Christmas Card Ornaments

This Christmas we received some beautiful cards from my family and friends. I loved them so much that I wanted to try to incorporate them into my decor. Ive seen several people make books out of their cards, or reuse them as gift boxes, but I wanted to showcase them some how. After searching on the internet and in magazines I came across some great tutorials on how to make Christmas cards into ornaments. I know it may appear I am obsessed with ornaments this year, but it really is intentional. Last Christmas I recieved a faux tree with lights, but I had no ornaments. It's been my goal to fill my tree with beautiful things.

To my family and friends:

Thank you for the beautiful cards.

I hope you don't mind me using them in this way.  

Poinsettias

Better Homes and Garden Tutorial

 

This tutorial came straight from my Better Homes and Garden magainze (Dec. 2012). Please use the above link to access their tutorial and template. I did have one adaptation because I used Christiams cards. If you use a single color cardstock than their tutorial will work just fine.

Here is my adaptation:

Below you will see the templates I cut out. BHG's tutorial has you cut out strips and use the half-leaf you see just right of the card to make the poinsettia leafs. I found this nice, but it limited me to what sections of the card to use. Instead I made a whole leaf template and positioned it wherever I wanted. So much nicer and I felt I could be a little more creative.

When it came to attaching the hook I had to be a little creative because I had to use what I had on hand, stapler and pipecleaner. I staples the hook to the circle and then hot glued it to the back of the poinsettia. It secured perfectly. I am sorry the picture is a bit blurry or bright. I have to say there are prettier ways of securing a hook, but this was all I had time to do.

Cardstock Ornament

I found each of these ornaments very easy to make. The cardstock ornament was the easiest as it didn't require any clueing. I started off this project by cutting the front of the card from the back. Keep the back for future projects. Cardstock ins't cheap. Then I used my ruler to mark off 1 inch sections and cut them using my cutter. (see picture below).

 

You will need to cut one 4", two 5", and leave two uncut. Before I did this I layed my 1" strips on my cutting board (Yes, It's from Pampered Chef, but you get three in a pack and I needed a cutting board so I designated this one to crafting). Once layed out I decided what piece would be cut to what length (see picture below). This is the crative part and what makes no ornament exactly the same. I love that part.

Assembling the ornament:

7" - picture facing left

5" - picture facing left

4" - picture facing left

5" - picture facing right

7" - picture facing right

Hold the top very tightly and staple the strips together. A normal stapler will work with Christmas cards. Turn the pile over to the other end and staple the ends together like the top. You will notice the ornament will start to take shape once you bring the ends together. If you find the pieces bending just smooth out with your finger.



Finished product



For a tie, you can use whatever you want. I like to use green pipeclearner. It bends and cuts so nicely. Just wrap around one of the ends and secure together.

Homemade ornaments

To help extend my graditute and thankfulness to the wonderful women who have so gratiously spent hours loving and caring for my Emily I decided to create a gift that was not only special but festive. My only criteria was it had to be easiest enough for my toddler to help with.

I have to give credit to my mother who bought, cut, and helped us begin this project.

Thank you Mom!

 

Here is a list of supplies you will need:



· smooth finish Styrofoam balls

· pipe cleaners

· 4 lightweight fabric choices with small prints

· pinking sheers

· Mod Podge - glossy finish

· paintbrush

· wax paper

· wet paper towel

Directions:

The toughest part of this project will be your design and theme. This is extremely important because you want your fabric pieces to match and blend well. My suggestion is to stick to the same color family. If you find yourself getting stuck on a fabric choice look for one that has several designs and color. I got lucky at my fabric store. They had a fabric with all the above colors and styles within one. All we had to do was cut them out. There is no set rule for the amount of fabric you need to buy, but a 1/4 of a yard per fabric choice will get your very far. This will easily yeild a dozen balls if not more. Begin by cutting your desired fabric into 1 inch squares. You can actually cut your fabric into any shape or size you want, but shapes with corners will be easier to glue and cover the Styrofoam ball. We used pinking sheers to give it an extra special touch.

Your next step is adding a pipe clearner hook.The pipe clearner because of its stiffness will be easy to poke into the top of the ball. Begin by cutting it into a desired length, bending it into a loop, and then wrapping the end around its self. Then just poke it into the top. If you do this before you glue you will have a place to start laying your fabric pieces.

Before starting I put all my supplies in front of me with my fabic in piles. I layed down wax paper because I didn't want my paint brush to stick and ruin our table. (Please do not miss this next step, it's very important.) Set up your drying rack/station because your finished ball will need a place to dry. We used a curtian rod I purchased for about $2 at Walmart. The rod is small enough for the loop to slide through and long enough to hold a dozen balls. If having glue on your hands is tough the wet paper towel will help a lot. I used it more than you think.

Now the fun part, gluing on the fabric. Start with a fabric square right up next to the loop. Dip your paintbrush into the Mod Podge and brush the glue across the fabric piece. It will get messy, but it will be fun. I then chose a different fabric and did the same thing directly across from the first piece I glued on. If your fabric is cut into squares you should be left with two sections where you can glue the fabric rotated into the diamond shape between the first two peices. The idea is to try to cover all the white sections at the top by the loop as possible. If you don't get it all coverend you can cut specific size pieces to glue on. Once you have all four different fabrics glued on at the top alternate different fabric choices onto the ball paying close attention to what fabrics are layed own. You don't want two of the same fabrics next to each other. It may happen, but with four fabric choices you should be okay. Keep adding pieces and glue until the whole ball is covered. Then let the ball dry for at least an hour or until the fabric is not sticky or wet to your touch. I let them dry overnight just to be sure.

There is no right or wrong way to lay your fabric. Experiment with different options and make it fun. Emily and I sure had fun brushing on the glue. What you didn't see is all the glue on our clothing, in our hair, and on the floor. Oops! But it was fun. (Word of caution: don't let Mod Podge dry in your hair. It's a bit hard to get out, especially with an toddler with a sensitive scalp).

I hope this project is something you find fun and festive for your Christmas tree.

Merry Christmas!