The inspiration for this easy holiday project came to me in a dream. I know, I know...that sounds like an elaborate and somewhat ridiculous setup for a blog post, but it's true, in this case. Sparing you the details, I'll just share the effect- in which I woke up a few days ago, and immediately felt compelled to Google "sparkly OR glitter platypus ornament". No results. Surprised?
At some point that day, I decided I couldn't bear to live in a world where there were glittery platypus ornaments didn't exist. So, I figured I'd have to make one myself.
First I thought, "Stencil?" No, not nearly as cool. "Paint it on a bulb?" Nope, don't trust my drawing skills enough. So, I headed to the craft store, and, to my surprise...there it was. A plastic toy platypus. And a shark, rhino, pig, octopus, and stegosaurus. Merry Christmas to Me.
Tools and Materials
Plastic animals - check your local toy or craft store. I scored mine at Michael's for 40% off each!
Small screw eyelets
Electric drill and small drill bits
Colored spray paint - I used Krylon Dual paint and primer in one, very helpful with the smooth surface of the plastic animals
Krylon Glitterblast paint - I used "Cherry Bomb," "Posh Pink," "Lucky Green," and "Sparkling Waters"
Krylon Glitterblast clear sealer
String, embroidery floss, or ornament hooks
1. Remove any tags and stickers from your animals, then use some soap and water to clean off any craft or toy store grime, so that the paint will adhere well.
2. Begin by drilling a hole that's a bit small than your screw eyelet into the back of your creature. (Or the head, or whatever makes sense. That sounds more violent than it is.) Try to drill in the center of piece's weight, as opposed to it's length, so that the creature will hang evenly.
3. Use your fingers to screw in the eyelet, turning the animal onto the threads.
4. Give the whole thing a solid basecoat of colored primer or paint. Since the Glitterblast is (understandably) a bit more pricey than normal spray paint, its a great way to get a deep saturated color without using too much of the sparkly stuff. I hung mine from the eyelet from some monofilament/fishing line, using a loose knot to prevent the thread from blocking the paint.
5. Allow to dry, and cover with Glitterblast. Be sure to shake the can for a full two minutes, then use short spurts of sparkle to cover the whole thing - back, front, and belly.
Then, give it a coat of Glitterblast clear sealer, which'll keep the sparkle on your critters and off your Christmas tree.
There you go. My dreams have literally come true. And that's what the holiday season is all about. :)
Are you ready to start the countdown?! Come December 1st, it's time to break out the advent calendars and find a little surprise every day as you count town toward Christmas. Advent calendars were a staple of my childhood, so I still try to make a DIY advent calendar every year to make the countdown more fun! This time, I used plastic fill-able ornaments to make a hanging ornament advent calendar that's easy to open and reveal a candy or small trinket inside (my parents often used to use give my pennies). With a variety of sizes and colors, you can use materials that fit your style and hang it anywhere in your home for a Christmas decoration that's functional and FUN!
I know people love to mock Millennials for our devotion to avocado toast, but I have no problem admitting that it's one of my favorite breakfasts (and snacks). If you have anyone on your Christmas list who is a fellow avocado-toast-lover, this might be the perfect handmade gift for them.
If you've ever been inspired by try a whole new color scheme or style in your Christmas decor, you may have been deterred by the fact that you'd have to replace all of the ornaments you already have. But with a little paint, you can give your ornaments a makeover, saving cash and keeping your old decor out of the landfill. Here's how I gave some glass bulbs a new look, three different ways.
I love making ornaments for our Christmas tree every holiday season, and this year I decided to go a bit contemporary with my design... click through to find out how to make these minimalist acrylic hand lettered ornaments and to download our free template.
Finding minimal holiday decorations isn't always the easiest. Let's face it, this is not a season known for restraint!
As my own decorating tastes are turning ever more minimal, I decided to take a cue from my favorite design style and make a few DIY Scandinavian-inspired ornaments. I just love how simple and natural this look is, while still being festive.
Keep reading to see how to make all three decorations so you can style your own minimal holiday tree!
Can you believe it? Christmas is coming up quick! The holiday season always seems to whizz right by, doesn't it? If you're feeling like you've missed out on the festivities, don't fret - there's still enough time to make some last-minute baubles and bits. We've rounded up a few (well, not a few - over 150!) of our favorite DIY Christmas ornaments that you can definitely get finished this weekend, and enjoy for Christmases yet to come.
There's something about the holidays that invites silliness, right? Am I alone in this thinking? I enjoy a good pun any time of year, but I especially love and appreciate the Christmas-y ones. There's no shortage of groan-inducing jokes out there either (a quick internet search will show you that). A couple silly decorations will fit right in on your Christmas tree, plus they'll provide a nice chuckle. Keep reading to see how to make these punny Christmas ornaments, with printable designs!
