We are bringing in a dose of Christmas crafts to the blog this week. See how to make your own DIY Christmas tree ornaments using acrylic bauble blanks, vinyl and the Silhouette Cameo 4.

I have another digital cutting project this week, and one that is bringing in those Christmas vibes. I’ve had a little break from projects, one to get the creativity going again and two to make these fabulous ornaments.

Now, these DIY Christmas tree ornaments are a great way to make personalised baubles for your Christmas tree. You can design any phrase that you like, and change up the colours to suit your décor theme. They also make great gifts for your family and friends if you are wanting to make your Christmas gifts this year.

In this project, I am going to show you how to jazz up a bauble shaped acrylic blank using permanent vinyl. The design can be altered to whichever shape of blank you have, as well as the colour of the vinyl.
I am using my Silhouette Cameo 4 to make these Christmas ornaments, as the software helps to design and cut out the various images. However, if you have access to a die cutting machine and die to go with it, then you can use these too. Alternatively, you can make attempts to cut the design by hand, however, it may be tricky with the vinyl to get the words and images as precise.

DIY Acrylic Bauble

I thought I would go with a design that is perfect for the kids and help them be ‘good’ for Christmas. The design is ‘Santa Cam’, with the vinyl cleverly placed to look like a camera lens. Essentially it is Santa’s surveillance camera for checking if the children have been good for Christmas presents.
I have made other designs that use the same process, but I thought I would walk through how to make the Santa Cam version in this post.

So, if this has piqued your interest, then let’s get crafting and making some DIY Christmas tree ornaments!

DIY Christmas Tree Ornaments

These ornaments are perfect for adding something unique to your Christmas décor. To make them, you will need the following items, although if you have other means of designing and cutting the vinyl, then go with what you know! Some items in this list are affiliate links and will be marked with an asterisk (*).

• Silhouette Cameo 4 (or other brands of cutting machine)
• Acrylic Bauble Blanks – These are the ones I used
• Permanent Vinyl in various colours – here are the ones I use: Vinyl pack*, Metallic Vinyl*
• Transfer tape*
• Weeding tools/pointed tweezers*
• Scissors

Step 1 – Set Up Design Space

To create the design, I am using the Silhouette Design Studio. Before starting, you need to set up the workspace to the size mat and vinyl. I like to keep the grid lines on to help align the design. My design studio is the designer edition; however, you can make this with the standard version that comes with the machine.

To make it easier in creating the design, it is useful to create a replica of the acrylic blank. This way, you can scale the text and image to the correct size. Therefore you need the measurements of the acrylic blank. Mine is a bauble shape, so there are several measurements needed; the main part of the bauble and the top of the bauble, including the ribbon hole.

Start by creating a circle the size of the main body part, in my case, this is 10cm x 10cm. Then create another circle, this time measuring 2cm x 1.5cm. Place this at the top middle of the bigger circle, slightly overlapping into the circle. Select the two circles, head to the weld tab and weld the two together. This will create the top part of the bauble shape. Finally create another circle measuring 1cm x 1 cm, placing this into the middle of the top circle. Then, group everything together and the blank base is complete and ready to create the design.

Step 2 – Create Vinyl Design

Now, it is time to create the design for the DIY Christmas tree ornaments. It is very easy to create the camera lens, as we are just using one shape…a circle. The important part is to get the layers and colours right to create that lens.

Start by creating a circle measuring 4cm x 4cm. Change the fill of this to black. I like to colour the pieces the same as which vinyl colour I am using to make it easier. It will also help with seeing the different layers needed.
Then create another circle measuring 3cm x 3cm, and change the fill colour to white. Place this in the centre of the black circle. This will create an illusion of a black outline to the white circle. Create the next circle measuring 2.5cm x 2.5cm, again with the fill colour black. Place this in the centre of the white circle.

The lens look is starting to come together. To complete the look and create a lens flare style, create a final circle, filled with the colour white measuring 0.64cm x 0.64cm. Place this in the top right of the middle black circle. The lens part is now complete.

