How To Make A Christmas Tree Star with Yarn and Cardboard

I’ve been talking a lot about our boho Christmas tree that we added to our bedroom this year because I’ve been having so much fun making cheap and easy DIYs to decorate the tree!

When it came time to decorate the top of the tree, I looked around for a boho tree topper and didn’t really find anything that I loved. I also didn’t want to spend a lot of money on more Christmas decorations this holiday season. 

Then when I was sitting in the office, I glanced over at this chunky white yarn that I’ve had lying around for a while now (which I originally purchased for these yarn Christmas trees) and it dawned on me – a yarn wrapped star for an easy star tree topper! 

I had seen other yarn-wrapped stars made as ornaments with smaller stars, so I basically took that idea and mixed it up a little bit by making a much larger version! 

This how to make a Christmas tree star tutorial contains affiliate links, but nothing that I wouldn’t wholeheartedly recommend anyway! Read my full disclosure here.

I love the idea of putting a star on the top of our Christmas tree, helping us remember the Star of Bethlehem guiding the Wise Men to Jesus. We also have a star on the Christmas tree in our living room – but it is a wood star made with barn wood.

Many people also put an angel tree topper on their trees for a classic look during the festive season – which is another great idea that brings in the Christian nativity story. 

Ready to learn how to make a Christmas tree star with boh style? It’s super easy, budget-friendly, and adds a touch of handmade magic to your Christmas tree! Let’s jump in!

How to make a Christmas tree star: video tutorial

​YouTube video coming soon!

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Step 1. Cut out star shape from cardboard

The first step is to find a piece of cardboard large enough to cut out a large star shape. If your house is anything like mine, this should be pretty easy with all of the Amazon boxes we have piling up as the Christmas presents start to arrive! My finished star is about 12″ across to give you an idea of the size that you’ll need. 

Use a Sharpie marker to draw out the Christmas star shape on the cardboard. I did a super simple traditional star with 5 star points. Don’t worry about getting it perfect. The imperfection gives it character and charm with a rustic feel to your holiday tree!

​Next use scissors to cut the star shape out. 

Step 2. Wrap cardboard with yarn

I absolutely love this super chunky yarn in a pretty cream color. I got it at Hobby Lobby years ago and this exact kind is no longer sold. But you should be able to find something very similar at the craft store, like this.

I think white or cream-colored is the perfect choice for the color of the yarn star tree topper, but I may be biased because I love my neutral holiday decor. Feel free to mix it up and choose a color that fits in with your decorations for Christmas time. 

Wrap the yarn around one of the points of the star and tie a knot. Start wrapping the yarn around the cardboard star twisting and moving as you go. 

When it is time to wrap the yarn up one of the points of the stars, you’ll want to grab some glue to help secure the yarn at the top. Any easy way to do this is to simply put a few dots of super glue or hot glue around the tip of the star point and press the yarn into the glue as you wrap.  

Continue wrapping the yarn and securing it with glue as needed until the cardboard is completely covered.

You may need to wrap it around the middle of the star several times to cover all the gaps, so make sure you have enough yarn! This also makes it thicker so it looks a bit more like a three-dimensional star, which I liked!

You could also paint the cardboard a similar color as the yarn beforehand so the gaps aren’t as obvious. 

Once everything is covered up, cut the yarn and tie in a knot on the back of the star to secure it. 

Step 3. Put it on the top of your tree

To add the star to the top of your Christmas tree, simply set it in place with two of the points positioned down into the top branch of your Christmas tree.

Mine was pretty secure just sitting there, but if you wanted to attach it further you could use pipe cleaners, zip ties, or craft wire wrapped around some yarn on the back of the star and then wrapped around some of the branches. 

This beautiful tree topper is the perfect finishing touch for the top of our boho Christmas tree! It adds just the perfect amount of rustic touch. And I, of course, love how this was a super easy project that anyone could do.

​Merry Christmas!