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Tag: christmas ornament


polar bear ornament

21
April

polar bear

I have been working on Christmas ornaments for a while now.  Mostly because I had all the supplies to do so.  With the recent snow in Connecticut, it actually seemed appropriate to be working on Christmas ornaments this past week!

But I think it is time I mixed things up!  So, this will be the last post on ornaments until Christmas is actually approaching!

I worked on two more designs since my last post.  First, I did a bunch of initial ornaments – they are always fun to attach to packages or stockings and second, I completed a celebration of polar bears!

3 step polar bear

Yes, a celebration is what you call a group of polar bears!

Since I was using black and white paint, I decided either a penguin or a polar bear would work best for a Christmas animal ornament.  I like polar bears better than penguins!   (You may remember I had crafted a polar bear Easter egg in a past post.)  And, a polar bear provides a great graphic – using only a few simple shapes!

starting a painted polar bear ornament

That’s it for ornaments for a while!

My next project will be a little more appropriate to the season!

polar bear tree ornament

Thanks for stopping by!

Take pleasure in simple things and stay healthy, Jackie

2 comments » | diy, holiday

diy tree in a bottle xmas ornament

11
November

tree in a bottle ornament pleasure in simple things

Yes, I have admitted I am going through a little bit of a bottle obsession phase of late…creating holiday décor with little bottles has been really fun! Today, I am sharing a really easy DIY ‘tree in bottle’ Christmas ornament.

supplies for making a tree in the bottle ornament plesure in simple things blog

Like these Thanksgiving place card holders I shared, I used miniature bottles to create these tree ornaments. I have added a little ‘snow,’ and a miniature tree inside the corked bottle to create the cutest ornament!

supplies for a DIY tree in a bottle ornament pleasure in simple things blog

The little bottles and trees are easy to find in a craft or dollar store. I chose a natural colored bottle brush tree for my creation since I have a passion for neutrals. For the ‘snow,’ use your favorite glitter, salt, or artificial snow.

DIY holiday ornament pleasure in simple things blog

To be able to hang the ornament, I screwed a tiny screw eye into the cork and added a length of brown and white baker’s twine. (The screw eyes are easy to find in the hardware section of your local Home Depot – you can buy a package and will have enough to make several ornaments.)

tree in a bottle ornament pleasure in simple things blog

That, my friends, is it! Easy, right? And, so cute!

pleasure in simple things blog tree in a bottle ornament

I hope you enjoyed today’s easy Christmas ornament DIY.

Thanks so much for stopping by and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing with The Shabby Nest, Sand & Sisal, and Thoughts from Alice.

Comments Off on diy tree in a bottle xmas ornament | diy, holiday, inspiration

brown bag tree ornaments

17
December

paper bag treat ornaments

I enjoy making treat containers using brown paper.

You have seen some of my brown bag creations for holidays in the past.

For Christmas, it is easy to use the same premise to transform brown bags into tree ornaments.

borwn bag tree ornaments

Using holiday bags is a fun and festive way to recycle!  (Click here to see other items you can create from brown bags.)

Many stores imprint their bags with a holiday motif at this time of year – my favorites are the ones from Trader Joes…such fun patterns!  They also happen to tie in well with my woodland theme this year. :)

I simply sew two pieces of brown paper together – stopping to fill them with treats before sealing them completely.

paper bag ornaments

I use a sewing machine, but they can just as easily be sewed by hand.  (Colorful embroidery thread works well.)

If desired, shapes can be created to fit your theme – doves, angels, snowmen,bells, trees, etc. are all possibilities.

paper bag ornament

Try this festive way to repurpose brown bags.  If you prefer not to enclose edible items, batting or cotton balls can be used to ‘stuff’  the ornament.

I hope you are enjoying your holiday preparations…remember to take pleasure in simple things…

Thanks so much for stopping by, Jackie

Comments Off on brown bag tree ornaments | diy, holiday

diy ornament from ikea heart

13
November

diy ornament

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.

ikea ornament

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.

diy ornament

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.

diy ornament

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!

diy ornament

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.

diy ornament

 

diy ornament

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?

diy 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!

diy ornament

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

3 comments » | diy

     

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