Christmas Notebook » Christmas

decoupaged ornaments tutorial

~~Rhonda — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:16:29 +0000

In my last post I shared some of the decoupaged ornaments I’ve made over the past few years. This post is a tutorial to explain how they’re made in case you want to try them yourself.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Clear ball ornaments

Paper

Scissors

Mod Podge (or white craft glue, mixed two parts glue to one part water)

Paint brush

Cup of water for cleaning paint brush

Paper towel or paint rag for blotting/wiping paint brush

Clear acrylic sealer

Ribbon (optional)

I use old glass ball ornaments, but you could use anything that can have paper glued to it. Craft stores have paper mache ornaments that would work. I just use what I have on hand. And old ornaments have nice toppers which give the ornament a finished look.

Because I was making ornaments with family pictures on them, I used Print Shop to compose sheets of pictures to use. Here’s one I made for ornaments made with cookie cutters. Lots of little pictures on one page.

Here’s the ornament I made from that sheet of pictures…not a decoupaged ornament, but the page I used is the same as one I would make for decoupage. Of course, you don’t have to use your own pictures. Any paper can be used, as long as it is thin enough to conform easily to the curve of the ornament. Magazine pictures, newspaper, tissue paper, napkins, printed pages from old books, etc. For inspiration, google < decoupage ornament >, click IMAGE and peruse all the possibilities.

For ornaments that require a lot of little pictures right next to one another, I start in Print Shop with a blank page, divide it into 1″ squares with guides, then import pictures. I crop the pictures to just the portion I want to use. The guides help me place the pictures right next to one another and also help me size them. I like to keep them small, not more than two inches square. Most are one inch square. Once the page is filled (pictures can be duplicated, as it won’t take an entire page to make an ornament), I print the page on regular printer paper. It’s thin enough to mold around the ornament. Heavier paper and photo paper are more difficult to shape and also leave bigger ridges under the paper when overlapped.

For an ornament that will have a large picture on it, like the ones I made of my parents’ high school pictures, I use print shop again.

I divide the blank page into two inch squares, import the pictures I want to use, crop them to circles, then put them in the two inch grid. They can be right next to one another. They will be cut on the edge, so there is no need for a margin. This way, I can get 20 picture to a page. As you can see in this sample, I duplicated photos, but each one can be different, of course, if you have that many to use.

In the same file, I have the image I used for the neutral background on the ornaments of my parents. I print a full page of it and cut it into pieces the size I need.

To begin, prepare the paper. Scissors can be used to cut the paper or the paper can be torn. For the ornaments with my parents’ pictures, I used deckle scissors to cut the paper/pictures. For this ornament, I used a decorative scallop scissor.

When the paper is cut into different sizes, snip the bits of paper all around the edge with regular scissors so they more easily form to the shape of the ornament.Here’s a picture of my Mom, snipped all the way around. When snipping pictures like this, try to cut in a way that won’t compromise the picture itself. In this instance it was pretty easy.

Sometimes the picture has parts that shouldn’t be snipped through. Try to cut so those parts are left whole. Like this example of my parents in high school. I cut between their heads and along the lines in the photo across the bottom.

Bits of clipped papers…the oval one has my parents’ names and high school graduation dates printed on the other side.

Remove the topper from the ornament and use small pieces of snipped paper to glue around the top of the ornament. Larger pieces won’t fit very well around the sharper curve of the top of the ornament.

When the topper is replaced, it will cover the top of the paper where it is pulled apart.

When gluing paper to the ornament, I first apply glue to the space to be covered, apply the paper, then glue over the top of it. I use the end of the handle of my paint brush to roll over the glued picture which helps remove air bubbles and flattens the paper. If I’m not reusing the paint brush immediately to apply more glue, I immerse it in the cup of water to keep it wet. Otherwise the glue will dry and the paint brush will be useless. Just blot the water before applying more glue to the ornament.

It’s helpful to work on more than one ornament at a time, because you can go back and forth between them, letting one dry before you continue. Some kind of holder is helpful. I use small paper cups.

When gluing down a larger piece, I apply glue from the center out, in four places, like a plus sign. Straight up and down, and across from side to side. Then I finish gluing the remaining bits down. Doing a large piece this way helps the whole piece fit more precisely.

When finished with the decoupage, I topped the ornaments with some tinsel, by hot-gluing it down around the topper. The ornaments can also be finished with ribbons.

