1: Paint The Santa Face Wood Slices
Paint the top of the wood slice red. Then had a little tail of red paint on the side for the Santa hat.
Step 2: Paint The Santa Suit Wood Slices
Next, paint wood slice with a red coat of paint (one for each Santa). Go ahead and paint the entire side of the wood rounds because these pieces will be the Santa suit pieces!
Step 3: Paint The White Beard
Next, take some white paint and paint the bottom of the Santa face wood slices with white paint to make Santa’s beard.
Tip: Take care not to paint over the red tip of Santa’s hat!
Step 4 – Add Santa’s Eyes
I used a black permanent marker (ex: Sharpie) to draw on Santa’s eyes.
Step 5 – Add Santa’s Nose, Eye Sparkles, And Hat Pom Pom
I took a small brush and added Santa’s nose. Then I used the wrong side of the that brush to add the white sparkle to the eyes.
Use a hot glue gun to add the mini pom pom to the bottom of Santa’s hat.
Step 6 – Add Santa’s Mouth And White Hat Brim
A permanent marker works well to add Santa’s mouth (but you can also paint it on).
Use your brush with white paint to add a cute fuzzy rim to Santa’s hat.
Step 7 – Paint The Santa Suits
Paint a white square in the middle of the Santa suit wood circles. It will be part of the belt buckle.
Next, add a couple of buttons on the suit and finish the belt with the black permanent marker, as shown in the images below.
Step 8 – Glue Wood Slice Santa Ornament Pieces Together
Now it’s time to glue the face wood slice to the suit/body wood slice.
Add a dab of hot glue to the top of the Santa suit wood slice. Then gently press the bottom of the Santa face wood slice onto the dab of glue, as shown in the image below.
Hold in place for about 30-45 seconds until the hot glue sets.
Step 9 – Add A Hanger
I didn’t want to tie a string through the predrilled holes in the wood slices.
So I painted over those and used hot glue to attach a piece of twine to the back of the Santa face wood slices so we could hang our ornaments on the tree.
Ta-da! Your wood slice Santa ornaments are complete and adorable! I love how unique each one looks – even with super small differences between them!
Wood Slice Santa Ornament Project Notes And Expert Tips
Here are a few tips and tricks to help your project be successful the first time!
Use dry brushes – I recommend not wetting your brushes down for this craft. Keeping the brushes dry actually helps the paint dry faster and gives a cool, rustic look to your Santa wood slice ornaments.
Paint coverage – It may take more than one coat to achieve the coverage you want – especially when working with the white.
Painting Small Circles Technique – If you want to paint the eyes instead of drawing them with a marker, you can actually use the wrong side of the paintbrush. This technique will give you a circle without really any work.
Santa Wood Slice Ornament Variations To Try
Santa’s Face – I kept the face simple, but you could add SO many cute variations. Make it more detailed, add pink rosy cheeks, change the shape of the mouth or leave it off – your imagination can help you make some really cool designs.
Twine or Ribbon – I personally love the simple, rustic look of brown twine for this project. However, red and white jute twine would be cute, or a red satin ribbon would add a fun touch. Just remember to make the loop long enough to easily hang on Christmas tree branches.
Add Some Sparkle – Adding some sparkle is a fun way to make the ornaments festive. Sprinkle some glitter on the red hat and the white beard to add glitz. A layer of Mod Podge helps the glitter stick and stay in place.
These variations are simple yet can make each ornament feel unique. It’s wonderful to see each Santa ornament take on a personality of its own!
Wood Slice Santa Ornament FAQs
If you’re unsure of your painting skills, I find it helpful to start by sketching the outline of Santa’s face with a pencil. Use red for the hat, white for the beard and trim, and beige or pink for the face. Then fill in with paint!
You really don’t need to seal your ornament. However, if you want to protect the paint and wood, simply apply a clear sealant after the paint dries. I prefer a spray acrylic sealer because it gives a smooth finish. Just make sure it’s even and covers the entire surface. Let it dry completely before handling.
I love gifting ornaments in a small box with a bit of tissue paper. A small gift bag also works well. Sometimes I tie a ribbon around the box (or the bag handles) for that special touch. Adding a handwritten note or tag can make the gift more personal and memorable.
Happy crafting!
More Fun Holiday Crafts
If you love this wood slice Santa ornament craft, try these other cute Christmas crafts too!
- DIY Cinnamon Scented Pine Cones (4 Easy Ways!)
- Easy DIY Lavender Bath Salts (5 Minute Recipe)
- DIY Marshmallow Mugs
- Paper Straw Christmas Tree Ornament
- Holiday DIY Soap Bar: Sparkling Snowflake Soap Gift Idea
Pin For Later!
Wood Slice Santa Ornament
Transform simple inexpensive wood slices into adorable homemade Santa decorations that are perfect for your tree or holiday home decor! Kids and adults will both love making this wood slice Santa ornament idea!
Materials
- Wood Slices
- Acrylic Craft Paints (in white and red)
- Permanent Black Marker – or black paint pens
- Paint brushes
- White mini pom pom
- String or twine
- Hot glue gun and hot glue
Instructions
Paint the top of the wood slice red. Then add a little tail of red paint on the side for the Santa hat.
Next, paint a wood slice with a red coat of paint (one for each Santa). Go ahead and paint the entire side of the wood rounds because these pieces will be the Santa suit pieces!
Next, take some white paint and paint the bottom of the Santa face wood slices with white paint to make Santa’s beard.
I used a black permanent marker (ex: Sharpie) to draw on Santa’s eyes.
I took a small brush and added Santa’s nose. Then I used the wrong side of the that brush to add the white sparkle to the eyes.
Use a hot glue gun to add the mini pom pom to the bottom of Santa’s hat.
A permanent marker works well to add Santa’s mouth (but you can also paint it on).
Use your brush with white paint to add a cute fuzzy rim to Santa’s hat.
Paint a white square in the middle of the Santa suit wood circles. It will be part of the belt buckle.
Next, add a couple of buttons on the suit and finish the belt with the black permanent marker, as shown in the images below.
Add a dab of hot glue to the top of the Santa suit wood slice. Then gently press the bottom of the Santa face wood slice onto the dab of glue, as shown in the image below.
Hold in place for about 30-45 seconds until the hot glue sets.
Use hot glue to attach a piece of twine to the back of the Santa face wood slices to hang your ornaments on the tree.
Notes
For paint brushes, I highly recommend a foam brush or two plus a small crafting paint brush.
Wood slices - I recommend using the 2.5-3" size.
