December Creative Weekly :: Ornament Central + Ornament Challenge Reminder

Hello everyone! Kimberly here with you a special Creative Weekly post devoted to sharing a couple of ornaments I recently made and a full set of instructions for creating each one. This time of year is especially fun for me as it's full of magic & joy, and keeps me smiling all month long. I LOVE all the bright colors, twinkling lights, and the cheerfulness that fills the air everywhere I go. I find that it's contagious, don't you?

So, with the two ornaments, here's the exclusive on how to make them, and what ultimately inspired me to create them in the first place.

There are a number of favorite catalogs that reach my mailbox and I love thumbing through them for creative ideas. While checking out the latest Sundance catalog, I found this ornament made from tiny, individual clothe-bound fabric pieces. It immediately got me thinking about trying the same concept from paper, rather than fabric. I just love the look of it, the vintage feel and modern underlying design.

To get started, you'll need the following items: One large/medium styrofoam ball along with several small ones, an assortment of patterned papers and a hot glue gun. I went through my Sleigh Ride collection and picked out several papers that displayed a savory blend of stylish patterns and colors. I LOVE the teal in this line! It's a perfect compliment to the reds and pinks, don't you agree?

Cut your patterned papers into 3" x 3" sections and wet them down with some water. You'll want to let them dry until they're just damp before forming them around these tiny styrofoam balls - this is primarily to avoid ripping the paper.

Upon completion of the wrapping, heat up your glue gun and begin placing the pieces around an individual large styrofoam ball. Squish them in nice and close as shown in the above photograph.

T'daaa! When finished, you should have a fun ornament decoration that is colorful and cheery like this one!

With this next one, I thought of the idea while finishing up the ball ornament. I happened to have a few posy flowers laying next to my table, and thought how fun it would be to make an ornament from them. This design calls for the addition of different sized circle punches (scalloped/non-scalloped is fine) and once again, a large styrofoam ball and hot glue gun.

Start by punching out several circles of various sizes from different patterned papers. Again, I chose papers from the Sleigh Ride collection, as well a few brads & buttons.

Cut around and into the interior of the punched circles in a spiral fashion.

Shape them by turning them around your finger (or tweezers) so that they look like flowers. Apply glue to the centers to hold their shape.

Like before, attach them to a large styrofoam ball with the hot glue gun. I added some brads to the center of mine for fun. Feel free to add whatever you'd like; brads, buttons, sequins, etc.

When finished, you'll have another beautiful holiday ornament decoration!

Thank-you for stopping by the Crate Paper blog today! I hope this spurs you creatively to make decorations of your own, or to share with your loved ones. Happy Holidays!

Don't forget that Crate Paper is hosting an extra-special "ornament" challenge with this month's Creative Weekly!! There are MULTIPLE PRIZES to be had, an opportunity to have your work shown exclusively at the Crate Paper blog, and free link-ups if you're a crafty blogger who loves paper crafting as much as we do. It's your time to "SHINE"!! Check out the contest details HERE.