Showing posts with label ornaments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ornaments. Show all posts

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Easy Christmas Tree Ornaments 2012 Ideas

Clever embellishments turn plain-Jane ornaments into seasonal standouts.


Frosted Pinecone Ornament 

Take a walk in the woods to gather materials for this simple, natural ornament. Clean the sap from pinecones with a weak water-and-bleach mixture. Twist an eye hook into the top of the pinecone, dust the edges with spray snow, and tie on a bold ribbon to add outdoor charm to your tree.

Seashell Ornament

 Bring the beach into your Christmas decorating by painting stripes of glue on an aqua-color ornament and sprinkling it with sand. Add small shells and beige buttons for a casual, sunny look.


Cable-Knit Ornament 

Turn an old sweater into a warm and festive ornament. Cut a 6-inch-long tube from a sweater sleeve. Slip a plastic-foam ball into the tube. Gather cut ends at the top and bottom of the ball using straight pins to hold the fabric in place, trimming where necessary. Glue red velvet ribbon around the ball as shown, dividing the ball into quarters. Use a red pearl-head pin to secure a felt poinsettia or a small purchased artificial flower to the top of the ornament.


Paisley Gem Ornaments 

Swirls, teardrops, and tiny dots cover satin baubles like frost on a winter windowpane. Freehand paint paisley-inspired patterns so each ornament is one-of-a-kind. All you need is a white paint pen and some colorful Christmas balls.


Salt-Dough Snowflake Ornament

These delicate snowflakes are definitely sweet -- but they aren't edible! To prepare the dough, mix 1/2 cup salt, 1 cup flour, and 1/2 cup water until sticky. Roll the dough to 1/4- inch thickness, and cut out snowflake shapes with cookie cutters. Use a skewer to pierce a hole for hanging. Bake the shapes for 4 hours in a 200 degree F oven. When cool, draw hearts, squiggles, and dots with a red permanent marker. Hang from a loops of festive twine or yarn.


Santa's Greeting Ornament

Let it be known that Santa is in the house with this greeting. Paint a ball ornament with red acrylic paint. When the paint dries, apply letter stickers and a snowflake to make Santa's voice ring throughout the holiday season.


Jingle Bell Ornament

Add a little jingle to your tree with an ornament that's sure to bring music to your ears. Fill a clear ornament with small red bells. Wrap ribbon around the top of the ornament and glue the long tails in place. For an extra touch, tie ribbon through the hanger and glue a felt Christmas tree to the center of the crossed ribbon tails.


Metallic Snowflake Ornament

Dab metallic paint onto an ornament using a sponge to create texture. Punch snowflakes from cardstock and adhere just the centers (so the points are not secure). Top the snowflakes with round, epoxy stickers adhered to the centers for a frosty fun addition to your tree.


Patterned Paper Tree Ornament

Cut out a tree shape from festive holiday-motif cardstock. Mat the tree on white paper, then add rhinestone trim and a snowflake on top.


Gem Christmas Ornament

Add a little bling to your tree with this dazzling ornament. Dress up a clear orb with pink acrylic paint. Let the paint dry then add evenly spaced rows of multicolor adhesive-backed gems.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Easy Christmas Tree Ornaments New 2012 Ideas

Clever embellishments turn plain-Jane ornaments into seasonal standouts.


Christmas Green Trims 

Spell out "Joy" on ornaments in glittery script, then add some jewels and extra glitter to make these flashy tree decorations.

Pastel Ribbons

Simplicity says it all with these flower-topped ornaments.


Sparkling Geometric Trims 

Brighten up the tree in no time with vibrant orange ornaments embellished with glitter.

Decorated Paper Ornament

Let your creativity show with these simple paper ornaments. Cut out circles from colored cardstock. Add string, ribbons, buttons, and other holiday decorations to make one-of-a-kind ornaments. Glue on a piece of gold foil to mimic an ornament top.


Picture Frame Ornament 

Make your Christmas a traditional one by personalizing your tree with old family photos. Simply mat pictures on fun, Christmas-color cardstock and cut to fit a 3-1/2x5-inch black photo frame.


Vintage Stamp Ornament

Give your tree an old-fashioned look by slipping Christmas stamps into a clear ornament. Look for sets of stamps with different pictures to add interest.


Evergreen Tree

Turn your Christmas fir into a forest by filling it with dozens of paper-tree ornaments made by simply rolling up strips of green scrapbook paper.


Bejeweled Ornament

Dressed up in jewels for the holidays, these quick-to-make ornaments will be the star attraction of your Christmas tree. The ornaments are crafted using a purchased ball ornament, crafts-store beads, and gold glitter.


Dazzling Beads

For ornaments that dazzle, decorate satin balls with dimensional paint and shower them with the tiniest of beads. A few simple crafts supplies, our free pattern, and a steady hand are all you need to create these striking holiday decorations.


Dazzling Beads, Take Two

Here's a variation of the ornament shown in the previous slide. The free-form star pattern is easy to re-create and gets a little visual kick from the dots at the end of each arm.


Beaded Beauty

Sparkling beads make any tree decoration stand out from the rest.
 

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Making Christmas Sparkle


Making Christmas sparkle is not a difficult task.  There are the little things you add to your home decor  and then  music and family and friends. All you have to do is sit back and make enough time to actually enjoy it. It is too easy to get caught up in the frenzy of shopping and preparation.  I'm a fast forward kind of person, but lately I put the breaks on at Christmas, and make  every effort to notice all the small things.

 the sparkle of light on an iridescent wreath; the contrast of shape and colours

 pleasing colours in a gift from a friend who knows me well

 the reminders of great dinners with friends

 a flower that inspired my first series in art

a  reminder of a trip to Ottawa where I actually got lost in an Ikea store

twigs from my daughter's garden

  the lamp I spent two years looking for, greenery from my garden, my husband's guitar he made 

music from my sister

 a gift from a friend who has moved to the opposite side of Canada

 finding small pieces of slate and turning them into unique Santas

 my son's ornament collection one for every Christmas, laid out for his nieces to play with, the odd guy playing the guitar is a  mummer, part of Newfoundland tradition


new  candles waiting for friends to arrive



 

my granddaughters

grimy fingerprints

and even the snow falling outside.


What puts sparkle in your Christmas?