Handmade for The Holidays: Simply Spectacular Ornaments
We've always been creative around here and the holidays are no exception. For years the children and I have baked goodies, for ourselves as well as for others. We have made wrapping paper, gifts and we have made ornaments. I think I like making the ornaments the best. They serve as a piece of family history. I have selected some ornaments that I have seen over the past few months to share with you. I tried to find the simplest ones around so that they would not be too hard for children. But some were so pretty I simply couldn't leave them out. The ornaments at the end of this piece are the ones that my children have made over the years. My kids are done with school on the 16th... that's next Friday! We are always looking for festive things to keep us busy that week. I love working with glass balls as well as the Styrofoam ones. They're inexpensive and the end results are nothing less than spectacular!
Here, some yarn or twine is a simple way to add some pop to a glass ornament. Try adding some in color, all sorts of different colors!
Simple burlap cut into strips, glued on with a glue gun will give your ornaments a country chic feel.
Not exactly simple to make, but spectacular nonetheless! Some pearl beads and a hot glue gun would delight any pearl lovin' gal!
This ornament has a rustic elegance to it. A Styrofoam ball, some twine and a glue gun is all you will need. (I'd keep this project away from younger kids, however!)
Some old newspaper, Mod Podge and glitter on foam balls make a newsworthy ornament!
Eddie Ross divined up these country-like ornaments using old shirts. Annie get your Glue Gun! I just love this idea!
image courtesy The Entertaining House
Made by the children and myself these three ornaments were created using origami paper cut into strips and pasted on to a foam ornament with loads of Mod Podge!
image courtesy The Entertaining House
image courtesy The Entertaining House
This ornament holds a special place in my heart. Made by Rebecca, a huge Madeline fan, at age 5, this ornament was to resemble the dress Madeline wore under her blue cloak!
This is the ornament the children made last Christmas. A simple idea and a magnificent result. I cannot remember which child made this one, though I believe it was Christopher's. He was 9 at the time. Here we took a glass ornament and squeezed a small amount of tempera or acrylic paint into the ornament. We used three complimentary colors for each piece. Once the colors were in we just shook them so that the color evenly covered the inside of the ball. As long as the ornament doesn't break, the colors will remain true, intact and won't fade. We did let them dry overnight before placing the metal piece back on top.
A true gift of the sea. This glass ornament is filled with sand and sea glass from our summers in Maine. We needed only a small funnel to get the sand in. Important to note, sand is heavy and too much (as we have here) will make the ornament too heavy to hang on the tree. This one was displayed elsewhere.
I hope this has inspired you to get crafty with your children. You'll create the most magnificent memories, and if you do these yearly as we do, you'll find yourself chronicling special aspects of your lives as a family.
Wishing you a warm and wonderful day!
XOXO
Jessica