Homemade Christmas ornaments

[FarmerChick]

I have the school ornament I hang each year.

We bent paper clips and the teacher had these melt gems(?)

but we melted the plastic squares and gooey'd them into the paper clip design. I made a big snowflake with bright fancy colors.

ugliest thing but the best!



I am a big fan of spray painting gold an silver and cranberry red on outdoor items...pine cones, berries etc. They are just fab. Alot of things I leave au natural!

 

[Homesteadmom]

We made popcorn strings & construction paper garlands when I was a kid. This yr I am going to string cranberries & popcorn with my son.

 

[FarmerChick]

HM
I never tried a cranberry string.
How do real berries stand up in the heat in the house on the tree? just wondering. Do they get mushy or anything? just don't know!

 

[Homesteadmom]

This yr will be an experiment as I have never done them either. I have seen them but never done them. I was going to get a bag of them this week from Walmart along with some cheap popcorn(don't want to use my organic for this). They are encased in a hard shell so I am hoping they will not get mushy! if they do!!!!

 

[cknmom]

My Dad used to make the old flashbulb/glitter ornaments!! In fact, I stll have one! It will be a teary time hanging it on the tree this year, as my Dad passed the end of June. In fact I'm teary eyed just thinking about it.

I am making saltdough ornaments with the grandkids this year to go in gift baskets and to send to their mom in Afghanistan. They older ones and I aren't going to cut them out, we're going to make three dimensional ones specifically for each person.

When my kids were little and we lived by the beach, we used to make paper snowflakes. I would tape them to the window and carefully spray the fake snow over them. Then I would carefully remove the paper, clean off any overspray and I would have beautiful snowy flakes. Now we live where it snows, although we usually don't have much snow until jan. & feb. Last year it snowed the day after Christmas.

We used to put popcorn strings on the trees, but the cat's ate them! Now we string them and put them on the outside trees for the birds and rabbits. We tried ONCE stringing cranberries, I love the look of popcorn and cranberries strung together. I don't know if there is a secret to it, but we had the hardest time getting the needle through the berries and we also were squirting/dripping juice, it was too hard and messy for me to do with little ones again.

When my Mom was a den mother, we (I was an unofficial part of the den, better than a babysitter) used to make the folded t.v guide things. But we used catalogs, when folded all the colorful pages really make them pretty as is. But a lot of times we would spraypaint them gold, silver, or paint a base color and add things to make santa, frosty, angels etc. I believe my Mom got the idea from Pack'o'Fun magazines for scout leaders(I know I've seen them online, I will look for it, LOTS of great cheap, recycling ideas!).

A favorite ornament I used to make as a child was to take egg cartons, cut the individual cups, put a hole in the middle, push a pipecleaner through add a bead, push through another one, add a bead... until you have about four hanging(or the length of the pipecleaner) add bead at bottom. Leave some at the top to form a lood, put ribbon through it to hang. You can leave them as is or decorate or paint or glitter them as wanted.

Monica

 

[cknmom]

When my kids were little we had no money for anything, so other than any I had from my Mom, we only had homemade ornaments on the tree. People loved how it looked with only old and handmade ornaments.

A couple of my favorites that I made were out of walnut shells.

One I glued two halves together with a ribbon looped to hang it by, then smeared glue all over the outside then stuck pulled apart cotton balls all over to make a snowball. The other I took a haf shell and painted a face on it, glued pulled apart cottonballs on the bottom for a beard, made a mustach, eyebrows, hair. Then made a pointy hat out of red felt, put a blob of cotton on top and glued it on the shell, Santa!

When I get the Christmas decorations out I will post pictures.

Monica

 

[Homesteadmom]

My Dad used to make the old flashbulb/glitter ornaments!! In fact, I stll have one! It will be a teary time hanging it on the tree this year, as my Dad passed the end of June. In fact I'm teary eyed just thinking about it.

I am making saltdough ornaments with the grandkids this year to go in gift baskets and to send to their mom in Afghanistan. They older ones and I aren't going to cut them out, we're going to make three dimensional ones specifically for each person.

