Making Fantastic Custom Ornaments for the Holidays

I am horrible around the holidays, because I always seem to purchase at the last minute. But if I’d known I could make custom ornaments for the family, I know it would have been much easier to do. So if you’re looking for something to give, making custom ornaments for just you and your family can be a great idea, since you can make it for your extended family and friends too!

How to Create Custom Ornaments

1. Make your Design

The more of an idea of the design that you want to use, the quicker you can get a production-ready proof from the team you choose to work with. Even if it’s just a sketch on paper or different elements clipped onto each other, it can help in producing your custom ornament design and delivering it to you for the holidays.

2. Choose Your Plating and Colors

Once your design is solidified, you can look at what choices you have to add plating and color to your ornaments. Most often we see clients using a shiny silver plating or shiny gold plating for the ornaments, but we have other plating options too! You can also choose between soft or hard enamel color should you add color to your ornament design. This determines whether you make your ornament with texture or without.

3. Choose Your Ribbon Design

We can provide you with a variety of color options for ribbons to add to your ornaments. These ribbons are an elegant touch that will hold your ornament while giving it an extra touch of class. If you’re not sure about affordability we also offer lighter golden string attachments. 

Types of Custom Ornaments

Cast Metal

One of the simplest ways to create a fun yet dynamic-looking metal ornament is to make sure the design is cut out with plenty of space. Most of these use zinc alloy as a base because it’s easily melted and can be poured into the design mold.

Pewter

Pewter metal is a malleable but high quality material admired by many. Pewter doesn’t age in the same way that silver or other metals do, making it great for limited use over the holiday season.

Stock Shape Ornaments

Many companies offer a standard stock image that you can add text to after the fact. These are probably the quickest way to get custom ornaments made, but be mindful that they’re not completely unique because you’ve added some text to it. They’re called stock shapes for a reason after all. If you’re in a time crunch, however, they can still absolutely work.

Custom Shape Ornaments

These ornaments are some of the most common that we create at Monterey Company. We take your design and create a totally unique shape and look for what you need. It can be pricey, but it’s so worth it to have something completely your own compared to other mass-produced ornaments.