You can also create another circle, with the fill colour of red, measuring 0.47cm x 0.47cm. This will emulate a red recording light of a camera.

Step 3 – Create Text

After creating the lens, it is time to create the text ‘Santa Cam’. Create these two separately by using the text option. Then change the font to whichever you prefer. The font I am using is ‘My Love’ by Musafir LAB on Creative Fabrica. This is a free font and comes with a commercial license, however, read the license fully before using, if you are wanting to sell the bauble.

Change the colour fill to match the vinyl you are using. I changed mine to red, as I am using metallic red vinyl for this project. Align the text onto the blank template, changing the size and placement until you are happy with how it looks.

Then it is time to cut and weed the design.

Step 4 – Cut and Weed

Once happy with your design, it is time to cut it out on your machine. You want to move the blank template off the cutting mat, as we don’t want to cut this part. You also want to move the parts of the design off the mat that does not correlate with your chosen vinyl. I like to do it this way, as you can save the amount of vinyl you use by placing the design strategically on the mat.

Place your vinyl onto your cutting mat, or if you have a roll and a Silhouette Cameo 4, you can use the roll feeder to cut the designs. Make sure there are no air bubbles between the vinyl and the mat as this may impact how your design is cut. Then load the mat.

Select the correct options in the drop-down list for your vinyl, I alternated between ‘Vinyl, Glossy’ and ‘Vinyl, Metallic’. They both offer the same blade depth of 1, force 10 and speed 5.

Once cut, it is time to weed the designs. I like to use sharp pointed tweezers, as I find they make it easier to weed than the weeding hooks. The circular parts are the easiest to weed in this project. If you have a delicate font, then weed slowly, removing the inner parts of letters such as ‘a’. I find removing parts and cutting these off can help with the weeding process.

After weeding is complete, place transfer tape over each item, ready to place the design onto the bauble blank.

Step 5 – Place design on Acrylic Blank

The Acrylic blank will have a covering on both sides to protect the acrylic. Start by removing one side of the protective film, keeping the other side on until the design is added.

Then, take the largest black vinyl circle and place this into the middle of the design. Press the vinyl onto the surface, and use a squeegee tool to smooth any bubbles and help the design stick. Remove the transfer tape, and the vinyl should be transferred onto the blank. Then follow the order that was designed by alternating the remaining circles until the camera lens is formed. You should have; black, white, black, white. Add these in the same manner as the initial vinyl piece.

Follow this by adding on the text above and below, finishing by placing on the red recording dot last. Adding this last will make sure it does not impede the text.

Step 6 – Add Ribbon

After the design is transferred, remove the remaining protective film on the back. Select a ribbon of choice (I am matching with a red ribbon) and cut a decent length of this. Fold the ribbon in half, place the loop through the acrylic blank hole. Then place the trailing part of the ribbon through the loop and tighten this to create the slipknot style knot. Secure the ends of the ribbon either with clear nail varnish or use heat to melt the end. This will secure the ends and reduce the fraying/unravelling of the ribbon.

The DIY Christmas Tree ornament is then complete and ready to be hung on the tree. All you have to do is tie it onto the tree with the ribbon.
You can make other DIY Christmas tree ornaments using the same method, with different designs and text. I also made a ‘driving home for Christmas’ design with a Christmas tree truck.

What do you think of this DIY project? Will you be making over acrylic blanks this Christmas? Let me know in the comments below!

Looking for more Christmas crafts? Why not try your hand at a DIY Christmas Shadow Box with Lights, a Pom-Pom Tree Skirt, and DIY Christmas Wreaths!

DIY Christmas Tree Ornaments – Video

Here is the video version of this post. Sometimes videos are a little easier to follow steps, so be sure to watch this too! If you enjoy the video, don’t forget to give it a like and subscribe to my channel to keep up with my creative antics over on YouTube!

DIY Christmas Tree Ornaments – Share it!

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