When my kids were little and we lived by the beach, we used to make paper snowflakes. I would tape them to the window and carefully spray the fake snow over them. Then I would carefully remove the paper, clean off any overspray and I would have beautiful snowy flakes. Now we live where it snows, although we usually don't have much snow until jan. & feb. Last year it snowed the day after Christmas.

We used to put popcorn strings on the trees, but the cat's ate them! Now we string them and put them on the outside trees for the birds and rabbits. We tried ONCE stringing cranberries, I love the look of popcorn and cranberries strung together. I don't know if there is a secret to it, but we had the hardest time getting the needle through the berries and we also were squirting/dripping juice, it was too hard and messy for me to do with little ones again.

When my Mom was a den mother, we (I was an unofficial part of the den, better than a babysitter) used to make the folded t.v guide things. But we used catalogs, when folded all the colorful pages really make them pretty as is. But a lot of times we would spraypaint them gold, silver, or paint a base color and add things to make santa, frosty, angels etc. I believe my Mom got the idea from Pack'o'Fun magazines for scout leaders(I know I've seen them online, I will look for it, LOTS of great cheap, recycling ideas!).

A favorite ornament I used to make as a child was to take egg cartons, cut the individual cups, put a hole in the middle, push a pipecleaner through add a bead, push through another one, add a bead... until you have about four hanging(or the length of the pipecleaner) add bead at bottom. Leave some at the top to form a lood, put ribbon through it to hang. You can leave them as is or decorate or paint or glitter them as wanted.

Monica

Monica sorry to hear about your father. You will have mixed emotions this Christmas. WE lost dmil Jan 3rd, 2007 & we used her little Christmas tree last year(had a 1 yr old) so we could put it up higher & we had tears & happy thoughts of it from her house. We will use it again this yr too as dd is now 2 & into everything. We will also use some of her ornaments on it this yr. I also have a crocheted garland she made us a few yrs back that brings mixed emotions to use. But I remember that she made it with love & us in mind & heart & that helps(I have tears now too). Not hurtful but just reminded how much we miss her. Then I try to remember she is in a better place & no longer sick & hurting.

 

[cknmom]

Yes that is the most improtant thing, isn't it? Dad suffered 13 yrs with cancer, he hung on the last few days just out of pure stubborness, but was ready to go. Unfortunately no one in my family let me know that he was even in the hospital until he was in ICU with a tube in his throat so we couldn't talk, and he was so doped up he couldn't stay awake very long. But at least I saw him in June before this happened and he was still feeling okay.

Monica:

 

[poppycat]

All of my favorite ornaments are homemade. They have have come from various grandfathers, aunts, etc. I will post pictures of them a little later. Some are very elaborate.

I was thinking of trying to replicate a few to give as gifts. My favorite is a little mouse(made out of felt) sleeping in a walnut shell.

 

[Homesteadmom]

Yes that is the most improtant thing, isn't it? Dad suffered 13 yrs with cancer, he hung on the last few days just out of pure stubborness, but was ready to go. Unfortunately no one in my family let me know that he was even in the hospital until he was in ICU with a tube in his throat so we couldn't talk, and he was so doped up he couldn't stay awake very long. But at least I saw him in June before this happened and he was still feeling okay.

Monica:

Wow, that is sad. Dmil died here at home as she wanted & dh & I were right at her bedside which was very appropriate as we were here for 7 yrs taking care of her. The oldest daughter was sitting out on the front porch smoking & would not come in the house even though we told her she was slipping fast. I sometimes want to cry when I think about it, but then I remember because of me she was able to get her last desire & wish on this earth(to die at home) & then I feel good. I try to have the good thoughts more than the bad. We still honor her b'day in Oct. And the sewing machine I have now was hers, she left it to me in her will & it will always be "mother's sewing machine". Just like the barrister she left dh, we even put her bells we got & other things she had in it, back inside it after we unpacked in the new house. I will never get over missing her, but it does get a little easier as time goes by.