If you open that box of Christmas tree ornaments, reminiscences of all of the delights of the season come popping out. All of your decorations, especially the handmade ones, can embody warm personal messages. Who doesn't have a collection of special ones-your child's hand print in plaster, a glued macaroni star, or an elegant hand-sewn Santa? Making your own ornaments offers you the pleasure of creation, lasting decorations on your tree, and treasured items for friends.

All ages, from kids to grandmas, will discover pleasure in making their own ornaments. Children like to use straightforward, quick materials and strategies to make ornaments. Artists use their more technical skills to make them from blown, fused, or stained glass; engraved gold or silver metals; modeled and fired clay; or carved wood. The sksick level required for most projects in this book fits in between. They give attention to readily available supplies and show doable techniques.

Christmas is celebrated in many lands and many ways. Knowing some of this lore makes the theme of every Christmas ornament more interesting. A few of these traditions are historical ones that embrace such icons as evergreen timber, wreaths, mistletoe, candles, bells, and holly. Some feature non secular symbols corresponding to creches, angels, and guiding stars. Others show more current themes similar to Santa's, stockings, toys, gingerbread houses, and elves. No ornament form is more enduring than colorful balls in lots of styles, and none symbolizes Christmas more than a star on high of the tree.

Alongside with these bits of traditional lore, you may discover full-coloration photos of every ornament, lists of materials, patterns, illustrations, and instructions to make them. So gather your box of provides-beads, ribbons, fabrics, chenille stems, sequins, and shiny papers-and let's begins.

Tips for making ornaments

Ornaments, by their nature, are fragile. At our house, a few of those exquisite glass balls explode on the hard floor every year. The delicate ones are like flowers, meant to bloom a brief while and then fade. Yet when packed away with care, even fragile ornaments, together with your hand-made treasures, can last for years and years.

Choose lightweight, but sturdy supplies to assemble your ornaments. Heavy ornaments will cause tree limbs to sag. Ornaments which might be too fragile won't survive until subsequent season. For example, the folded Christmas tree may be made from a wide range of papers, thin sheets of plastic, or even stiff fabric.

Store your ornaments in sturdy boxes. If you will discover them, use particular boxes with dividers. Wrap the delicate ornaments in tissue paper and pack them in these separate compartments. Over the summer, make sure your ornaments are stored away from excessive heat or dampness.

You can leave the lights and ornaments on an artificial tree, if in case you have a place to store it. In that case, you'll want to bend the hooks closed, each on the ornaments and the limbs, and wrap the tree in a large plastic bag to store (available for live tree disposal). Move the tree back in place next 12 months, and add some new contact, similar to a wire-edged ribbon or special new ornaments. New concepts hit the store shelves each holiday season.

Select the proper kinds of glue and paint for the materials you are working with (product labels will list this data). For instance, some beads will require sizzling jewelry glue, and Shrink Dinks plastic needs waterproof paint or pencils. On your ornament making session, accumulate ornament supplies from in every single place-sweet ribbons, costume jewelry, artwork papers, and on craft store safaris.

Include family and associates in making these small decorative projects. Part of the joy of Christmas is being with individuals you love. Another half is giving gifts; and the ornaments you make might be fine gifts.

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