When finished, the ornaments can be sprayed with a clear acrylic sealer to prevent tackiness.

The Graphics Fairy is an excellent source of vintage images and would be a great resource for a decoupage project.

~~Rhonda

decoupaged ornaments

~~Rhonda — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:21:12 +0000

I’ve made several different decoupaged ornaments over the past few years. I enjoy crafting them and I keep thinking of new kinds to make. Here are a few samples.

These are ornaments I made for the Christmas Notebook ornament exchange in 2006. They were decorated with pictures of our home decorated for Christmas and pictures of our family enjoying the holidays. I also used prints of vintage postcards for filler on the ornaments.

I made family ornaments for the kids in 2008. I used prints of Christmas pictures from when they were younger to cover the ornaments.

In 2008, I also made garden ornaments, using pictures of our yard and gardens.

These ornaments were made this past Christmas (2011) for a small group of women, friends of my sister, who came for an afternoon house tour. The picture was decoupaged to the back, then glitter was glued over the picture and along the edge of the ornament. You look through the ornament to see the picture.

I made ornaments for this year’s Christmas Notebook exchange using the same kind of base ornament as above. It’s a flattened glass ornament. For this one, I decoupaged on both sides of the ornament instead of just one, as above. This is the front:

And this is the back:

My side of the family has an exchange for our Christmas party, with a limit of $5. I like to make something for that, so I made two decoupaged ornaments using pictures of my parents in high school and pictures of their wedding. These went home with my youngest sister.

I’ll post directions in a day or so. ~~Rhonda

house concert 2011

~~Rhonda — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:02:46 +0000

During December, we were delighted to host Nathan George, Ross Sermons, and Mark Stoffel for the fifth year as they presented a house concert of wonderful Christmas music.

Nathan

With 62 guests, some had to find seats on the staircase, which is actually a great vantage point.

After the concert, guests had time to speak with the musicians, buy CDs and help themselves to appetizers and beverages in the kitchen.

The menu included:

Vegetable Tray with Beau Monde Dip
Three Cheese Spread with Crackers
Cheese Tray
Antipasto Platter
Chex Mix
Spicy Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce
Red and Green Seedless Grapes
Appetizer Wreath

We served Chocolate Cream Truffles, Peanut Butter Truffles and Candy Jumble on the buffet in the dining room.

Nathan, Mark and Ross always present a wonderful (and fun!) evening of worshipful Christmas music. While we host several large gatherings at Christmas, the concert is my favorite. We’re already looking forward to next year’s concert!

~~Rhonda

small group tour

~~Rhonda — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:49:51 +0000

Each year, we host a large number of people during the holiday season. The annual Christmas Open House is a big draw, as well as the house concert with Nathan George and friends. My family will be here next Sunday for our Christmas party. That’s another large group. We also host small groups from time to time. This year, we will host a house tour and dinner for eight which was an item in the local library’s fund raising auction. The dinner has been postponed due to my mother’s death, but we hope to have it soon.

This season, we also hosted another special group. Five women from my sister’s church drove about 3 1/2 hours for a tour and an afternoon of Christmas fun.

After a tour of the house, the trees, and the decorations, we gathered in the dining room for a Christmas craft. I taught the ladies how to make small gift boxes from Christmas cards. It’s an easy craft project and always a fun way to wrap a small present.

A few weeks prior to the party, I made a set of twelve ornaments showing pictures of our holiday decorating. Each guest chose the one she liked. The ornaments were made from flat glass ornaments, so they fit nicely into the crafted boxes.

Now that everyone had something to put into her Christmas card box, it was time for dessert.

Besides the truffles, Chex Mix and holiday punch, we served Ginger Cake Trifles.

Delicious! I made the same trifle in a bowl for our Christmas Day table. My entire family loved it. We had one left over after the party and DH and DD shared it.

Thanks, ladies, for coming all that way to visit our home. Genny and I had a great time and we hope you will come again!

~~Rhonda

Christmas day

~~Rhonda — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:37:34 +0000

We had a very good Christmas Day. Our son’s family came over around 1:00, and we enjoyed watching the grands open gifts. I told DDIL that it didn’t look like so many gifts when I ordered them… :-}

As our family tradition dictates, DH opened the gathering with a reading of the account of Christ’s birth from the old pulpit Bible from the Mud Creek Presbyterian Church (established in 1838 and sited where the Old Salem Cemetery is located in Washington County, IL).

