Upcycled Gingerbread House Ornaments

The gingerbread trend is still alive and well! Creating packages and decor that resemble festive gingerbread houses is a fun way to get crafty this holiday season. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to upcycle some of the cardboard you already have around the house. I used the box from a package of graham crackers to create these adorable upcycled gingerbread house ornaments.

Image contains a small Christmas tree with red and wooden bead garland. It is decorated with cardboard gingerbread house ornaments.

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How to Make Upcycled Gingerbread House Ornaments

These cute little ornaments only require a few very basic materials, and they’re so much fun to create! Each one can be totally unique, and crafters of all ages will enjoy decorating them. Grab the supplies listed below, and let’s get started!

Materials

cardboard box
scissors
pencil
ruler
white paint pen
small hole punch
twine/ribbon

Instructions

Use a pencil and ruler to sketch house shapes onto the cardboard.

Your houses can be whatever shape you like. Some are tall and thin, others are short and wide, and roofs can be flat or peaked. I even experimented with sketching a church building.

Cut out your shapes.

Image contains a pair of scissors and five pieces of cardboard cut into house shapes on a white table.

Add decorations using a paint pen.

This is the most fun part! Get as creative as you like, adding icicles, decorative roofs, windows, doors, trees, and any other embellishments you want your house to have.

Image contains Amy’s hand holding a white paint marker to draw decorations on a cardboard gingerbread house shape.

Try experimenting with different shapes, like circles, arches, squares, rectangles, etc. for the windows and doors. Don’t worry about things looking perfect, after all, gingerbread houses are handmade!

Image contains five flat gingerbread houses made from cardboard.

Add a hanger.

Punch a small hole in the top of the ornament and thread a piece of twine or ribbon through it. I also added a red ribbon bow to my hangers for a pop of festive color.

Image contains five finished gingerbread house ornaments decorated with red bows.

All that’s left to do is hang your ornaments on the tree! These would also make an adorable garland, or be a sweet tie-on to a gift package.

Image contains a close-up of a church gingerbread house ornament on a small tree.

These upcycled gingerbread house ornaments are such a fun craft for all ages, and they’re a great way to reuse cardboard packaging. If you make your own, I’d love to see how they turn out! Be sure to share your photos in the Amy Latta & Friends Facebook Group so we can all inspire one another. See you there!

Image contains a small tree decorated with gingerbread house ornaments and red/wood garland.

Crafting Tips

If you have a house-shaped cookie cutter, you can trace that onto your cardboard to create the basic shape.
You can also draw/trace other shapes, too, like a gingerbread man, a star, a snowflake, or anything you’d like!
Try using these as gift tags, just write the recipient’s name along with your other embellishments.