Although these whimsical birds look and smell like gingerbread cookies, their sparkling plumage hints at their true nature as sweet works of art.

Made of woolly white pom-poms, felt, and ribbon, this frosty friend never has to melt. Just add a loop to the hat, and he becomes an ornament. 

Photos displayed in pinecone frames demand a closer look; when hung on the tree, each ornament, like a page in a scrapbook, tells a story. A single ornament -- or a set -- makes a lovely keepsake to share with family members.

Twist pipe cleaners together to make dozens of sweet treats for the holiday tree.

Nearly weightless ornaments seem to hover rather than hang. The honeycomb paper, cut into curvy forms, opens into translucent layers. Vintage metallic beads are used as accents.

With an icy tingle on the tongue and a pinwheel of Santa-red and snow-white stripes, peppermints are the coolest holiday sweets -- especially when transformed into edible hanging ornaments. Lay five or so peppermint candies in a circle to form a wreath; bond sides together with icing. Adorn front with cinnamon candies or mints. Let dry two hours before hanging. Loop twine around ornament; knot.

The basic technique for all the ornaments is the same. Bend a pipe cleaner in half and twist once at the top for a loop.

Colorful ornaments stand out against the dense branches of a Nordmann fir.

A dreamy mobile, crafted from iced cookie cutouts strung from a painted embroidery hoop, is a simple, pretty decoration.

Drum-shaped ornaments are among the most iconic Christmas decorations. But you don't need to scour antiques stores and flea markets to drum up your own set -- all it takes to make the ornaments are plain wooden boxes, festive ribbon, and glue.

Just like the real thing, no two of our wax snowflakes are exactly alike. To create them, we used a special cookie cutter set that contains separate pieces for making cutouts.

Bows are always in style at the holidays, and this year they have an added cachet: These festive accents are the darlings of couture, showing up in fresh and inspiring forms on every item of clothing imaginable. Combine their classic and current appeal by outfitting your abode in all sorts of bows.

At least one kind of mouse will be stirring this Christmas: Download our ornament templates, and then add your pictures to fashion personalized decorations.

We turned vintage seed packets into templates you can download; print on card stock, and cut out with scissors.

This adorable Christmas ornament is made using basic craft punches in holiday shapes.

Echo this holiday luster at home with decorations bedecked with tinsel and glitter.

Rickrack seems to shimmy and skip, its dips and points all but doing a dance. Add it to any surface, and expect a smile. You can weave it into decorative braids, gather it with needle and thread to fashion flowers, or stiffen it to create wreaths, holly clusters, and candy canes.

These handmade ornaments look good enough to eat.

Holiday cards make perfect ornaments: dazzling and delicate yet impossible to break.

Ornaments with photos of your friends and family are a great way to decorate your Christmas tree.

These playful doll ornaments are created from old-fashioned wooden clothespins.

Colorful stray buttons can be put to new use as Christmas ornaments.

Create your own jasperware ornaments using Paperclay modeling material and German springerle-cookie molds, or paint store-bought architectural ornaments.

With little more than some balloons and glitter, you can fill your home with decorative snowballs.

Use inexpensive aluminum cutters to turn out ornaments faster than you can bake a batch of cookies.

This distinctive ornament will make a festive decoration in your home.

These template ornaments are so simple -- and inexpensive -- to create that you could fill a whole tree with them.

These refined ornaments -- some brightened with gold or silver leaf, others tinted in soft pastels -- are among the dozens adorning Martha's own tree.

Homemade 3-D ornaments are made from bits of fabric stitched together and stuffed with quilt batting.

It's easy to adjust the proportions of the pipe-cleaner pieces to ensure that no two snowflakes on your tree are alike.

Add beauty and history to your tree: These delicate white ornaments, made with off-white oven-bake clay and a piercing tool, were inspired by pierced creamware, first popularized by Leeds Pottery, in England, in the 18th century.

This pretty wood veneer basket adds an elegant touch to a holiday tree.

For sea-inspired ornaments, dust shells with glitter and add tinsel for tentacles.

Make beautiful, seasonal ornaments that add color to your tree. Cut four unpeeled oranges into rounds about 1/4-inch thick and bake on a greased cookie sheet at 175 degrees for 4 hours. To hang, poke a hole near one edge with a needle and thread doubled twine through to make a loop.

Wrap green pipe cleaner around a cardboard cutout to create these charming vintage wreath ornaments.

With beads and wire, you can add a little extra sparkle to the ornaments you already have.

Make ornaments that shimmer with cardboard egg boxes, ornate beads, and trimmings.

Spice up your Christmas tree with these distinctive Santa ornaments made from chile peppers.

Dust shells, sea stars, and sand dollars with glitter -- a single color, or two shades blended for an ombre effect -- or simply leave as is.

Up the elegance of this year's Christmas tree with beautiful celestial ornaments like these hand-tied ribbon stars.

Decorate the tree with beautiful birds coated in glitter and grouped in flocks of like colors.

Add sparkly stripes to shells with glitter and a glue pen for a Christmas tree that shines.

These sweet chenille stocking ornaments can even be "stuffed" with miniature goodies.