For those of you who are tossing out the crazy chaos and replacing it with sweet simplicity this holiday season, you’re going to want to check out this nail string art DIY Christmas tree ornaments.

Not only are they fast and fun to make, but they also are a perfect blend of old-time nostalgia and contemporary memory makings. They’re so simple, I’m sure you can figure out how to make them. But here’s a tutorial, just in case.

Materials you’ll need for nail string art Christmas tree ornaments:

Wood roundsSmall nailsHammerNeedlenose pliersEmbroidery flossHot glue + paper clips (to hang the ornaments on your tree)

How to make rustic Christmas tree ornaments with string art:

Christmas Tree string art pattern, Version 1

Begin by deciding what shape(s) you want to make. Then carefully hammer in the first nail, taking care that it doesn’t exit the wooden round on the back side.

To make a Christmas tree shape, simply pound in some nails in a triangle shape.

When all the nails are installed into your wood round, tie a loop at the end of your embroidery floss. Don’t pull it tight yet.

Loop the knot around the top nail (or whatever nail makes you happy), then pull it tight. Tie a second knot to make a double-knot on your nail.

You can trim the extra string next to the knot or leave it to weave into your string art. If the figure is going to have lots of strings, leaving it long will be fine (it will blend in). But if your string art is more sparse, you should probably trim it.

Related: DIY Christmas Ornaments And Decorations With Adorable Designs

Start stringing the floss.

When you’ve completed the string art figure, mark the spot on your floss where the last loop/knot should be. Make a loop there.

Use needlenose pliers to tighten the loop knot, then add in a double knot on top of that. Trim the floss about 1/4″ away from the knot.

There you have it. If you have a shape you like, such as this tree, you might consider making many of these, but make them different with slightly varied shades of embroidery floss.

Christmas Tree string art pattern, Version 2

This tree has the same outline as version 1 (a triangle), but the stringing is more like traditional string art, flowing somewhat randomly through the center of the tree. A brighter green floss gives the wood round ornament a different aesthetic, too.

Little Star string art pattern, Version 1

You could pound in only five nails and create a star shape. This example, however, uses ten nails so that the star silhouette is as simplified as possible.

String the floss outside the star points and inside the star troughs to create the shape.

Again, needlenose pliers will come in quite handy for starting/stopping your embroidery floss knots. Because the string art nails are so tiny and close together, it’s hard to get fingers in there and still keep everything in place. Reach the pliers through the loop, and grab hold of the end of the floss.

Pull the pliers (and, consequently, the floss) back out through the loop. Repeat for a double knot, then trim.

Little Star string art pattern, Version 2

For a more traditional Star of Bethlehem, consider creating a four-point star, with the bottom point being much longer than the other three.

Use the same star-stringing strategy, with the floss going outside the nails at the star’s points, inside the nails at the star’s inner angles.

Christmas Love

This could double as a Valentine’s Day ornament (for those of you who decorate Valentine’s Day trees?), but it fits in beautifully at Christmas time as well.

To solidify the overall shape before you commence your stringing, use the floss all the way around the perimeter nails. Then start stringing them more randomly through the center of the shape.

If you want to hang these DIY string art ornaments on your Christmas tree, simply hot glue a paper clip onto the back of each wooden round, and hang it up. Enjoy, and marry Christmas.