Ornaments are one of the many modern traditions associated with Christmas, and every year their popularity rises with the introduction of new designs for Christmas trees all over the world. Starting in the early 1800s, people began decorating Christmas trees with the earliest ornaments, which were of the homemade variety of consisted of fruits, nuts, paper streamers and tiny bits of foil. As time passed, ornaments began evolving, and by the late 1800s, commercial ornaments were being sold to the public.http://www.ornamentshop.com/history_story/part2.asp

If you enjoy making your own festive holiday crafts each December, and have a flare for Christmas style, you might be interested in learning how to make your own Christmas jewelry. Sure to add something special to your wardrobe, Christmas earrings are a great way for the gifted artisan to tap into all those ideas of snowmen and Christmas angels that make the season bright. Christmas ornaments, as mentioned above, are one of the modern symbols of Christmas, and as such make an excellent choice for Christmas earrings. This guide will provide you with step-by-step information on how to make Christmas ornament earrings.

• To make Christmas earrings that actually give the appearance of the traditional Christmas ball ornament, you will want to gather the following supplies:

1. 2 small, styrofoam balls
2. 2 sterling silver ear wires
3. 1 pair of flat-nosed jewelry pliers
4. Scissors
5. 2 small velvet ribbons (any color)
6. Small beads or sequins of your choosing (design and color will be your own, so get creative with the colors and types of beads and sequins)
7. 1 medium package of small straight pins with the plastic ball on top, preferably an opal color, or one that will look nice with the beads and sequins you purchase.

Additional embellishments of your choosing.

1. Design the way you want your Christmas ornament earrings to look. Lay the beads and sequins out on a flat surface.
2. Use a straight pin and stick it through one of the beads or sequins, then push it into one of the styrofoam balls. Repeat, designing your ornament earring until the entire ball is covered.
3. Use your scissors to cut a small piece of the velvet ribbon.
4. Make a small loop with the velvet ribbon. You will be hanging your ear wire from here.
5. Using a push pin, stick it through the center of the loop, securing it through the inside, and push it into the top of the ornament.
6. Use the flat-nosed jewelry pliers to open the ear wire loop and attach it to the ribbon. Close the ear wire loop. Now you have your first earring.
7. Repeat this process with the second styrofoam ball.

• If you do not want to make earrings that look like traditional, round Christmas ornaments, you might be interested in turning smaller ornaments on your own tree, or from the craft store, into jewelry for your ears! Some ideas include, but are not limited to:

1. Tiny wooden ornaments. These can be painted with acrylic or wood paints, and decorated any way you want! Add glitter or beads, securing them with heavy duty craft glue. Use a lacquer-like finish to make the ornaments shiny, and then turn them into earrings! You can do this by gluing down a pronged earring back, or attaching an ear wire if there is a hole in the ornament.
2. Small plastic or ceramic ornaments that dangle. You will not need to add embellishments to ornaments like these, but simply add an ear wire to keep the dangling effect. First, make sure the ornaments you choose can support this. Many ornaments already have a tiny silver or gold metal loop incorporated into their body from which a string or ornament hook is attached. If this is the case, it is easy to remove the string or ornament hook. Then, use a pair of flat-nosed jewelry pliers to open your ear wire hook and slip it on the ornament loop, closing the ear wire hook back up. If you choose this method, you will want to make sure the ornament is not too big or too heavy, as these types of ornaments will not work as earrings.
3. Crocheted or felt ornaments. As long as these types of ornaments are not too big and bulky, they are quick and easy to transform into earrings, not to mention original! Just make a small metal loop out of jewelry wire. You will also need wire cutters and flat-nosed jewelry pliers to do this. Attach the loop to the crocheted yarn or felt area where you want the earring to hang from, and then use the pliers to open the small loop at the base of the ear wire. Attach the loop from the ear wire to the metal loop you have made, and close it back up.

• There are many other types of ready made Christmas ornaments you can use for earrings. Since you will need an identical pair, you will probably need to go to the store and buy two new ornaments, unless you have a lot of duplicate ornaments already on your Christmas tree.