It’s early November, and I generally hate the trend of seeing all things Christmasy appearing in stores before Thanksgiving.  Let us savor our moments of gratitude, turkey, and pumpkin pie before rolling out the Santas and reindeer decor!  Save Christmas for December!

But I do make one small exception to my rule of saving Christmas things :  Christmas crafts.   (Because if you don’t craft them before December, you can’t use them during December, right?)

Last year, I posted some cute embroidery hoop ornaments on the blog, and I thought it’d be fun to offer another simple Christmas ornament craft this year.  I hit the Pinterest goldmine for ideas, and came across these adorable sled ornaments: I love their vintage feel, and the fact that they utilize popsicle sticks.  (Because for some reason, I seem to have a million popsicle sticks lingering around here from old craft projects I did when my kids were little.)

I thought it’d be fun to do something similar, but to add some buffalo plaid: Have you noticed the buffalo-check/farmhouse trend everywhere these days?  (Thank you Joanna Gaines.)  It’s fun to add some trendy touches to your Christmas decor, and I thought a simple, inexpensive ornament craft would be the perfect way to do it.

I’d happened to pick up some adorable buffalo-check washi tape recently, thinking it might be fun to make some Christmas washi-tape cards or gift tags.  I decided to try incorporating washi tape into the popsicle stick sled idea, and I think these ornaments turned out cute as could be!  I added a little wooden heart for a little extra charm, and now I’m excited for December to roll around so I can hang them on my tree.

This easy-peasy craft project would be a great gift idea for making DIY gifts to share with teachers, coworkers, or friends.   And can’t you just picture some of these little sleds adding a little extra charm to your Christmas presents this year?  (I’m envisioning simple brown package paper with a red ribbon and one of these plaid sleds: I think I better start Christmas shopping so I can give it a try!)

If you’d like to craft one (or more) of these sleds for yourself, I recommend mixing up a cup of hot chocolate and cueing up a few Christmas tunes.  Then keep reading for the supply list and all the instructions you’ll need to give it a go.  I hope you have fun with this DIY ornament project!

Supplies Needed:

• mini popsicle sticks – approx. 2.5″ length (6 per ornament)
• standard popsicle sticks – approx. 4.5″ length (2 per ornament)
• acrylic paint – black or red, based on your taste
• plaid washi tape**
• paintbrush
• twine, plaid ribbon, or baker’s twine – based on your taste (for hanging)
• wood hearts – approx. 1″
• scissors (not pictured)
• glue gun
• tacky glue

**A Quick Note:

You can also use patterned scrapbook papers, instead of the washi tape, if you prefer.  You just need to adjust step #2 below by adding glue to your scrapbook paper so it will adhere to your popsicle sticks.  (This is actually the technique I used for the little white sled that’s pictured at the top of the post.)  I prefer the washi tape, because it’s easier to adhere.  But you can probably find a lot more plaid options in scrapbook paper!

How to Make:

1. PAINTING: For ornaments with solid-color base:  Paint 6 short popsicle sticks (for sled top) and 2 long popsicle sticks (for sled runners) using black or red acrylic craft paint.  For ornaments with washi-tape base:  Paint 2 long popsicle sticks (sled runners) in black acrylic paint.  If you want a painted heart on your finished ornament, go ahead and paint the heart now too.  I did two coats of paint for all painted surfaces on my ornaments.
2. WASHI TAPE: For ornaments with washi-tape base, lay your 6 base popsicle steps on top of pieces of washi tape, then use a scissors to trim the excess from around the edges.  Also put washi-tape on your wooden hearts, using two strips of washi tape placed carefully so the plaid edges line up. (For the red and black plaid washi tape, I had to carefully trim the edge of one washi tape pieces so the plaid would line up: If you look below, you can notice how the top piece under the heart is slightly narrower than the bottom piece.)
3. GLUE: Use tacky glue to connect five of the mini popsicle sticks together, creating your sled base. Line the three center piece in an even row, and then place the two side pieces about 1/4-1/2″ lower on each side.  (I used a toothpick to spread the glue along the edges.)
   

   (I used a toothpick to spread the glue along the edges like this.)

4. HOT GLUE: Once your tacky glue has dried, flip your sled base over.  Glue your sled runners in place by applying a strip of hot glue along one of the edge pieces and quickly placing one of the long popsicle sticks in place.  Repeat on the other side.
5. HOT GLUE: Use the hot glue gun to attach your heart to the front of the sled, and to attach a mini popsicle stick across the top of your sled runners at the top.
6. CUT: Cut a length of ribbon/twine approx. 8″ long.
7. HOT GLUE: Attach your twine/ribbon using a dab of hot glue on each end of the top sled piece.
   

   And that’s it!  You’re all set. Now you just have to decide whether you want to keep it for yourself, or gift it to someone you love!  I hope you have fun with this little popsicle stick sled ornament, friends.  Happy Crafting!