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Decorating the Christmas tree is a favorite pastime for many. And what better way to celebrate than by making your own creative craft ornaments. This article shows you how to make 3 basic types of ornaments – from there, you can get creative on your own and start making ornaments to deck your own tree or give as gifts.
Strawberry Walnut Ornaments
Materials:
· Whole walnuts
· Red spray paint
· Tiny white friendship beads
· Craft glue
· Dark green felt
· Scissors
· Gold cording
· Needle
Instructions:
These ornaments can be made in large quantities. Begin by spreading walnuts out onto old newspaper for painting. If the weather’s warm, you may want to do this step outdoors to ensure ventilation when using spray paint. Spray all walnuts with red paint. Allow to dry thoroughly. You will need to repeat this step to ensure all sides of walnuts are covered.
Next, using green felt, cut out “leaves” for the top of your walnut. Leaves should be a rounded shape with jagged “zigzag” edges. They should be just large enough to cover top of walnut. Using gold cording, thread needle and draw into center of the rounded leaf. Draw back up and knot, leaving a lop of thread, which will be used to hang your finished ornament. The side with the knot will be the side you glue to the walnut. Glue leaves into place on top of walnuts and allow to dry.
Using craft glue, carefully take small white beads and glue onto painted walnut, spaced about a centimeter or so apart (think of a natural strawberry and don’t glue seeds too close together). It may be easiest to glue a few “seeds” on at a time and allow to dry before continuing. This will ensure they do not fall off as you finish each area of the walnut. Once the seeds are set into place, you’ve got a finished “strawberry” to hang on the tree.
Granny Mouse Ornaments
Materials:
Old pair of off-black nylons (panty-hose)
Fiber fill stuffing
Craft glue
Pink marker
Scraps of Christmas print fabrics
Needle and white thread
Tiny black beads
Tiny white beads
Miniature pairs of glasses (usually in doll section of craft store)
Miniature baskets (about 3.5-4 inches in length)
Gold cording/thread
Red spraypaint or red paint and paintbrush
Instructions:
This project is best completed in stages and many can be made at one time.
First, paint all the baskets with red paint and allow to dry. Once dry, thread gold cording through a hole in the basket weaving and form a loop that will be used to hang your finished ornament. Be sure the knot is on the inside of basket so it will be covered later on.
Next, take nylons and cut into sections 2” x 2” square. These squares become the granny mouse face/head so cut as many as you have baskets that you want to complete. Using needle and thread, stitch around edges of nylon squares (not too close to edge – you don’t want nylon to tear), then pull the ends of threads to bunch or pucker the material. Place a small amount of fiber fill stuffing into the nylon and pull the threads tight, creating a stuffed oval. Knot the threads to hold. Using your fingers, pinch a small amount of the fiber fill on the front of your oval to form a “nose.” Wrap thread around “nose” and tie tightly to hold. You should now have a small stuffed oval with a second oval/circle in the center. Using pink marker, color nose pink. Below nose, carefully stitch two tiny white beads right next to eachother – teeth for your granny mouse. Just above the nose, stitch two tiny black beads, a little bit apart from one another. Glue glasses overtop of these beads – forming eyes and eyeglasses.
Take a scrap of fabric and cut a circle about one inch larger in diameter than your granny mouse head. Hand stitch a basting stitch around the edge of this circle and pull ends of thread together to bunch fabric – do not pull all the way together or knot. Carefully place fabric over the top of granny mouse head to form a bonnet. You may place a small amount of fiber fill stuffing into the bonnet to help hold its shape. Glue into place.
Taking another scrap of material, cut a square, about 4” x 4”.
Now you are ready to assemble the mouse. Fill the basket with fiber fill. Cover with square scrap of material and glue around edges to hold in place. Place granny mouse head on top of fabric at one end of basket and glue into place. Just under granny mouse’s chin, you can glue an additional strip of scrap fabric in another print or a piece of lace/eyelet to create a blanket effect. Granny mouse is now ready to hang on your tree.
Clothespin Animal Ornaments
Materials (this list is for a chicken ornament, however, you can adjust this list after reviewing the basic instructions to make other animals):
· Non-clip clothespins (the older, one-piece style with a space between the two wooden “legs”)
· White paint and brush
· Scraps of fabric in red and green prints
· Black permanent fine tip marker
· Yellow-gold felt
· Fiber fill stuffing
· Needle and white thread
· Craft glue
Instructions:
Paint clothespin with white paint and allow to dry. Cut a one inch circle of fabric from scraps and stitch large stitches around edge; pull threads to bunch fabric to create a “bonnet.” Place a small amount of fiber fill stuffing into bonnet and place a small amount of glue on top of rounded clothespin end. Place bonnet on clothespin and tighten and knot threads to hold.
Using felt, cut a tiny triangle beak for your ornament. Glue onto clothespin about a half inch below bonnet. Use black market to make two eyes above beak. Eyes should be small and not too far apart.
Make a small apron out of scrap material. Cut a small half circle and glue onto front of chicken’s waist. If you have eyelet or rickrack handy, glue to top of apron to add detail. You can also tie a longer strand around clothespin at top of apron to form a bow in the back.
Ornaments attach to Christmas tree by sliding onto tree branch.
To create variations of this ornament, such as a cow – add black patches onto the white painted clothespin; draw a cow-style nose rather than the gold beak, and add small felt ears and horns on the side, underneath the edge of bonnet. You can also make reindeer by using a tiny red pompom nose and making antlers to place near the bonnet.
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