Lavender may be the official Pantone color of 2023, but at the holidays a different palette is going viral. As people start trimming their Christmas trees, it’s all about the brown, green, and cream (and also red, depending on the set) Studio McGee velvet ornaments. In fact, Target shoppers have gone so cuckoo for the $35 11-piece velvet ornament set that it’s already out of stock. You can find them for resale on secondhand sites like Mercari and eBay. Unfortunately, like 2023 Taylor Swift tickets, they’re at incredibly high mark-ups. We’re talking $300 and up!
Never fear because we would never let you spend that much money on an 11-piece set — even if it’s velvety smooth and earth-toned. First, we found some super similar (and inexpensive!) dupes. However, we’re also including links to a few Reels from the savviest Instagram DIY-ers who know how to hack the look (and at a much lower price point!).
Dreaming of a velvety Christmas? Keep reading for our favorite cheap dupes for the Studio McGee velvet ornaments — plus DIY tutorials on how to get the look yourself.
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11 Studio McGee Velvet Ornament Dupes
If you want Studio McGee velvet ornaments without going broke, here are several legit dupes for you.
1. Wondershop Flocked Plastic Ball Christmas Tree Ornament: $3/each at Target
Target may be sold out of the Studio McGee versions, but they’ve also got a pretty good dupe in their Wondershop. The Flocked Plastic Ball Christmas Tree Ornament is just $3 a pop. These are available in a mustard-y ochre, dark red, and bright red.
2. Velvet Ball Ornaments – Set of 4: $27.30 at Ballard Designs
Now marked down from $39, the Velvet Ball Ornaments from Ballard Designs come in a set of four for just $27.30. Snag them in burgundy, gray, or marigold. That breaks down to $6.83 per piece. It’s still more expensive per item than the 11-piece Studio McGhee set for $35 but far less than its price on secondhand sites.
3. 10.5-inch Flocked Finial Ornament: $26.99 – $28.99 at Wayfair
Oddly enough, Wayfair is selling three color options for the 10.5-inch Flocked Finial Ornament, and they’ve raised the price for the chocolate brown and burgundy ones to $28.99 (we see what you’re doing, Wayfair!). The same ornament in midnight blue is $26.99. Keep in mind, this price is just for a single ornament, not a set.
Related: The Best Target Studio McGee Holiday 2022 Items Under $25
4. Flocked Durian Ball Ornament – Set of 3: $26.99 at Wayfair
This set of three Flocked Durian velvety ball ornaments from Wayfair comes in burgundy, midnight blue, silver, and white. Sadly, their brown and moss-colored options are already sold out! But with a bit of mixing and matching, you can totally achieve the Studio McGee look. The per item cost of this set is about $9.
5. Flocked Drop Finial Christmas Ornament – Set of 3: $26.99 at Wayfair
You better act quick if you’re on the hunt for brown or green velvet ornaments. The Flocked Drop Finial Christmas Ornament (a complete set of three) is available in other colors like red, silver, or white. But because earth tones are the colorway of the season, there are only two brown sets and six green sets left in stock. So act quick! This set also comes out to $9 per ornament.
Related: When you’re ready to get more of your decor on, check out our Dollar Store Christmas decorations and crafts anyone can do.
6. Flocked Ball Ornament: $23.99 at Wayfair on Closeout
One of Wayfair’s Closeout Deals is the brown Flocked Ball Ornament, now marked down to $23.99. But move fast — there’s only a limited amount left! Three come in a pack, so you have a per item price of $8.
7. Velvet Ball Ornament Multicolor 4″H – Set of 3: $26.99 at Walmart
You’ll have to favor jewel tones as opposed to earth tones with this 3-piece set available at Walmart for $26.99. The ornaments do still have that same luxurious velvety texture, though. Like many of the others on this list, the per piece cost is $9.
8. Velvet Holiday Baubles – Set of 6: $42 at Food52
On the more expensive end of the spectrum, you can shop the Velvet Holiday Baubles at Food52 — a set of six for $42. You can get your velvet fix in green, straw, and gray, but sadly, the cornflower blue, red, burgundy, and moth (pink) are out of stock. Although the whole set costs $42, because you’re getting six ornaments, the per item price is $7.
9. Christmas Ornaments Mix – 15-Set: $106.57 at Etsy
An exact handmade dupe from an Etsy maker, the Christmas Ornaments Mix is over $100, but you get the most ornaments out of any of these options: a whopping 15. If you’re not including tax, that comes out to about $7.10 per velvety green, beige, and brown bauble.
10. 12-Piece Brown Shades Christmas Balls and Bow Set: $70 at Etsy
For a little less moolah, the 12-Piece Brown Shades Christmas Balls and Bow Set comes in a vibey color palette that ranges from brown to a rosy kind of gold. For $70, you get eight baubles and four 8″x7″ bows to go along with ’em.
11. Set of 10 Christmas Baubles in Red Velvet: $25.78 at Etsy
This Etsy maker understood the assignment! Not only do you get a set of 10 red velvet Christmas baubles, but it’s also the Etsy option closest in the original price to the $35 Studio McGee ornaments.
Related: Need a Christmas tree for all your Studio McGee decorations? Order a real one and get free tree delivery from Lowe’s and other stores. Prefer an artificial one? Check out the artificial Christmas trees on sale for under $150. Don’t forget a Christmas tree stand!
How to DIY Studio McGee Velvet Ornament Dupes
Surprisingly, the process of making ornaments (or anything, really) appear velvet is called “flocking.” Now, you may have heard of flocking — or “flocked” — in the context of a Christmas tree, and that of course, refers to the “faux snow” look some fake trees and wreaths have.
But that’s not to be confused with velvet-ifying ornaments — which is also considered flocking. That’s because you’ll need one pretty key ingredient: Suede-Tex Undercoat Adhesive. It will run you $19.41 for a wine-colored 8-ounce can on Amazon and $12 on Amazon for the Suede-Tex Mini Flocker.
We found this excellent DIY flocking tutorial from The Handwritten Home blog, but you can also see it in her IG stories and Reel.
If you’d like to make DIY velvet ornaments on even more of a budget, you can try this fun hack from @at_home_with_britt. While @at_home_with_britt doesn’t use Suede-Tex Undercoat Adhesive for the authentic velvet texture, she does achieve a pretty similar look with the help of flour and paint. It won’t be velvet to the touch, of course, but it certainly looks reminiscent of Studio McGee’s sold-out ornaments.
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