HO-HO-HO, who woulda known that while searching through Pinterest one day, “out pops good ole’ Santa Claus”?! I had never seen anything like the vintage chenille stem ornaments before and was instantly smitten. I started dreaming up my own DIY version. As a result, I hope you’ll love this modern makeover of the retro chenille stem Santa ornaments.
Chenille Stem Ornaments
There are many variations of these adorable chenille stem ornaments pictured online. Just to name a few:
- Santas
- Elves
- Reindeer
- Cats
- Dogs
And, quite simply, I keep discovering and learning more as I go.
There is probably an endless amount of iterations that one could take in making their own! For example, using a photo of your precious pet would be a fun way to personalize these cute characters into meaningful mementos!
All photos sourced from Pinterest.
Chenille Stem Santa Ornament Evolutions
Even in my own experience of playing around with the vague idea in my head, I ended up with four different evolutions. The video tutorial will show you how to make the version furthest right, below.
When I first started playing around with the idea, my goal was to use as minimal supplies as possible and to use what we had on hand. (Sometimes that resourceful ambition yields pretty awesome results — like this DIY mini felt stocking I whipped up one day for a quick photo prop!)
First Version
I found the very first version to be too flat. The metallic chenille stems and hand drawn face also lack the vintage/Victorian quality I was looking for. But it wasn’t a bad start, so I decided to try again …
Second Version
In the second version, I knew I wanted Santa to have a bit more dimension. So with that in mind, tightly rolled scrap paper was the simple solution! I had some gaping issues with Santa’s derrière in this version so my “cheeky” solution was to add two tiny red pom-poms as fillers.
I found this St. Nick to be more in-line with what I was hoping to create, but I still wasn’t sure I was sold. So I set him aside. Over the months, Lori kept asking if I would make this DIY available so I went back to work.
Third Version
Just before I began to shoot footage for the video tutorial, I thought I would give one other variation a try by using a wooden clothespin as the base. I actually really love how he came out except that his legs meld together into one as a result of the fixed position of the clothespin. There were details I added on this version that I liked, so I went back and added a few touches to the second evolution as well.
And thus, the fourth variation came to be, which I’ve recorded for you:
Fourth Version
All you need is a few supplies which can be modified based on your own vision.
Materials
- Chenille Stems, assorted colors — We used red, black, white, and a metallic gold.
- Round Wood Bead — We used a ¾” size.
- Santa Face Ephemera — You can use a photo from a chocolate wrapper, card, magazine, etc.
- Faux Fur Fabric.
- Pom-Pom.
- Misc. Accessories, optional.
Vintage-Inspired Chenille Stem Santa Ornament
Equipment
- wire cutters
- Pliers
- Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks
- scissors
Materials
- Scrap Paper
- Chenille Stems assorted colors
- Round Wood Bead
- Santa Face Ephemera
- Faux Fur Fabric
- Pom-Pom
- Misc. Accessories optional
Instructions
Santa's Belly "Like A Bowl Full Of Jelly"
- Begin by very tightly rolling a small piece of scrap paper. Then tap the ends to keep the paper from loosening.
- Next, roll the rolled paper, resembling a cinnamon roll. Then tape into a round shape.
Santa's Body
- Loosely fold a chenille stem in half. Then slip a looped ribbon over one end and pull up to the center. (This is how you will hang the ornament.)
- Leaving a portion at the top just slightly larger than the wood bead, give one twist. Place the paper disk against the twisted portion, then wrap the ends down and around and twist once more.
- To create the arms, align the center of another chenille stem with the top twist. Then wrap the ends to opposite sides to lock in place.
- Wrap the body and legs with chenille stems until you have a shape you like.
- Fold and twist the arms back towards the 'armpit'. Alternatively, you can opt to twist additional chenille stems while filling in the body and then simply trim them to the desired length.
- Twist a black chenille stem to create the sole of Santa's boot then wrap around the leg. Repeat on the other side.
Santa's Face
- Slide a round wooden bead over the ribbon hanger onto the chenille stem.
- Cut a face for Santa. Trimming small notches around the circumference will help it wrap on the bead more nicely.
- Pinch one end of a chenille stem in a pair of pliers, then wrap down around the nose to create the hat shape. Pull the tail end up through the center and trim if necessary. Then glue a white pom-pom on the tip.
- Slide the hat over the ribbon and onto the wooden bead. Secure with a dab of hot glue.
Finishing Touches
- Trim a small swatch of faux fur fabric to create Santa's beard and glue in place. Recycle trimmed fibers by gluing along the hat line.
- Finally, add any accessories such as a belt, suit trim, etc.
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