Delightful Homemade Macaron Christmas Ornaments

The Whimsical Delights of Macaron Ornaments

As the holiday season approaches, crafters begin dreaming up new ways to decorate for the festive time of year. From frosted windows to twinkling lights, finding unique DIY holiday decor brings an extra dose of cheer. This year, add a playful touch to your Christmas tree or display stand with delightful macaron ornaments.

The Allure of Macarons

With their candy-colored outsides and sweet, melt-in-your-mouth interiors, macarons have become wildly popular in recent years. Their whimsical shapes and sizes lend well to holiday ornament designs. Crafters have taken note, coming up with amazing ideas to transform the French almond flour confections into Christmas tree décor.

Macaron ornaments offer the perfect way to enjoy the beauty of macarons all season long without worrying about them going stale. As ornaments, these petite treats will stay fresh forever. Every time you look at the tree, you’ll be reminded of lazy Parisian afternoons spent hopping from one patisserie to the next in search of rows upon rows of macarons.

Getting Creative with Upcycling

A fantastic way to make macaron ornaments is by upcycling materials you already have at home. One of the most popular versions utilizes the humble bottle cap. With some Mod Podge, glitter, and paint, you can turn pile of bottle caps into a stack ofbright and shiny ornaments.

Start by collecting clean plastic bottle caps of various sizes and colors. Remove any labels until only the plastic remains. Next, lay down some newspaper or scrap paper to protect your work surface. Have your glitter, paint, and decoupage medium like Mod Podge ready to go.

Coat the smooth inside of each cap with decoupage medium then sprinkle over glitter while the medium is still wet. Tap off any excess glitter then set aside caps to dry completely. Once dry, you can leave caps with the natural metallic sheen of the glitter or paint the outside of caps in the iconic macaron colors with craft paint.

DIY Macaron Ornament How-Tos

If going the upcycled route with bottle caps isn’t quite your speed, you can make charming macaron ornaments using new materials too. Paper mâchéallows crafters to mimic the smooth rounded shape of macarons along with their signature “feet” or ruffled bottom edges.

Start by blowing up small balloons to the size you want your ornament. Mix your paper mâché paste according to package directions then tear strips of printer paper. Apply strips one layer at a time to thoroughly cover each balloon, allowing time to dry in between layers.

Pop the dried paper mâché shell then trim away any ragged edges. Paint the smooth fronts and bottoms of your faux macaron shapes in bright colors, adding smaller contrasting shades for the feet. Finish by gluing ribbon bows to the tops for hanging on the tree.

Another lovely DIY macaron ornament idea requires felting wool. Begin with a bar of olive or rose soap along with sheets of wool roving in coordinating colors. Soak roving briefly then wrap strips tightly around the soap, covering completely while felting and smoothing pieces together firmly with your fingers.

When your design is complete, allow it to dry overnight. The next day, carefully remove the wool shell from the soap form. Fluff and shape your ornament as needed then attach a loop of ribbon to the back. Display them on the tree or tucked into a holiday garland for sweet pops of color.

Displaying Macaron Ornaments

The beauty of edible looking ornaments lies in how you show them off. Here are some tips on how best to highlight your handmade macaron ornaments this Christmas.

On the Christmas Tree

It just isn't the holidays without a beautifully decorated evergreen tree, so finding unique ornaments to adorn its branches is a must. Hang your stunning macaron ornaments by color—try mixing pink, pistachio green, lemon yellow and tiffany blue for a sweet candy-inspired palette. Or group all similar shades together for big pops of color.

For more visual interest, wrap ribbons that match your macaron hues around the tree’s trunk and weave them through branches here and there. The coordinating ribbons will complement the ornaments beautifully. Don’t forget to hang a few tasty looking treats low enough for kids to admire too!

Outside on Bushes

Bring a sweet touch to your exterior holiday decor by dangling macaron ornaments from the branches of bushes just outside your home’s entryway. Choose a focal shrub near walkways and hang ornaments at varying heights for maximum cheer as guests approach your front door.

You can also decorate small evergreen shrubs or potted trees on either side of doorways. Run wide velvet ribbons down the porch railing or wreath hanger then tie macarons at intervals for a classic candy shoppe aesthetic.

On Display Stands

Let visitors bask in the full rainbow glory of your macaron ornaments by showing them off on dedicated display stands and holiday sideboards indoors. Clear glass bowls fill with shiny ornaments or go for towering pinecones studded with the ifaux treats or frosty ceramic trees draped in their splendor.

For real visual impact, opt for a three-tiered acrylic dessert stand. Pile colors together by level or disperse shades evenly throughout all three tiers. Surround your macaron extravaganza with pine boughs, holly sprigs, cinnamon sticks, and snowy white lights for a stunning centerpiece.

Edible Meets Ornament

Homemade food gifts like peppermint bark, hot cocoa mixes and Christmas cookies are always welcome during the holidays. Take edible offerings to the next level by using your macaron ornaments as gift toppers. Simply pluck one from the tree, ribbon intact, then delicately place on top of wrapped treats or lovingly prepared Christmas baskets.

When spending time together enjoying cozy nights around the glittering tree with cups of wassail or hot apple cider in hand, you may notice a few missing macaron ornaments here and there. Don’t worry about mysterious shrinking ornament syndrome—we won’t tell if you pop a paper mâché or felted wool ornament in your mouth hoping for a sweet sugar rush!

FAQs

What supplies do I need to make bottle cap macaron ornaments?

To make ornament versions of macarons from bottle caps, you'll need clean plastic bottle caps in various sizes and colors, Mod Podge or other decoupage medium, glitter, craft paint if desired, scrap paper or newspaper, paint brushes, and ribbon for hanging.

How long does it take for paper mâché macaron ornaments to dry?

It depends on the thickness of strips applied, but plan for paper mâché macaron ornaments to need 24 hours of drying time between layers. Remove balloons only once the shapes feel completely hardened and sturdy.

What color paint works best for macaron ornaments?

Opt for bright candy colors when painting macaron shapes. Go for pastel pink, mint green, sunny yellow, sky blue and crisp white as your base palette. Use metallic gold and silver paint pens for real cookie-like detailing.

Can I hang macaron ornaments outside?

We don't recommended hanging edible-looking macaron ornaments outdoors where they'll be exposed to weather and could damage easier. Display outdoor decorations closer to the house where they'll have some protection from the elements.