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It's days before Christmas, a major snow storm has hit the US Eastern coast, H1N1 is still ravaging its way around the world. For a number of reason families are spending time at home with all this pre-season excitement and anticipation about to explode a firecracker. What to do to make this year memorable and control some that pre-holiday energy? How about making a few home made ornaments to hang on your tree -or to decorate packages as unique gift tags?
This year the crafty bloggers seem be focused on three things: Advent Calendars, Wreaths and Home made ornaments. So let's look at a few of the best blogged instructions this year:
A stunningly architectural ornament - the 3D Snowflake - was taken from paper and created in felt. Betz White calls her creation the Felt Ogee Ornament:
I am in love with the curves and the "Ogee" shape of this design. It amazes me that it is created from a square and a few straight cuts. The original paper snowflake is made up of 6 of these shapes, each becoming one "arm" of the snowflake. I decided to stop at just one shape.
Staying with felted crafts,Ellen from The Long Thread created miniature thrifted trees. The new template lets you create a cute small ornament from whatever felted wool sweaters you have -cutting 15 circles and stringing them together with a bead on top. Ellen also created adorable 10-Minute Santa Ornaments with lots of suggestions for making these ornaments your own:
Ten minutes. Really. This is sort of a variation on the elf skittles that I posted about last week. But even easier. I think these would make cute additions to gifts for family, friends or teachers. The kids can help make these if you skip the glue gun and use regular school glue. You could sign them on the back and add the year. You could use even smaller wooden balls to make teeny tiny Santas. Or you can take it a step further and make a little body with chenille stems, a larger ball for the belly and beads for the arms and legs.
If you have some time on your hands you can create ornaments that will add an old-world, old-fashioned charm to a tree, wreath, hanging on a wall, or decorating a package. Stephanie from Even Cleveland shared her directions for making salt dough ornaments on Katy Elliot. I love how she added detail by simply using a red permanent marker to doodle on the top of the these.
Who can't identify with this Half-Eaten Gingerbread Man? Elsie Marley includes the free pattern and instructions in PDF form. As she says, it makes a great emergency present -or quick hostess gift.
Do you still have a pile of old CDs you no longer use? Don't need them for bird reflectors for a while? Gmoon posted a tutorial at Instructable for a CD Snowflake to make in just 5 steps.
Ashley, who normally posts at Under the Sycamore, guest blogged ideas for Smile and Wave using quilting scraps. One was to tear thin strips, twist them and glue them over clear -or even "wrong colored" glass ornaments.
Willing to let your family loose with your scrap stash? At CraftStylish, extinctdesign showed some cute scrappy fabric ornaments made simply by stacking circles of complimentary scraps, holding them together this a button and thread.
Without uttering a word, GiannyL demonstrates making glittery Ornaments from Light Bulbs.
