How to Make Miniature Book Tracker Christmas Ornament

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How to Make Miniature Book Tracker Christmas Ornament

If you’re an avid reader or someone who loves tracking yearly accomplishments, this miniature book tracker ornament is the perfect keepsake project.

Not only does it celebrate the number of books you’ve read throughout the year, but it also becomes a meaningful piece of holiday décor you’ll treasure for years to come.

Miniature Book Tracker Ornament: A Charming Way to Celebrate Your Year of Reading

After creating real, tiny hand-bound books—complete with individual pages—it felt only natural to turn them into something decorative, fun, and memory-packed.

This project is a great follow-up if you’ve already made tiny books for garlands, dioramas, displays, or spring ornaments, because it uses the same adorable little volumes.

The result is a personal, storytelling ornament that blends your love of reading with your love of crafting in a way that feels delightfully unique.

Let's get started!

Miniature Book Tracker Ornament: A Charming Way to Celebrate Your Year of Reading After creating real, tiny hand-bound books—complete with individual pages—it felt only natural to turn them into something decorative, fun, and memory-packed. This project is a great follow-up if you’ve already made tiny books for garlands, dioramas, displays, or spring ornaments, because it uses the same adorable little volumes. The result is a personal, storytelling ornament that blends your love of reading with your love of crafting in a way that feels delightfully unique. Let's get started!

At the end of a reading year, many of us like to look back on the stories that shaped our imagination, taught us lessons, or simply provided comfort.

Traditional reading trackers are wonderful, but making one you can hang—one that shakes and sparkles and holds physical representations of your favorite books—is something truly special.

This ornament celebrates your reading year in a very visual way.

It’s not just a tracker (like a fake Santa tracker ornament)—it’s a keepsake with personality, charm, and a touch of whimsy.

It embodies the idea of ornament collectability, turning your literary achievements into something you can display year after year.

At the end of a reading year, many of us like to look back on the stories that shaped our imagination, taught us lessons, or simply provided comfort. Traditional reading trackers are wonderful, but making one you can hang—one that shakes and sparkles and holds physical representations of your favorite books—is something truly special. This ornament celebrates your reading year in a very visual way. It’s not just a tracker (like a fake Santa tracker ornament)—it’s a keepsake with personality, charm, and a touch of whimsy. It embodies the idea of ornament collectability, turning your literary achievements into something you can display year after year.

Supplies Needed for Miniature Book Tracker Ornament:

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Miniature handmade books (full post here: Make Miniature Books)
Clear plastic fillable ornament (round or flat)
Mod Podge (for making the books)
Cricut machine or comparable cutting tool
Gold adhesive vinyl
String or ribbon for hanging
Scissors

Step 1: Create Your Miniature Books

If you made tiny books in a previous project, you’re already halfway there!

For this ornament, I made miniature volumes with the margin of a real book to give it those real pages.

To finish them, I printed miniature-sized covers of the actual books I read this year. After trimming them down, I wrapped each printed cover around the binding and sealed it in place with Mod Podge.

The glossy photo finish makes them feel like real little replicas—miniatures of the stories that kept me company through the seasons.

The more books you read in 2025, the more tiny replicas you’ll have to add to your ornament—making it even fuller and more eye-catching.

Make Miniature Books!

BOOK COVERS You'll need covers of each book you will make, if you don't have photoshop or software to scale them down, search for mini book covers and the title you are looking for. I found all of my book covers online, the easiest way is to find miniature book covers, the Harry Potter book series is easy to find as tiny book covers. They are super easy to find, with the front cover and the back covers plus the spine included. This makes tiny book making super easy--I've got brief descriptions of each step as well as a quick video!

Step 2: Add the Vinyl Lettering

Using your Cricut, cut gold vinyl lettering that reads:

“BOOKS READ IN 2025”

Weeding the vinyl carefully ensures crisp, clean text.

Apply transfer tape, remove the backing and then center the design on the outside of the ornament.

Press firmly and peel back slowly to reveal your perfectly applied lettering.

The metallic shine pops beautifully against the dimensional layers of tiny books inside.

Peel off the transfer tape by rolling it over itself and checking that all the letters stay stuck tight to the ornament.

Now the ornament is ready to fill up with all those delightful reads!

Step 3: Fill the Ornament

Open your clear plastic ornament and gently place your tiny books inside. A funnel or small scoop can help if the ornament opening is narrow.

You can add little accessories as well:

The miniature books themselves
Confetti or faux snow for extra sparkle
Small ribbon curls for color
Or other special items connected to your reading journey

Step 3: Fill the Ornament Open your clear plastic ornament and gently place your tiny books inside. A funnel or small scoop can help if the ornament opening is narrow. You can add little accessories as well: The miniature books themselves Confetti or faux snow for extra sparkle Small ribbon curls for color Or other special items connected to your reading journey

Each ornament becomes uniquely yours and reflects your reading personality.

Fill the ornament until it feels full and visually appealing, but not so tight that the books get crushed...if you have a ton of books, better to get a bigger ornament!

Pop on the ornament cap, snap or twist the ornament closed.

Each ornament becomes uniquely yours and reflects your reading personality. Fill the ornament until it feels full and visually appealing, but not so tight that the books get crushed...if you have a ton of books, better to get a bigger ornament! Snap or twist the ornament closed.

Step 4: Add Your Hanging Ribbon

Tie a big ribbon bow to the top of the ornament for the finishing touch!

Choose something lightweight that complements the gold vinyl and the colors inside the ornament.

Step 5: Display & Cherish

Hang the ornament on your Christmas tree, bookshelf, or display branch. Not only does it serve as a visual recap of your reading accomplishments, it also doubles as a decorative piece you can enjoy every year when you unpack your holiday décor.

This is a project that gets more sentimental over time. Each ornament tells a story—not just of one year, but of your evolution as a reader. Eventually, you could create a small collection documenting each reading year, turning your holiday display into a timeline of your literary life.

Step 5: Display & Cherish Hang the ornament on your Christmas tree, bookshelf, or display branch. Not only does it serve as a visual recap of your reading accomplishments, it also doubles as a decorative piece you can enjoy every year when you unpack your holiday décor.

A Tradition Worth Starting

Whether you're a seasoned crafter or someone who simply adores books, this miniature book tracker is a keepsake that checks every box: it’s beautiful, personalized, nostalgic, and fun.

Every December, you can look at your ornament, smile, and remember the adventures, characters, and worlds you explored in the past year.

And that makes this tiny book-filled globe one of the most meaningful decorations you can make.

HALLMARK ORNAMENTS:

The history of Christmas ornaments is full of charm, nostalgia, and unexpected treasure hunts—especially once Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments entered the scene and turned tree decorating into a full-on collecting adventure.

From quirky characters to elegant designs, each ornament name brings its own story, and some even become coveted special issue ornaments that savvy Hallmark collectors dream of finding at garage sales.

As secondary market prices soar for rare Hallmark ornaments, collectors rely on the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Value Guide—the most comprehensive guide out there, especially with its detailed tracker edition—to keep up with trends, rarity, and the thrill of discovering that one ornament hiding in plain sight.

If you are an ornament collector, make your own cherished keepsake ornament--this little book tracking DIY ornament!