Do any of you make your own Christmas tree ornaments?

Please note:I know I posted this a couple days ago but there were technical difficulties and I was unable to read your comments or replies

Yes, each year I try to make at least one ornament for our tree. They are usually Tole Painted now. I used to Macrame, decoupage and use any craft that I was working on.
This year I would like to use Calligraphy. Still working on that one.
Maggie

YES! I love making those. What I've done for the past two years is scanned pictures of meaningful events, people and quotes and captions from magazines or newspapers and pasted them on varying types of spheres. I have been using a thin epoxy and spray to adhere the thin paper then tracing them with various beads, gold foil and even fabrics. After they are set, I glaze them with a spray enamel for a gloss.

This year, so far, I've gathered neices and nephews pictures and some family portraits.

The Caligraphy idea is great! Maybe, granted I can master writing that in time, would be a grand addition to a tradition that I've started here. I will start calling family members so that they can give me meaningful pics to add.

Have fun!

Sug that sounds like a terrific idea! Let me ask you all something since you are the artsy/craftsy people and I'm an idiot.

Could you (and Sug sparked this idea)cut out pics/special events, etc. like Sug said and glue them to lightbulbs? AND then put that stuff on them like we use to put on lamps back in the 60's? that stuff that coats them and seals the pic's on the lightbulbs? Then....there has to be some way to glue a hanger onto the lightbulb, no? yes? If you could do that, you could put all sorts of Christmasey stuff on the lightbulbs and even have a little tree on the side that had nothing but lightbulbs with oh...I don't know, say...ELVIS bulbs...? Gone with the Wind bulbs? Ruldolph bulbs? MEL GIBSON bulbs?

what?

JJ

Great ideas girls. I think I might do a whole tree of old family photos. Wouldn't that be fun.

JJ, you're not going to light up the lightbulbs are you? Seems like they might cause a fire. Or maybe that's just my mother talking. She was always afraid we were going to catch the Christmas tree on fire. Probably why she got one of those aluminum trees the moment they came in style--boy there's a blast from the past. Anyone remember those? Actually I thought they were pretty.

Anyway, here's an idea for you JJ. I thought my husband needed a tree for his office and he said it would be too sappy.
So I made him a JOKE tree. I gathered 'scroogy' sayings about Christmas and developed a grumpy cartoon type Santa then painted him in various silly poses on some white balls and wrote the scrooge sayings on them.
The tree was a huge hit and everyone came by to read it. (I gotta' tell you though, painting and writing on those slippery spheres was a pain. I had a lot of failures before I finally came up with enough for a whole tree. Anyone know how to make that part easier?
smile

All wonderful ideas.
JJ, people do a lot of things with light bulbs right now. Look through some of the crafts mags.
I've seen them painted, glittered and glue eye,
carrot nose to make a snowman. I bet you could decoupauge the pictures on. I believe you tie the hanger around the top of the lightbulb tie a knot there and then bring the strings together and make your hanger. I hope that makes sense.
Smile my only thought on the writing is write on something before you put it on the white ball. White paper might not show up and now they have Vellum you can put that through your printer.
Vellum is usually clear even if it is colored.
Songbird, what about your ideas.
Maggie

I go a bit crazy every Christmas and put a tree (or two!) in every room. But my favorite is the one with all the homemade ornaments. I've kept every one the children made (you know! the ones made out of beads or a felt bell with their picture in the middle?), and then I've added a lot of my own.

One really easy thing to do (you listening, Queenie?) is to take the glittery pipe cleaners. Wrap them around and around something cylindrical, and then pull them off the end. Depending on the size of whatever you wrapped them around, you have either really tight spirals or bigger ones. When you put a bunch on the tree, they look very pretty. I used all gold one year. It only takes a few minutes, especially if you use something larger to wrap them like an empty paper towel tube, longer if you use something smaller like a pencil, but either way, not THAT long for the effect.

Hmm...I wonder what my husband would think if I made one of those felt bells and put Mel Gibson's pic in it? Oh, I've got his response:

Donna

[ September 25, 2004, 09:58 PM: Message edited by: DonnaJ ]

JJ they sell really inexpensive styrafoam balls or other shapes you can glue pictures to and then coat with a lamanent to hang on your tree. They look wonderful and last forever too. You can also cover them with beads, jewels, buttons whatever strikes your fancy, I've even wrapped colored yarn around some. Fun and useful too.

hey all great ideas....and what about this? Why couldn't you take a "gem" clip, and open one end, then stick it down in the styofoam ball and then the other end hand on the tree? Would that work if you didn't have anything to heavy on the ball?

LORD! I don't believe it...I just thought of something crafty to do! yahooo....Call Home and Garden TV...I've found a new career!

JJ

I get nervous listening to you talk about crafts. Where is my creativity when it comes to this stuff?

There may be hope. I DO have a glue gun. I bought it when we were having a 50th anniversary party for my parents and my Martha Stewart sister-in-law came up with this incredible tree decoration to give to all the guests. It was lovely. All kinds of ribbons and lace with a picture of my parents on their wedding day in the middle.

All I did was follow the directions!

A huh! You've all gotten your creative juices flowing!!! Good for you all!

I was out for the family retreat and just got home a little while ago. I'm kinda tired but it was a blessing!

I've made some with crenoline (different shapes)and potpurri, decorated with whatever I have at hand.

I've done some with pinecones and decorated with ribbons, flowers. Some are spray painted and with glitter too.

I don't put up a christmas tree so these were made for sale a long time ago.

What about crocheted ornaments? There are so many ideas for those!

I have two very old faded lamp shades that I neec to redo. They are perfectly good just dirty abd need to be redone. I want to cover them with something and am going to the hobby shop to look for something. Any suggestions?

Chatty, what if you wrap them with ribbon? there are so many beautiful ribbons at Michael's. Do you have that craft store? They also have a coupon in the paper every week.

Yes, theres a Michaels not too far from me. I did find some pretty glittery yarn and it was gold glitter. I'm going to try some of that since I have lots of browns and greens already. Thanks Dot...

Hey ya'll!

I thought I'd better admit a theft. I plan on stealing every single one of these ideas this morning and posting them on my site: Frugal Christmas . I will give you credit, as well as credit to the Boomer Women board.

If you plan on pressing charges or you want them removed, please send me a note. Or have your people contact my people. (I'll let you know just as soon as I get some people.)

Well, I don't know how you can get much 'cheaper' than glittery spirals made out of pipe cleaners! lol!! unless you find stuff around your house. Then it's free! I'm excited about having a 'crafty' idea posted. I don't have all that many of them anymore.

Donna

Sher: I had sent you an email ( a while ago, when you fist asked about christmas crafts) and never knew if you received the instructions I sent.

The ones I rec'd are posted on Frugal Christmas on the sixth or seventh page of crafts. Check to make sure they are correct and that I gave you proper credit. I got some neat ones about centerpieces and stamping, etc...

If your isn't there, post it here and I'll get it on the site. I sure do appreciate you guys and your willingnes to share with me!

Sher, why don't you add the site to your signature. More people will find it that way. Just a thought...