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How to make paper house ornaments?

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These paper house ornaments were a lovely little holiday craft to do while the snow was blanketing our neighbourhood last weekend. Simple yet elegant, these little paper houses are lovely on the Christmas tree.

And, for more DIY ornament tutorials, read my post 12 DIY Christmas Ornaments for the Holiday Tree!

Paper house ornament on christmas tree

Our paper house ornaments were super simple, but they could also be jazzed up and decorated with glittering white snow or a colourful roof. These tree ornaments could look like your childhood home or your dream house! The options are limitless.

Here are some cute holiday paper houses I pinned for inspiration:

If you’d like to print a pre-made template outline of a house, the blog Babble Dabble Do offers these free pdf paper house templates. Check it out if you’re not into drawing your own pattern to form the 3D shape of the home. Some of the articles I pinned (listed above) also include free downloadable paper house templates.

We just drew up our own paper house templates out of our heads. Most of the “walls” were about 2 inches by 2 inches. A ruler was helpful! Our fav looks like a simplified version of our own house. Drawing it out on a flat piece of paper was a bit of a mind-bender, but no more so than your average puzzle in the newspaper.

Cardstock and scrapbook paper rack

Supplies for paper house ornaments

Here are the supplies we used for our paper house ornaments:

  • White cardstock
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • Snap-off craft knife
  • Cutting board
  • Tacky glue
  • Clothespins or small binder clips
  • String

Gather your supplies together before starting this project.

Cut out windows and doors of the paper house

How to make paper house ornaments?

Here are the steps we took to make these paper house ornaments for the Christmas tree:

  1. Sketch out a template or use a pre-made template (see links earlier in this article). Your paper house will need 4 walls, plus a roof and possibly a base, if you’re into it. We made the height & width dimensions about 2″ on all sides. That made it fairly simple. See the photos below. Use a ruler! I also found it helpful to put an F on the front wall of the house and a B on the back wall. But that’s just me.
  2. Use the craft knife to cut out the shape you’ve drawn (or the shape on the pre-made template).
  3. Cut out some fun features like windows and doors. I free-hand cut mine, so they’re a bit slanted. Meh. I think that paper house ornaments should have a bit of character :)
  4. Bend the paper at all the fold points to pre-fold the house shape.
  5. Glue the house together. I found this worked best in steps. I’d glue one paper tab, then clamp it with clothespins and let it dry for a bit. Then when that connection was holding well, I’d glue the next one. This worked best for me.
  6. Lastly, I strung a piece of thread through the peak of the roof to make a hanging loop. You could use any kind of pretty string to do this.

That’s how we made these DIY paper house ornaments!

If this craft goes badly, you can always buy handmade paper house tree ornaments on Etsy (like this one from Tree Town Paper). I always find it reassuring that I can find a nice version on Etsy if my own is a flop lol!

Supplies for paper house ornament
Drawing out walls of paper house
How to make a 3d paper house christmas tree ornament
Template for paper house tree ornament
Cutting out the shape of the paper house
Poking out the window pieces - paper house christmas craft
Folding together the 3d paper house ornament
Glue together the tabs to make the paper house ornament for the christmas tree
Use clothespins to hold the paper house together while the glue dries
Diy paper house ornaments
Paper house tree ornament - xmas

FAQs

Which supplies do you need to make a paper house ornament?

You would need a template (if using one), white cardstock, pencil, ruler, snap-off craft knife, cutting board, tacky glue, clothespins or small binder clips, and string.

How do you make a paper house ornament?

You can either print out a template or create your own. To make one, sketch out a template with 4 walls, plus a roof and a base. We made the height & width dimensions 2″ on all sides. Cut out the shape you’ve drawn (or the shape on the pre-made template). Cut out some features like windows and doors. Bend the paper at all the fold points to pre-fold the house shape.
Glue the house together then clamp it with clothespins and let it dry. Lastly, I string a piece of thread through the peak of the roof to make a hanging loop.

Resources

Still feeling crafty? Here are some other articles you may enjoy:

And, here are some other resources for you:

Let’s celebrate Christmas together!

Christmas crafts, activities, plants, herbs, decor, tree ornaments, and more tips to celebrate the festive holiday season!

Mary Jane Duford
Mary Jane Duford

Mary Jane Duford is a gardening expert and founder of Home for the Harvest. She's also a professional engineer, certified permaculture garden designer, and master gardener in training. Mary Jane has been featured by publications such as Real Simple, Mother Earth News, Homes & Gardens, Heirloom Gardener, and Family Handyman.