A couple of years ago I shared a Christmas tree decorated with starfish ornaments. I get asked about that specific tree and ornaments all the time but never wrote in detail about how I actually made them. The reason for that is that it was so easy that I didn’t even think about writing a tutorial.
So today, I’m finally addressing how easy it actually was to make these pretty and easy starfish ornaments with only three supplies. Yup, that’s it!
The easiest DIY starfish ornaments
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To this day this real tabletop Christmas tree is still one of my all-time favorites. The decor theme wasn’t beachy even though I love the beach. I just loved the natural element and look of the starfish. They make such an impact and are the perfect addition.
The glass icicles are another one of my favorite ornaments and one of the only splurge ornaments I actually bought. They are so worth it though. Aren’t they stunning and add such elegance and sparkle?
The orange slices were simply fresh oranges cut into thin slices that I placed in my food dehydrator (which works so great and is better than drying them in the oven) and then added an ornament hook.
TIP: I used a Dremel to drill holes for my seashell tassels but for this project, a micro hand drill is required because the starfish are too fragile. (You should check out this unique project if you love the ocean as much as I do. The seashell tassels add a unique coastal touch to your home during the rest of the year and are the perfect project for all your collected seashells.)
Starfish ornament instructions
These simple coastal ornaments only require only three simple steps. I’m not kidding!
Step 1: Drill holes into starfish
As I said earlier, I don’t recommend using a Dremel. I hand-drilled all the holes into the real starfish with the micro hand drill. It wasn’t even that hard.
Place the drill and drill bit on the tip of the starfish arm and place one finger onto the top of the drill to have some weight and pressure on the drill. Then spin the drill with your fingers. The starfish are pretty fragile so be careful but that also means they are easy to drill into by hand.
Try keeping the starfish in place with the part of your hand that is keeping the pressure on the drill so it doesn’t spin.
Repeat that until you have a hole in all the starfish that you want to hang on your tree.
Step 2: Insert hook or ribbon
I used simple metal Christmas tree ornament hooks but you can certainly use string or ribbon but that requires the hole to be bigger which is a little bit more difficult so I recommend using the hooks.
Another idea: You can use something like jute yarn to wrap the end of one of the starfish legs and hang the ornament that way. However, I personally prefer a hook for a much more simple look.
Step 3: Hang on tree
The nice thing is that you can bend the hooks so the starfish always face forward. With ribbon or string, they twist and turn. I hung the starfish on the outer tips of the Christmas tree.
Photos of finished starfish ornaments
RELATED: Find more table top christmas tree ideas and inspiration in my Christmas home tour.
Below is another year with a real tabletop Christmas tree but I added paper fan ornaments instead of the vase fillers. The icicles make an appearance every year as I mentioned already.
More of my easy DIY ornaments and crafts
If drilling holes isn’t your thing and you’d rather work with paper then you’ve come to the right place because I got plenty of those types of tutorials for you…
- We all need toilet paper and have plenty of toilet paper rolls if we collect them. So why not make easy toilet paper roll snowflakes? Toilet paper rolls don’t sound pretty but believe me, you can make them look very beautiful and they are free.
- Or how about some cardboard ornaments? I made gingerbread ornaments with all the Amazon boxes that you receive especially around the holiday season. All you need to buy is some white puff paint.
- If you have some yarn or macrame cord scraps lying around or don’t mind buying some yarn then check out my macrame ornaments or my macrame gnomes which can be made with all kinds of different yarn.
- Do you have old plastic Christmas ball ornaments and want to make them look a bit more expensive and prettier? Check out my DIY painted ornaments using homemade baking soda paint.
- I used the same pretty cardstock as the above-mentioned paper fan ornaments and origami diamond ornaments for another affordable and pretty Christmas tree look.
Tschüß,