Twin2 couldn’t stand it. She wanted to open presents NOW!

Stockings are always fun. Thanks to DD#2 and DD#3 for doing my stocking shopping for me this year. And I still managed to slip a few surprises into their stockings.

During the afternoon, we skyped with DS#2 and his wife. Love technology! We watched them open our gifts to them and they were able to watch us open their gifts to us.

Twin1 loved her magic wand. She walked around saying “presto!” to everything she waved her wand at.

We stopped for a “bread break.” When it’s time to form the rolls you need to stop and do it. The twins LOVE to help Ma make rolls and buns.

The twins wrapped this package for DD#1. They couldn’t agree on paper, so they used both kinds.

New situations don’t bother Amy. She was very interested in what was going on.

Anyone else get a knitted Dalek for Christmas?

All those wonderful toys and they like bubble wrap better.

We had a nice leisurely day. I enjoyed it. The grands ended up staying overnight and we were able to enjoy their company on Monday, as well.

Most of all, we rejoice in God’s great love and provision on our behalf. Thanking Him for the birth, life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

~~Rhonda

one more sleep till Christmas!

~~Rhonda — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 04:55:34 +0000

May your Christmas be bright and happy. And may you always remember the reason we celebrate.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

~~Rhonda

menu plan monday ~ December 12, 2011

~~Rhonda — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:49:30 +0000

This will be a busy week for our household. We are hosting three events. Thursday evening, Nathan George will be presenting a concert here with his friends Mark Stoffel and Ross Sermons. On Friday, ladies from my sister’s church are coming for a house tour. We’ll serve a dessert and do a Christmas craft of some kind. Saturday, my side of the family are coming for our annual family Christmas party. So looking forward to these events!

Are you feeling stressed by Christmas? Or staying focused on the reason we celebrate? I hope you’re finding this time of year to be both worshipful and joy-full!

Monday
Beef Stew

Tuesday
Baked Chicken
Rice
Steamed Carrots and Green Beans
Green Salad

Wednesday
Hamburgers on Homemade Buns
Veggies and Dip

Thursday ~ Nathan Clark George in Concert!
Appetizer Wreath
Three Cheese Spread with Pita Chips
Spicy Meatballs in Cranberry Sauce
Antipasto Platter
Cheese Cubes / Olives / Sweet Pickles
Veggie Tray with Beau Monde Dip
Chex Mix
Red and Green Grapes
Candy Jumble
Chocolate Creams
Peanut Butter Truffles

Friday ~ Church Ladies House Tour
Dessert
Spiced Cranberry Punch / Coffee

Supper ~ Golden Nectar Soup

Saturday ~ Family Christmas Party
We’ll provide the meat, buns and drinks and the family will bring everything else.
Alton Brown’s Pot Roast for Sandwiches
Spicy Shredded Pork for Sandwiches
Homemade Buns
Green Salad / Dressing
Veggies and Dip
Fruit Salad
Cheese Spread / Crackers
Desserts
Coffee / Tea / Lemonade

Sunday
Leftovers and a nap!

You’ll find more holiday menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

sprinkles, haircuts and snowflakes

~~Rhonda — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:26:27 +0000

The week before Thanksgiving, the twins stayed over night on Tuesday, so they could get haircuts on Wednesday morning. My friend comes by the house to trim our hair and she was happy to do the twins, too. Before she arrived, the twins had breakfast. Pancakes with sprinkles…

“Pink’s my favorite!”

“I like blue.”

Sprinkles on toast are good, too. I said “smile” so she did.

On to haircuts. She kept repeating, “I don’t like a haircut. I don’t like a haircut.” But she sat still and did a great job.

Sister did well, too.

Then we cleaned up.

When haircuts were done, we got down to business. Time to hang the snowflakes in the kitchen! Twelve foot ceilings give us room to suspend three to four foot mirrored garlands with large snowflakes suspended from them. It’s always a hit with our guests.

It was fun to do this with the twins this year. And they LOVE to help! Everything is a big adventure for them. Every time we open another box of decorations, they say “Is this Christmas!?”

Twin2 was fascinated by the mirrored garland and kept trying to see herself in the little mirrors. Don’t you love her hat?

Pa’s little helper.

Mission accomplished!

