Showing posts with label Christmas tree ornaments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas tree ornaments. Show all posts

Christmas Ornaments: Stuffed Paper Gnome

Stuffed paper gnome, with lazy eyes

      This little Christmas gnome can be made from paper or felt. I sold 500 of these one year for a dollar a piece to a retailer. I think the majority of these were stuffed with tissue but I can't recall. These ornaments would be much nicer stuffed with sawdust.

More Gnomes to Enjoy:
Pinecone Santa Gnomes – ornament tutorial
Whittle your own Christmas Gnome
Bob Easton’s Wood Carvings of Gnomes
Lots of little Gnomes to look here
Felted Elf Ornament
Needle Felted Gnome Ornaments
Barefoot Santas!

gnome Santa pattern


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Christmas Ornaments: Beaded Star


Pattern made from an antique Czech version
      This is one of many beaded ornaments I have reproduced from antique, Czech, mercury glass ornaments. Becuase my husband is not fond of tinsel on the tree, I have always tried to craft a few ornaments that add a little "bling" to the branches. Antique glass ornaments are very costly so if you can not afford to collect them, just make newer versions.

More pictures and links to mercury glass ornaments and beads:
Vintage mercury glass bead reproductions
Big City, Little Tree by Eddie Ross
Mercury Glass, pastel ornaments
Leftovers (Not Turkey) from The Very Vintage Christmas Blog
Patriotic mercury glass ornaments!

pattern for wire shape

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Christmas Ornaments: A Tea-Dyed Santa

Tea-Dyed Santa
  I made this Santa ornament with old brown velvet, a molded clay mask, tea-dyed batting, rabbit fur and a tiny bottle brush tree. 

How to dye materials with Tea:

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Christmas Ornaments: Beaded Cross


   I made a series of ornaments based upon Czech, antique, beaded ornaments one Christmas. I have posted the pattern for this cross (left) below. Simply print and bend the wire to match the pattern.

Links to Reproductions and Collectables of Czech Beaded Ornaments:
Czech BeadedOrnaments 
CzechRepublic Pattern “Merry Melody”
BeadedMercury Glass Ornaments
DiamondShape
Beaded StarBell
Czech BeadChristmas Ornaments, Reproductions

1inch =1 squre, cross pattern


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Christmas Ornaments: Old Socks


   We have many sock snow people in our Christmas collection. Creating these playful little dolls is both a fun and easy way to use up odds and ends around the house. Every sock looses it's mate anyway, you might as well stuff the loner and tie it to the tree! 

How to make sock snowmen:
Muslin and sock snowman
Tube Sock Snowman
Sock Snowmen
cozy holiday snowman!
Baby Sock Snowman


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Christmas Ornaments: Nostalgic

Nostalgic bear and tree ornaments made from felt
"Better Homes and Gardens is the fourth best selling magazine in the United States. The editor in Chief is Gayle Butler. Better Homes and Gardens focuses on interests regarding homes, cooking, gardening, crafts, healthy living, decorating, and entertaining. The magazine is published 12 times per year by the Meredith Corporation. It was founded in 1922 by Edwin Meredith, who had previously been the United States Secretary of Agriculture under Woodrow Wilson." (Wikipedia)

      Twenty years ago, on the day of my wedding shower, my mother-in-law gave to me an old shoebox. Inside of it were carefully wrapped ornaments that my husband had either collected or crafted as a child. These two felt ornaments are from that shoebox collection. He remembers crafting the felt tree as a boy. The bear was purchased at a store. I hang these every year on one of our many Christmas trees.

Links to Nostalgic Pop Christmas Culture – magazine pages:
Curly Wurly
Retro Christmas Crafts: Ornaments From Recycled Egg Cartons
Virtual Advent Calendar Day 9: Plastic Toy Wreath
Christmas Hope and/or Disappointment
15 December 1955 “Feeling Better, Checking In”
It’s the Modern Kiddo Ornament Party! Featuring Kristin of klt:works!