I love the holidays for many reasons, but my favorite is that they give you a good excuse to get super crafty. So when I walked by the balsa wood section at my local craft store, the wheels started turning. I came up with a fun project that uses paint and metallic tape to create totally unique color blocked triangular ornaments. Keep reading to find out how to make them yourself!
One of the greatest things about this project is that it uses wood but no saw. And while I have plenty of saws, I'm aware that not everybody does. So we'll use a plain old pair of scissors for this one.
Trim off the tops so they resemble trapezoids as shown above, and mask off sections using washi or blue painter's tape. Paint one section a darker color and let it dry.
Remove the first piece of tape and place another one across that section to mask off another area to paint a different color. Let that area dry too and remove the tape.
Next, add a piece of metalized film tape across the area where the two colors meet. Trim the ends of the tape, leaving a bit of excess to fold onto the back side.
Put a small line of hot glue across the top of the ornament, as neatly as you can. Quickly attach a piece of twine and let it dry. Then tie a knot at the top so the twine creates a triangle shape that completes the triangle formed by the wood.
The tape gives them a fun pop of metallic color, giving them some serious style. You could try making these with other paint colors too, for a completely different look. Have fun with it!
There’s something really fun about wrapping gifts at Christmas time don’t you think? Maybe it’s because this is the only time of year I can sing along to carols at the top of my lungs while I wrap. Or perhaps it’s the sheer number of presents I get to play with! Either way, everything feels so magical that it makes me want to make each gift extra festive.
And there’s no easier way to add a little festive cheer to your presents than with...
I think it's safe to say Christmas is upon us, and holiday decorating is my favorite time of year! As fun as it is to decorate my home, I tend to stray away from traditional reds and greens for Christmas, so I incorporated pink and a light green color into my decorating with this DIY dipped ornament display that fits in perfectly to my dining room gallery wall. Using lightweight plastic ornaments and twine, this almost-rustic piece of decor...
How soon is too soon to put up a Christmas tree? Because I wanted to put mine up at 12:00 am on November 1st. We usually do a live pine tree at my house, so we have a few more weeks to go until we can put one up and not have it be a fire hazard by December 25th. In the meantime, however, I've been scrounging up ornaments, garlands, and lights to decorate with. Maybe this is a little extra, but I like to change up the theme of my tree every year! This year I made three different Christmas ornaments, each using a different Dremel tool from our oh-so-handy combo kit.
This holiday season, a group of the Curbly writers decided to team up and each of us created a simple and stylish new Christmas ornament. We're calling it the "Curbly Ornament Challenge" but there's not much competition involved...just a lot of fun, seasonal crafting. See all of the ornaments here.
This year, I am really leaning toward simple and minimal Christmas decor. I purposely went through our boxes and boxes of decorations and intentionally brought out a few select pieces we loved and had a purpose for. Our home has glimpses of Christmas in every room, without the overhaul. Likewise, when it comes to Christmas ornaments I want something that's neat and fresh. It's not always easy to find, which is why these modern mountain clay ornaments are the perfect solution! They take no time at all and are certainly fun to make.
This holiday season, a group of the Curbly writers decided to team up and each of us created a simple and stylish new Christmas ornament. We're calling it the "Curbly Ornament Challenge" but there's not much competition involved...just a lot of fun, seasonal crafting. See all of the ornaments here.
I've been iffy about the longevity of geometric everything for awhile now, but it doesn't seem like it's going anywhere. Uncle, I cry! The simple lines and representative shapes are fairly easy to recreate and the result looks clean and crisp, especially at a small size. So, I decided to embrace the trend by marrying it with the classic look of fused glass and a holiday ornament using...wait for it...Shrinky Dink plastic.
Materials
Photo: DIY Maven
Art of your choice, sized to fit an 8.5" x 11" piece of copy paper. NOTE: Shrinky Dink paper is sized at 8" x 10" so adjust your image accordingly.
Frosted Ruff n' Ready Shrinky Dinks Creative Pack
Tape
Ruler
Black Pigma Graphic 1 pigment ink marker, a Copic black marker (A Sharpie will not work with this project as is. More on that later.)
Robin's Egg Blue Copic Marker for an added dimensional element (Or a LIGHT color of your choosing. You want to keep it light because when the dink shrinks, the color will intensify greatly.)
Paper towel
Hole punch, standard 1/4" size
Scissors
Parchment paper (or aluminum foil)
Baking sheet
Oven mitt
Ranger Melt Art Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (aka: UTEE) This is what makes the ornament look like glass. It also acts like a glue and holds the dimensional pieces in place.
A round toothpick
Step
Photo: DIY Maven
Begin by creating your design. You can draw something on a standard sheet of 8.5 x 11" paper, or print out an image you found online. Once you have your art, tape it to the shiny underside of one sheet of Shrinky Dink paper. My design is based on Hug a Porcupine's snow fox brooch, which is totally adorable. For other ideas that might work, check out these fabulous animal shapes.
