This photo cube ornament was such a fun Christmas craft! It’s inspired by one of our family’s favorite tree ornaments. My parents’ friends made us our first photo cube ornament 25 years ago. It’s such a joy to find it every year as we decorate the tree. And now we can make more!
Supplies for making a photo cube ornament
Here are the supplies for making your own photo cube ornament:
- Wooden block
- Sandpaper
- Drill
- Scrap paper
- Photos
- Sharpie
- Scissors
- Awl or nail
- Tacky glue
- String
- Needle
Gather your supplies together before starting this photo cube ornament DIY project.
How to make a DIY photo cube ornament
Here are the steps for making your own photo cube ornament for the Christmas tree. Ensure you follow all the instructions and safety precautions for the equipment you decide to use.
- Find or make a wooden block. A size of about one inch to two inches works well. We made our own from 2″x2″ scrap lumber, but you could also use kid’s wooden play blocks.
- Sand off any rough edges. You can sand down the edges of the wooden cube if you like or leave them at an angle.
- Drill a hole through the wooden block. Ensure the hole is large enough to fit the string and needle through it. We also put a bit of a divot on one end of the hole to hold the knot in the string (see photos below).
- Use the needle to pull the string through the wooden block to create a loop. Go up through the block and then back again through the hole, leaving enough string to hang the ornament.
- Tie the string in a loop below the wooden block to create the hanging loop for the photo cube ornament. Cut off the extra string and put a dab of glue in the divot to hold it together.
- Make a template for the photos by taking a piece of scrap paper and cutting it to the desired size for the photos. We used a lime green post-it note to make the photo-size template (see below).
- Use the template to cut out properly-sized photo squares to glue onto the block. I used a sharpie marker to mark the corners of the template onto the photo.
- Select 6 of the photos you’ve cut out to go onto the wooden block ornament. One photo will have to go on the top and will need a hole punched through it, so pick a photo that won’t look too odd with a hole poked in the middle of it.
- Poke a hole in the middle of the top photo. I didn’t have an awl so I just used a nail.
- Glue a photo onto each side of the photo cube ornament.
- Let dry!
That’s how to make a photo cube ornament from a wooden block. Have fun choosing your photos and putting this project together!