| Christmas Crafts |
| I saw one of these ball wreaths in a store and they wanted $20 for it, but I figured I could make it myself for less and I was right. I found shiny plastic Christmas ornaments at a local discount store in several different colors and just glued them to an MDF craft wreath with hot glue. I used a plastic beaded garland for the hanger. I only spent about $6-$7 and I have some left to make something else or to use on my tree. You can use the same concept with Easter eggs or Valentine hearts. The options are endless. |
| In 2004, I was into making lighted glass blocks and decided to do the same with this glass snowman I found. First you need to drill a 1-1/2" size hole in the bottom with a diamond studded hole saw. Then I decoupaged tissue paper on the inside of the container in the spots for his eyes, buttons, hat and scarf, staying within the lines on the glass. After that dried, I sprayed the inside with an adhesive and sprinkled white glitter on the inside until the entire body was covered. After that dried, I sprayed an acrylic sealer on the glitter. After several days of drying, I inserted a strand of 20 lights into the bottom of the hole and strung them up into his hat as well as his body. I glued on some flat marbles for feet to allow room for the cord. I have not had any problems with the lights overheating the paper or glitter, but I would not recommend leaving this plugged in unattended, because you just never know. |
| These first ornaments are made by swirling paint inside them. First you need to clean the inside of the glass with either rubbing alcohol or a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water. Sit them upside down in a cup so they can drain and completely dry. Once they are dry, put a small squirt of paint inside and swirl it around. Continue with different colors until you get the effect that you want. Turn the bulbs upside down in a cup and the excess paint will |
Tip: Use a pencil or dowel to support the ball during drying time by placing the dowel in craft foam or a small vase.
| I saw these ornaments on the Carol Duvall show. HGTV seems to have removed the original link to the how to instructions. Basically, you print a picture on a piece of transparency paper, cut it out (in a circle shape), roll it up on a pencil and slide it into the ornament where it will open up and fill the inside of the ball. |
| Tips: For a 4" ornament, you can get four images on a page. Always print them out on a test page of plain paper first and make sure that when you cut them out the circles don't overlap each other. Stained glass style images work great as do images with simple designs and bright colors. Dark colors tend to blend together too much. Remember if the image is white, it will be clear on the transparency paper. Choose a paper that is appropriate for your style printer (inkjet or laser). This special paper can be found in bulk at office supply stores, but I found smaller packages online through amazon.com. A small amount of glitter or fake snow can be added to the inside. A little hot glue can be used to seal the opening at the hanger so the snow or glitter doesn't come out. |
These paper Christmas
ornaments are made from
recycled Christmas cards.
See how I made them
here.
ornaments are made from
recycled Christmas cards.
See how I made them
here.
I needed a manger for the new nativity I
recently purchased, so Gary surprised me with
this one. It's absolutely perfect and exactly
what I wanted. He thinks he should have made
it a little taller, but I think it's the perfect size (it
will fit in the box the nativity came in).
recently purchased, so Gary surprised me with
this one. It's absolutely perfect and exactly
what I wanted. He thinks he should have made
it a little taller, but I think it's the perfect size (it
will fit in the box the nativity came in).
| Can you guess what the roof is made out of? |
| The roof is covered with straw from a broom. |
| These bells were made for Christmas 2007 and I really like how they turned out. The one on the top far left was painted like the glass balls at the top of the page, but the remaining five were decoupaged with tissue paper. |
| Stained glass stars that can be used for sun catchers as well as Christmas ornaments |
My latest venture is stained glass using the copper foil
technique. It just seemed like a natural progression
from mosaics, although many artists start with stained
glass and then progress to mosaics because they have
so many scraps, but of course, I rarely take the logical
route...LOL. I will probably start a new stained glass
page as I make more projects.
technique. It just seemed like a natural progression
from mosaics, although many artists start with stained
glass and then progress to mosaics because they have
so many scraps, but of course, I rarely take the logical
route...LOL. I will probably start a new stained glass
page as I make more projects.
| Basic Salt Dough Recipe |
| You can probably find more variations on the Internet. |
Ingredients
4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1-1/2 cups hot water (from tap)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil (optional)
4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1-1/2 cups hot water (from tap)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil (optional)
| Mix the salt and flour together, then gradually add the water until the dough becomes elastic. Once the water is mixed with the dry ingredients add your vegetable oil. This will make a smoother dough, but is not necessary. If your mixture turns out too sticky, add more flour. If it turns out too crumbly, add more water. Knead the dough until it feels smooth. You'll know it's ready when you can pull and stretch the dough a little ways before it breaks. If you are not sure if it's done, knead it a little longer. I probably kneaded this dough between 7-10 minutes before it felt "done". If you want colored dough, mix food coloring or paint into the water before adding it to the dry ingredients. Or you can simply paint them after they have been baked in the oven....again about 2-3 hours at 200 degrees or less. Wear rubber gloves when using dyes so you don't stain your hands. You can store your salt dough in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a day or two, but it is best to use at the time you make it. Dough will need to reach room temperature and be kneaded again to reach a smooth consistency. |
| The ornaments below are made by putting sticker shapes on the ornament and then spraying them with "Stained Glass" paint. Once they are dry, peal off the stickers and then spray with a Frosted Paint. Very easy. |
| These ornaments are made by putting beads on chenille stems. |
Heat Transfer Ornaments - Learn about the technique
here.
here.
| Last Updated on March 6, 2010 |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Visit our blog!
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