It’s wonderful to have our son’s family nearby. It’s still odd to hear his voice calling “Mom?” when he pops in to say hi while in town on an errand. There’s a split second when I don’t remember he lives here now! And having the grands over for bits of every day life is great! It adds a lot of joy to our life!

~~Rhonda

thrifted Christmas display box

~~Rhonda — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 22:02:39 +0000

My sister found this great box at a thrift store. I plan to fill it with Christmas items. A lot of these are thrifted. Some were picked up around the house from Christmas trees or from the boxes of Christmas decorations we have on hand. The tiny copper cookie cutters were in the kitchen pantry with my other cookie cutters. The picture for the little frame was cut from a Christmas card.

I expect to add to and edit this display over the years, making it better every year. This is just the first step. It will be fun to keep an eye out for little things that will work in this box.

~~Rhonda

tutorial…wrapping framed pictures as gifts

~~Rhonda — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 23:54:18 +0000

Each Christmas, I wrap the kids’ baby pictures as gifts. Usually with coordinating gift wrap paper. I saw this idea in an Olan Mills Photography studio years ago (25?) when I went with my friend Linda to have her children’s pictures taken at Christmas time. I began wrapping my own pictures then and have done it ever since.

I took the following picture in 2002, so DD must have been almost four years old. Time flies!

A few years ago, I took pictures of the process, so I’ll walk you through it, if you’d like to give this cute project a try. Not hard to do on your own, but I may be able to provide a few hints to make it easier. The pictures are a combination of pics from 2002 and 2009.

Supplies needed: a framed photo, wrapping paper, ribbon (or a bow), tape, scissors, a rotary cutter or craft knife, and a pencil. I like to use a fabric ribbon, but any kind of ribbon will work.

Lay the picture face down on the back of the wrapping paper. Check to be sure the pattern of the paper is running in the direction you want it to. I’ve wrapped pictures, cut them open, and discovered I wrapped them upside down. Ooops.

Overlap the paper on the back of the photo frame. Tape it down. I usually tape it in the middle and near the edge of the frame.

If the paper is too long, trim it so there is about five inches extra paper on the top and the bottom of the frame.

Fold the corners so the paper is close to the frame. If the paper is thin, it may tear as it’s pulled against the corner. If I think it may tear, I place a piece of tape on the paper at the corner before I fold the paper to reinforce it. If the paper does tear, open the fold, carefully place a piece of tape over the tear and refold. No one will notice the repair.

When the corners are folded, I tape the folded paper to the back just to keep everything neat and tight. Right where my thumb is in the above picture.

Fold the ends up and tape the paper to the back of the frame.

When both ends of the frame have been wrapped and taped, feel along the top of the frame for the hanging device. If you’ve forgotten which way the picture is hanging, don’t worry! You’ll be able to feel the metal hanging strip through the paper.

Use the rotary cutter to slice through the paper, along the bottom of the metal strip, until the hanger shows through. Cut the paper just enough to hang the picture.

Wrap ribbon around opposite corners of the frame.

Tape the ribbon to the back of the package. Use a hot glue gun if the tape won’t hold it. It will depend on the kind of paper and ribbon you use. Some foils will not hold tape well.

The next procedure is to make an X-shaped cut through the paper on the front. Use the rotary cutter (or an X-acto knife) to carefully make a slit in the paper on the front of the frame. Stay over the glass so you don’t scratch the frame. Rock the blade back and forth with gentle pressure, until the slit is large enough to admit the scissors. Use a sharp cutter. You don’t want to push so hard that you scratch the glass.

When the scissors will fit into the slit, use them to cut the X from corner to corner. I don’t go all the way to the edge. If there is an oval mat on the picture, cut from the center to the edge of the mat.

After cutting the X, use the scissors to cut each of the four sections in half, from the top of the picture to the bottom and from side to side.

Each of the points will be curled back to make the curls around the picture. These can be taped down with a little bit of tape.

If the paper is heavy enough, it will hold the curl without tape. If you’re using a heavy paper, wrap the paper around a pencil from the point to the bottom of the triangular piece, turning it in as far as it can go. Release and the curl will stay in place.

All done!

Hang and enjoy!

2009

2002

2007

2005

2010

Tell those babies they are the best presents you ever received! Mine are now 13, 24, 27, 30, and 32. I still tell them that.

~~Rhonda