If you were with us last year, you may remember that we suggested getting a group of friends or family members together for an evening of ornament- and merry-making, and here again is our “Five Ornaments in an Evening” column – the 2006 edition.
The felted ornaments and scent blocks will take the most time – about a half-hour to 45 minutes each – but the light bulbs, bird nests and filled glass ornaments can be finished in half an hour or less. We recommend beginning with the light bulbs, as they are painted and need drying time, but of course you can always paint them a day or two before the ornament evening as well.
Bird nests
Materials: Small bird nests, tiny birds, moss and other fillers, hot glue gun.
Fill little bird nests with pretty bird figures and other embellishments. We used tiny, sparkly pompoms and curled-up pipe cleaners in ours, but you can use birds’ eggs, moss and silk leaves and flowers as well. Simply place the items in the nest as desired and glue in place. Run a length of ribbon through the top of the nest to form a hanger.
Kitsch light bulbs
Materials: Old light bulbs, craft paint, brushes, decoupage medium, yarn or ribbon, seasonal embellishments (optional).
This one was taken from a great little book titled “The Craftster Guide to Nifty, Thrifty and Kitschy Crafts: Fifty Fabulous Projects from the Fifties and Sixties,” which we featured in a column earlier this year. All you do is paint a light bulb with craft paint, let it dry, apply a coat of decoupage medium (to protect the paint) and add a yarn or ribbon hanger. We added a little bit of yarn fringe, but you can embellish your bulbs as much as you like.
Filled glass balls
Materials: Clear glass ornaments, fillers and seasonal embellishments (optional).
We used a variety of materials (from left to right in our photo): shredded cellophane, popcorn, mini pompoms, a sparkly ribbon and crumpled cellophane combo, and crumpled holly berry wrapping paper. To make the popcorn ornament, place 15 or 20 popcorn kernels in a clear glass ornament (remove the metal cap and hanger), place it in the microwave for about 1 minute (actual time will vary depending on your oven) until the corn pops, let it cool a few minutes, shake out any unpopped kernels and replace the metal cap.
Felted spheres
Materials: Leftover fiber, felting needles and needle holder, Styrofoam balls (optional), decorative ribbon, jingle bells, long sewing needle, pliers.
Using leftover fiber, form round ornaments by punching a ball of fiber repeatedly with felting needles. Mix several colors of fiber together before the felting process for a marbled look (see our red and white sample in the photo), or apply the colors in layers as desired . Use a very long sewing needle to run a length of thread or ribbon through the ball to form a hanger. Run the thread through the ball once, add a bell on one side, then run the thread back through the ball and tie it off to form a loop.
Scent blocks
Materials: Plastic canvas, yarn, potpourri, needle.
Cut six squares of equal size out of plastic canvas. Keep them smallish – no more than 2 or 3 inches wide. Using yarn, ribbon, or even fine netting, use random needlepoint stitches to cover each square, then join them into a block by sewing up the sides with a whip stitch. Before you close up the final side, fill the center with potpourri. Add a hanger by running a length of yarn or ribbon through one corner to form a loop.
Note: You may remember the felted spheres and scent blocks from our Nov. 26 and Dec. 3 columns, respectively. We’ve shortened the instructions because of space limitations. but if you need the complete instructions for either project, please refer to the original columns, or feel free to drop us an e-mail at jrocoffin@aol.com and we’ll be happy to help you out.
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