December 14, 2021

ORNAMENTS

With the Holidays and workshops, I have been spending a lot of time in my Creation Station. Since most of what I've been doing isn't for Creative Therapy's sake, but mostly things that I have to get done, I feel I need to throw in a little "fun" too. So, each day I was down there, I gave myself a break and made a paper ornament. 

I have from several years ago, two Stampin' Up! dies shaped like Christmas ornaments. In the past I have made Easter eggs using oval shaped dies, as well as fall pumpkins using circle dies. Those always turned out so cute, I thought, why not try some acual Christmas ornament-shaped pieces? 

I searched out Christmas-y paper I have in my stash, not necessarily just Stampin' Up! papers. Anything that fit the occasion was fodder for my madness. 

This is the first time we've had a Christmas tree in at least ten years, probably more. You see, our late kitty, Fred (who died in February), loved the ornaments a little too much. He would somehow get them down and EAT OFF THE CORDS that they hung from. So all these disabled ornament would gather under the tree, and I'd have to repair them in order to put them back on the tree, only to have Fred attack them again. I finally gave up.

Now, with him out of the picture (sob!) we have finally put up a tree once again. It is mostly lights, a few metal "icicles" and a handful of ornaments, all paper,  that I've made recently. 

In these <bad> photos, I present to you all nine of the "break time" ornaments I made in the past few weeks. 

At the end of the post, I will tell you how to make ornaments such as these. 

Once again, I apologize for the quality of the photos as our tree is in a weird location with inadequate lighting. But you get the idea.










Wow! What a stunning display, eh? I know they're not all that great, but they make me smile and feel a little happy. 

To make these wondrous ornaments, die cut or punch eight pieces. These can really be done with almost any shape, including circles or STARS! (hey! now I have to go down there again!) I love the star idea! 

Fold each of the eight pieces, with the side you want to show on the ornament on the inside of the fold, in half. I crease each folded piece with my bone folder. Basically you just glue all eight of these pieces together, back to back. It is important that, as you are gluing them together, to match up each of the edges.

Take a length of the cord you want to use as your hanger, fold it in half, and lay it flat down the center of the folded up ornament. Use a piece or two of tape to hold these cord ends in place. 

Put glue on one of the sides, and gently fold the two ends together to make a sealed unit, meeting the two edges as well as possible. 

It seems that no matter how careful I am, I am never able to exactly match up the edges. If this happens to you, do what I do. Take a paper snips and trim off the unruly edges. Then, if it still bother you, you can sponge the edges with a coordinating color of ink. 

They are really very easy to make. If not for the awful arthritis I have in my hands, I probably would just keep on making them, one right after another. But I have to stop after just one.

I hope you are having fun with your decorating, no matter which holiday you celebrate! 

Ornamental
Smiles.
















24 comments:

  1. These are really pretty and I like the simple lines.
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

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  2. We have 4 cats, and a tree with ornaments wouldn't stand a chance! What we do have is a white tree that swirls around down to the ground that is intended for outdoors. BUT, and that's a big BUT, we had to pack up a bunch of stuff to get ready to have our floors replaced throughout the house. So, no tree this year, and I'm not so sure the cats would even leave this one alone! RIP, Fred.

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    1. FOUR cats! This is the first time since the late 90s that we don't have a cat in the house. For awhile, it was two. But, I can't immagine four! They can be a challenge in certain regards, but we love them to pieces. Right? Good luck with your floor replacement. Sounds like a big job!

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  3. The vintage shapes remind me of my Gram.

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  4. Oh Linda, I love these festive ornaments. What an awesome idea!

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    1. Thanks, Michelle! They are great stress relievers. I am about to head downstairs and make some more. Big time stress.

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  5. I've always loved these kinds of paper ornaments. Yours are adorable. Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm. xo Kathleen

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    1. Thank you! I actually made several more since I posted this -- and I like the new ones even better. It really makes a difference in the paper you use.

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  6. They are lovely! We are all always so much more critical of our own photos/projects than anyone else is! Merry Christmas :-)

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    1. Thanks, Julie! You are right! Although your photos are always lovely.

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  7. Those do sound simple enough to make and they are so cute!

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    1. I'm glad you like them! Yes, they are quite easy to make. Just need to be careful about lining up edges. Try them! Have fun!

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  8. Love these Linda! Featuring when my link party opens up. Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

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    1. Thank you, Carol! Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas also!

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  9. I love these! My head is spinning with all the possibilities of papers to use and shapes to make!! Thank you so much for this great idea. Hope you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

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    1. Thanks so much! I know! My head was -- and still is! -- full of paper ideas. I just keep wanting to make more and more! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas -- and the New Year HAS to be better -- for ALL of us!

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  10. I think your ornaments are lovely either way. This would also be a good way to reuse Christmas cards too. Thanks for sharing and I hope you enjoy the Christmas tree again. #HomeMattersParty Happy New Year!

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    1. Thanks, Donna! And I love your idea of recycling old Christmas cards in this way! Brilliant! Happy 2022 to you too!

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  11. They are really adorable, Linda. I want to try to make some for next year.

    Looking forward to the new year and getting back to the FWF party! I always enjoy seeing what you have created!
    Hugs, and Happy New Year :)
    Rachelle

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    1. Thanks, Rachelle! Have fun making these ornaments! I can attest that they are quite addictive to create! Happy 2022 to you and yours!

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