Deck the Halls
Topic: Some Backlog
When we were first married (almost 34 years ago) there wasn't a lot of money for things like Christmas ornaments. So I strung popcorn and made cookies to hang on the tree and made some paper decorations. That first year I made the woven birds that I have instructions for on my website.
For several years I made an additional set of a different style of ornament every year. I stopped when my tree got too full! Over the years some have been lost to attrition (the blown eggs, for instance) and some just did not last at all (dough ornaments tend to MOLD in Oregon).
But I do still have most of them left. Here are some of the handmade ornaments off my Christmas tree:
These are styrofoam balls with 4 pieces of Christmas fabric attached using Mod-Podge. Fancy trim covers the seams and is held on with sewing pins. I made three different styles using different patterns of fabric.
Christmas light bulbs are given antlers with pipe cleaner, a nose of pom-pon and two google eyes. A thread is used for a hanger. All assembly is done with a heat gun.
For these I started with standard glass balls (red and green). On the surface of water in a plastic tub I sprayed acrylic paint, first white, then red, then gold. With a skewer I made patterns in the paint and then dipped the balls down into it and hung them to dry. I added ribbon bows to the top.
These very simple angels are made with a length of ribbon, a binder clip from the office supply store, and a pony bead. Easy-Peasy!
These musical scrolls are Christmas hymns reduced to fit on a 1/4 sheet of buff colored paper. Then I lightly sprayed with gold paint and curled the corners. Gold metallic cord is hot-glued to the back for hanging.
These are from the VERY early days! I don't have instructions for these anymore but they use 3 inch ribbon, pipe cleaner, a bead, tinsel and a bit of narrow ribbon.
This is probably the most recent set made. They are teabag folding using black and copper printed wrapping paper. I made the folds on both sides of the ornament so they are reversible. They hang with a loop of narrow black ribbon.
I seem have misplaced a box of ornaments as I cannot find my drums made from cut-down frozen juice cans, velvet ribbon, pony beads, toothpicks and gold spray paint. I can't remember what else is in that box besides the wreaths crocheted on milk jug rings that my mom made for me and some ornaments from swaps. Hmmmm.....
Ddd studio3d@ccwebster.net
Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net
at 6:00 AM PST
Updated: Wednesday, 19 December 2007 6:54 AM PST
