In my last post I told you about crafting Christmas ornaments for our tree. It’s something I do every year. The goal is to use as many handmade ornaments as purchased ones. I may even one day have enough to use only the handmade ornaments. If so, it will be a few more years.
The original Pinterest ornament
I saw this little block on Pinterest. I fell in love. So in short order I was after Richard to make some little wooden blocks that I could make for our tree. Some time back I picked up a couple of old hymnals that were headed to the trash can. They are in horrible shape, so they make perfect crafting paper!
Making these is really quite easy. Well, after Richard made the blocks, which are 2½” cubes. I have no idea how much work they are to make. He made six without complaint, so I assume they aren’t too difficult. But who knows?
My finished Christmas ornaments
Here’s my process: I used glue mixed with water at a 1:1 ratio to seal the block. By the time I finished sealing the last one, the first was dry enough to start decoupaging the first. I cut the paper into slips just a little smaller than the sides of the blocks, about 2¼”. Then, it’s just a matter of gluing them on using the glue/water mixture. I left them to dry for a couple of hours and painted on one more coat to seal the paper. I wasn’t terribly particular about the slips of paper, but I did begin with Christmas carols and cut them so that it was clear.
After letting them dry overnight, I was able to add the embellishments. These little items came from Dollar Tree. I picked up several floral picks and a couple of little candle wreaths. I cut them into pieces and keep them in a large containter that I can rummage through. When I need something cute and small, they are ready to go. Of course, by small, I mean with enough stem that I can use them as is or trim them down a bit. Small bits of wire and heavy string also go into the container. Everything at the ready.
I like lots of variety but want the blocks to look as though they form a set. To that end, I use only small embellishments and mix them up from one ornament to another. However, every one has a small pinecone.To that I added a fourth or half of a plastic snowflake, red berries, pine needles, or winter greenery. Some ornaments have four or five pieces. Some have only a couple of pieces.
Mostly I just wanted to fill the top and hide the bottoms of the embellishments because I used LOTS of hot glue. After all, I have grandchildren who love to touch. Finally I included a long piece of jute. This way, I can cut the loops and tie them as needed to fit on the branches. What do you think?
