Christmas Ornament Craft

I saw instructions to make homemade ornaments out of your old Christmas cards on another blog a few days ago and thought it was really cute.  I knew I still had all the Christmas cards we got last year, so I was excited to try it.

Supplies:

Old Christmas Cards (cut into 20 circles)

Scissors

Circle cutting tools, if available

Cardboard for templates

Pencil

Ruler

Glue

Paper Clips

Glitter

Cording or Ribbon

I started by choosing which cards would work.  I then cut 3 inch circles using my scrapbook circle cutter.  You could cut a template out of cardboard if you don't have cutting tools on hand.  I was able to get 2 circles out of some cards and only one out of some others.  I also used the emblem on the backs of some, as well as the inside of a few. 

Each ornament uses 20 circles.

I cut all the circles first.

I then cut a cardboard circle template the same size as the others.  Using a ruler, I drew and then cut out an equilateral triangle. 

I used this template to draw triangles on the backs of each circle.

Using a ruler to assure a straight fold, I folded the circles in on each of the 3 lines. 

This is what they look like when folded correctly.

The top and bottom of the ornament will each use 5 folded circles.  I laid them out before gluing to get an idea of how each piece would fit together.

I then started gluing the pieces together for the top and bottom.  As I glued each piece, I placed a paper clip to hold it in place while the glue dried.

Top and bottom glued together and drying.

Next, I laid out the middle, which consists of 10 pieces.  

Once laid out, I glued the middle section together, again using paper clips to hold the pieces while they dried.

Next, I glued the middle section to the top using paper clips once again.

I then turned the top/middle section over and glued on the bottom (don't forget to use your paper clips).  

I realized that I hadn't put in my cording as a hanger, but was able to pull the wet pieces apart and slip it in.  I used a dab of extra glue on each side and added 2 additional paper clips to hold that part tightly while it dried.  

Once dry, I removed the paper clips and applied the glitter.  This was a bit of a learning process.  I started off putting a line of glue along the edge of each section (one at a time), but the glue just ran and was too messy.  Even with the glitter on, it just looked sloppy.  After doing the first half of the ornament, I was very displeased with how it looked, and I used a wet baby wipe to remove all the glue and glitter.

I then decided to apply a thin line of glue to each side of a section right along the edge.  I did one at a time and added the glitter.  It took much longer, as I had to do both sides of each section, but the finished product is BEAUTIFUL!!  It no longer looks like a preschool art project (though I love those, too), but like something you would actually buy!  

The ornament turned out so well, that I decided to try it with some extra photographs I had leftover from scrapbooking.  I am even more excited about how the photo ornament turned out and can't wait to make more!  I'm thinking these would make fantastic gifts!

For the photo ornament, I cut each circle 2 1/2 inches in diameter and used scrapbook adhesive instead of glue to assemble the ornament.  It was MUCH faster and didn't require the paperclips (which I thought might scratch the photos).  I also made the photo ornament a little smaller, and I actually like the smaller size better.