I found this three pack of glass heart ornaments at IKEA for $5.99.  Boy, did that get my holiday spirit in full swing!  It was tough to limit myself to one package…but,  I did.  My initial intent was to monogram an initial on the front…very simple, very elegant.  But, I ended up changing my mind as I got going.

First off, I removed the ribbons – red and white gingham is just not my thing… I decided to use some scraps of paper I had with some (French?) writing…it seemed romantic and the perfect thing to combine with a heart.  I cut the paper to the size of the heart.  I then brushed Mod Podge on the right side of the paper and adhered it to the glass.  When it dried, I wrote my (romantic) message on the back with a super fine permanent marker and brushed Mod Podge over it to protect it.

Next, I embellished the heart with a little key and some sparkle.  There are many ways to go with decorative touches, but I thought the key went so well with the heart and the romantic theme.  I used old twine to tie the key onto the ornament and used my glue gun to add a little piece of glittery twig.

A photo of my completed ornament crafted from an IKEA glass heart ornament.

Lastly, I tied on my own piece of ribbon to replace the gingham.  I have plenty of various ribbons, but I really liked the look of the seam binding…it is actually white seam binding that I had coffee stained to look less white and more ‘antiquey’.  That’s it!

For the second heart, I also decided to use paper with script writing.  For the third, I used an old book page that I first rubber stamped with a crown.

There are so many ways to adorn these beautiful (and affordable!) glass hearts, and making ornaments is a great way to use scraps of paper and ribbon you may have left over from other projects.  Nostalgic black and white photographs would also work really well.  Wouldn’t these ornaments also make great shower or wedding favors?  Or, to give as a great ‘first home’ or ‘first holiday together’ ornament?

This is just one of the many ways to use this item…and there are many more great items for holiday gift creations at IKEA.  I have a few more IKEA projects in mind.  If you live near an IKEA, I suggest a trip…it will definitely spark some creative ideas!  I hope you enjoyed this ornament diy.  This is my first official ornament creation for 2012!

Thanks so much for visiting!  Take pleasure in simple things, Jackie