I had so much fun making emoji balloons that I couldn’t stop there—this year I turned them into emoji ornaments for the holidays. These cheerful, handmade ornaments are perfect for teacher gifts, stocking stuffers, secret-santa swaps, or simply adding a playful touch to your tree. Everyone experiences a mix of emotions over the season, so why not celebrate them as ornaments?
Supplies:
- White ceramic ornaments (plain round ornaments work best)
- Yellow spray paint (or yellow craft paint; spray paint is faster for larger batches)
- High-quality paint pens (Sakura Pen-Touch or similar for clean lines)
- Twine or thin ribbon for hanging
How to make emoji ornaments:
- Prepare and paint: Place the plain ceramic ornament on a protected surface and spray the front and sides with yellow paint. Follow the manufacturer’s drying instructions before handling. If you prefer, use yellow craft paint and a brush—this takes longer but works well for single ornaments.
- Plan your design: Decide which emoji faces you want to create. Starting with the eyes often helps establish placement for the rest of the features.
- Draw features with paint pens: Use fine-tip paint pens to draw the eyes, mouth, and any other facial details. Work from lighter to darker colors when possible; however, if you need to layer, allow each color to dry between coats. White details may require two or more coats for full coverage.
- Trace and fill tricky details: For complicated shapes like tongues or toothy grins, lightly trace the outline first and then fill it in. This prevents smudging and produces cleaner lines.
- Avoid coloring light over dark: If you need both a dark outline and a light fill, paint the light area first, let it dry, and then add the dark outline so you won’t have to paint light on top of dark.
- Add the hanger: Cut a length of twine or ribbon, tie the ends in a secure knot, slip the loop through the ornament’s hole, and pull the knot through the loop to create a neat hanging loop.
All photos by Studio DIY
These emoji ornaments are a fun, inexpensive way to personalize gifts or decorate a tree. They also make charming gift toppers and add a playful touch to wreaths, packages, or garlands.
For more Christmas DIYs, explore other projects in your craft collection.