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Christmas Ornaments: Lucky Bird's Nests

Old German Traditions
       My mother-in-law always kept a real bird's nests in at least one of her Christmas trees, usually the live tree on her back screened-in-porch. She believed that it would bring her money in the following year. She wasn't really superstitious; she just liked to pretend to be superstitious. I know, it sounds strange but many old customs seem strange. As long as those customs are harmless, I think that it is fun to keep them. Bird nests in a Christmas tree are kind of like fortune cookies. Everybody hopes that they bring good luck but, we all know that it makes no difference in the end.  
      The first year that my husband and I were married, we found an abandoned nest in a tree during a fall walk. He climbed that tree to retrieve it for our first Christmas holiday decorating party. It was very romantic! So, every year I put some type of bird's nest in our Christmas tree for luck. We are still poor, though, even after all of our annual efforts to add one of these lovely nests to our Christmas displays. 
      If you are going to add a real nest to your tree, make sure that it has been abandoned. If you collect the nest during a warm month, seal it for a few weeks inside a airtight plastic bag along with a mothball or two. This will kill any insect eggs that happen to be inside the nest. Moving a nest into your home during a warm month will cause those little pesky critters to hatch inside your house! If you find the nest in winter, after the first frost, the insects should be dead.

About birds' nesting in Christmas trees:
I Have a Real Bird’s Nest in My Christmas Tree
Miniature Birds Nest Made of Felt
Nature finds a way!
A unique blue bird’s nest

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Christmas Ornaments: Knitted Stocking, Crocheted Snowman


Traditional knit snowman and crocheted stocking with bell
      I keep a few old-fashioned knit and crocheted ornaments in our collection. I find these ordinary things somehow comforting. I imagine that they were made by a little old lady for a church bazaar or by some small child who was beginning to learn how to knit. These are the kinds of ornaments that people sell at a garage sales for a nickel. Their value is primarily about sentiment and attachment to those items that are handmade on a wintery night by someone's grandmother or great aunt.

More links to knitted and crocheted ornaments:
Christmas Light Advent Calendar Pattern from Reeves Farm
A Handmade Christmas – Part 1
Crochet Pattern – Christmas Ornaments – 1
Crocheted Mushroom, version 2
Chubby Gnomes
Free Knitted Santa Hat Christmas Ornament Pattern

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Christmas Ornaments: Gourd Snowmen


Snowmen made from gourds
      Pictured are some simple gourd snowmen that have hung on our family trees for many years. They look a little weather-beaten now. I made the facial features, carrots, coal eyes etc... from Sculpty. Their scarves are paper and their knit capes are recycled baby socks. I added a bit of white glitter and dry brushed watered-down acrylic white paint to create the snowy patina on my gourds. I prefer this "antiqued" look to solid white paint.

Gourds Reformed For Christmas Agenda:
Festive Gourd Ornaments and Baubles
Hispanic Christmas Decorations, “El Pesebre” Nativity In Gourd
Shelley’s Gourd Art
Peruvian Gourd Nativity, Wow.

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Christmas Ornaments: Needlework Angel




Needlework angel on black canvas


      This needlework Christmas ornament was made by my oldest daughter. She used a lovely pattern from The Prairie Schooler. (Book No. 42) I need to add some fancy trim to it sometime.


More Links To Christmas Needlepoint:
Vellus – a FreeNeedlepoint Pattern
MiniatureCross Stitch Folk Art Christmas Ornaments
Littlehouses, a mystery, and fiber jewelry
Folk Artfrom Hungry
ChristmasSayings Ornaments
Browse themany project samples by “artisticneedle finishing”

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Christmas Ornaments: Papier-mâché Pulp Snowman




Not all snowmen are happy






      I made this little papier-mâché, pulp snowman many years ago. He wears a tiny felt, beaded Christmas tree for a hat and his arms are actual twigs. He is frowning because the tree keeps lopping over his head!



Find less tragic results:
Snowmen andqueen pins

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Christmas Ornaments: A Tiny Teddy Bear




Steiff lives happily ever-after.




      A very tiny teddy bear hung for many years on the tree of my husband's great aunt. She is an extraordinary poet, which hasn't much to do with this ornament, but, I always think of her writing whenever I hold this little fella. After she moved to a very small apartment, she gave me a box of miniature ornaments to keep in my basement. Unfortunately, I discovered that most of her ornaments were destroyed by nesting mice. This little gold bear (left) was one of the few survivors. Just a few years ago, this great aunt's daughter saw the bear on our tree and laughed with delight and said, "I think he is happier with your collection; no mice are allowed in the storage bins."



Find more miniature Steiff toys: 
VelvetSteiff frogs with glass eyes 

“My SteiffLife” blog 

New SteiffsAt The Toy Shoppe 

The TeddyBear Museum

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