Step
Photo: DIY Maven
Using a ruler and the black pigment ink marker, trace all the lines of your art.
Step
Photo: DIY Maven
With a sharp scissors, cut out the image, making sure to cut on the OUTSIDE of the black outer lines. (It's best to cut from the outside in instead of pivoting your scissors at the inside corners as this can very easily tear the plastic.) Then, with the hole punch, punch a hole at the center top of artwork
Step
Photo: DIY Maven
To give the ornament a fused quality, choose elements from your art to make it dimensional. For this image, I used the tip of the animal's tail and his nose, the nose being a great dimensional element for any animal. Use some of the scrap shrink plastic to outline the sections you want to pop--literally--and cut them out of the plastic.
Step
Photo: DIY Maven
Using the pigment ink markers, color in each section. Tip: If the black border around the your colorful piece gets smudged, you might want to retrace the outside perimeter of the segment.
Step
Photo: DIY Maven
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the plastic pieces - outline and colored sections - on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until the plastic shrinks to about 50% of its size and is completely flat. (If you're unfamiliar with Shrinky Dinks, you'll probably panic a bit at this point because the plastic curls upon itself when melting. But don't worry. The art should right itself and flatten out.
Photo: DIY Maven
If it looks like it won't--like if the small pieces are completely flat and the larger image is still all jacked up, you'll need to rescue it by reaching inside the oven and gently pulling it apart, being careful not to burn yourself. (Chopsticks or a couple of pencils help with the manipulation, but I just use my fingers and suffer the pain.)
Step
Photo: DIY Maven
After you've taken the your art and all it parts out of the oven with an oven mitt, quickly put another piece of clean parchment paper on top of the pieces and press down lightly on the image to flatten them. You only have seconds to do this! For comparison, check out the size of the image after shrinking compared to the original pattern I used. Also note the intensity of the robin's egg blue.
Photo: DIY Maven
Step
Photo: DIY Maven
After the pieces cool, position the colored accent pieces on top of the larger image.
Gingerly, sprinkle a light to medium coating of UTEE over everything and place it back into oven on a lined baking sheet.
Photo: DIY Maven
Keep an eye on the ornament until all the UTEE is melted. (In the photo above, you'll notice that the UTEE has melted around the perimeter but not in the middle. Don't remove the ornament from the oven until ALL the UTEE is melted.) THE UTEE WILL MELT OVER THE EDGES OF THE IMAGE. THIS IS EXPECTED AND WILL BE DEALT WITH IN STEP 12.
Step
Photo: DIY Maven
When you take the ornament out of the oven, quickly check to make sure all the dimensional pieces on top of the larger piece below are straight. If they aren't, use a toothpick to realign them.
Step
Photo: DIY Maven
After the UTEE has set up a bit, inspect the ornament for any inconsistencies. You'll see in the above image that the left ear didn't get embossed very well. No worries--we're going to do another coat of the embossing powder. Sprinkle the UTEE over the entire image one more time, and place back in the oven. Keep an eye on the ornament until this second layer of the UTEE has melted completely.
Step
Photo: DIY Maven
After the UTEE is melted and you've taken the ornament out of the oven, slide the parchment paper with the ornament still on it off the baking sheet. The UTEE will only take seconds to set. While it's still warm, use the round toothpick to ream the hole out from the center. (Yes, the hole size shrinks too.)
Step
Photo: DIY Maven
After the UTEE has cooled, you'll need to trim the excess UTEE that has melted over the edges. You CAN use a scissors to cut the UTEE, but I find breaking it off--FROM FRONT TO BACK--works best for me.
Photo: DIY Maven
When you're done with the big bits, you'll have some jagged bits. You can use a straight craft blade to shave them off, but I find my fingernail works pretty well too.
Step
Photo: DIY Maven
When you're done trimming the excess UTEE, you'll probably end up with some rough spots on the FRONT of the image. Don't worry. Just pop it back into the oven and let the UTEE melt ever so slightly. Doing so will fill in the rough spots and smooth everything out. It kind of works like when you "flood a cookie" with icing. When you take the ornament out of the oven this time, you'll have to re-ream the hole at the top--again, do this when the UTEE has set but is still slightly warm.
Step
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Add a hook or string to the hole and display as desired, letting all who cast their gaze upon it admire your mastery of making a faux fused glass ornament.
This holiday season, a group of the Curbly writers decided to team up and each of us created a simple and stylish new Christmas ornament. We're calling it the "Curbly Ornament Challenge" but there's not much competition involved...just a lot of fun, seasonal crafting. See all of the ornaments here.
During the busy holiday season there's always less time for complicated DIYs, so simple down-and-dirty projects are much more feasible. In that vein, today we're sharing a fun tutorial which will show you how to create a gold Christmas ornament using thumb tacks! Click through to check it out.
