My husband's grandmother is an avid crafter. A few years ago, she told me about a way to use old Christmas cards to make ornaments. To do this project, you will need:
1 Styrofoam craft ball--size of your choice
1 or more old Christmas cards
a plastic container big enough to put the Christmas card in
water
flour
a small cup or container to make flour paste
paraffin
a straight pin
ribbon or twine
If you want to make the kitty kat ornament I made, you will also need:
2 fuzzy sticks (pipe cleaners)
wiggly eyes
tooth pick
hot glue
black felt
and an additional Styrofoam craft ball
Too make a simple round Christmas card ornament:
Put the Christmas card in the plastic container and soak it in water. When the card is soft enough, you should be able to peel the picture layer away from the card backing.
1.Mix flour in water in a small cup or container to make flour paste. Tear the Christmas card front into small pieces or strips and glue them onto the styrofoam ball with the flour paste. (This process is much like making the newspaper shell of a pinata over a balloon.) Cover entire styrofoam ball with pieces of Christmas card sealed on with the flour paste. Let dry.
2.When ball is completely dry,take a straight pin and pin on a loop of ribbon or twine for a hanger. If I use twine I tie the twine around the pin close to the head of the pin and then press it into the styrofoam ball. I also sometimes put a dab of hot glue on the head of the pin for extra hold.
3. Melt paraffin in a double boiler. (Or you can do what I do. Put paraffin in a quart mason jar. Set jar in a pan with water and bring water to a boil over medium low heat to slowly and safely melt paraffin. Then you don't have to try to get the leftover paraffin out of a pan and into something else and clean off the waxy mess. You can just let the paraffin cool in the jar, screw on the lid, and store for future use.) Dip the ornament into the melted paraffin to make a protective coating over the Christmas card design.
4. Let cool. Hang on tree or give to a friend.
If you want to make the kitty kat:
1. Do step one, but make two styrofoam balls. I had to use two Christmas cards, on for each ball.
2. Insert a tooth pick into the base of kitty's "head" as if you were creating a neck. Insert the other end of the tooth pick into the second styrofoam ball that will serve as kitty's body. Make sure tooth pick does not show. Reinforce with hot glue. Then attach ribbon or twine with pin as in step two, inserting the pin into the "body" ball, just below the "neck" area.
3. Follow step three, dipping entire kitty ornament into paraffin. If you use the glass jar method, you may have to dip one end and then the other as kitty, if he's as big as mine was, won't fit inside the jar horizontally.
4. Let paraffin coating on kitty cool completely. Then hot glue wiggly eyes in place. I created a nose and mouth by put a piece of Christmas card that looked like a nose and mouth where I intended kitty's face to be. If you don't have a card that works the way you could glue a button or a fuzzy ball on for a nose and draw on a mouth with a black felt tip pen. If you draw on the mouth, do this BEFORE dipping in paraffin.
5. Take one fuzzy stick and cut 4 approx 1-1.5 inch pieces. Insert wire of fuzzy stick into the face around the nose, two on each side of the nose. Reinforce with hot glue.
6. Cut a length of fuzzy stick and insert it into the appropriate "tail" area of the body. Reinforce with hot glue. Bend and twist to make tail curl like a cats.
7. Cut 4 aprrox. 2.5 inch lengths of fuzzy stick for legs. Insert them into the appropriate area of the body for legs. Bend into an L shape at the ends to form feet. Reinforce with hot glue.
8. Cut triangles for ears from the black felt and hot glue to the top of kitty's head.
Waa lah! A kitty kat for your Christmas tree!
1 Styrofoam craft ball--size of your choice
1 or more old Christmas cards
a plastic container big enough to put the Christmas card in
water
flour
a small cup or container to make flour paste
paraffin
a straight pin
ribbon or twine
If you want to make the kitty kat ornament I made, you will also need:
2 fuzzy sticks (pipe cleaners)
wiggly eyes
tooth pick
hot glue
black felt
and an additional Styrofoam craft ball
Too make a simple round Christmas card ornament:
Put the Christmas card in the plastic container and soak it in water. When the card is soft enough, you should be able to peel the picture layer away from the card backing.
1.Mix flour in water in a small cup or container to make flour paste. Tear the Christmas card front into small pieces or strips and glue them onto the styrofoam ball with the flour paste. (This process is much like making the newspaper shell of a pinata over a balloon.) Cover entire styrofoam ball with pieces of Christmas card sealed on with the flour paste. Let dry.
2.When ball is completely dry,take a straight pin and pin on a loop of ribbon or twine for a hanger. If I use twine I tie the twine around the pin close to the head of the pin and then press it into the styrofoam ball. I also sometimes put a dab of hot glue on the head of the pin for extra hold.
3. Melt paraffin in a double boiler. (Or you can do what I do. Put paraffin in a quart mason jar. Set jar in a pan with water and bring water to a boil over medium low heat to slowly and safely melt paraffin. Then you don't have to try to get the leftover paraffin out of a pan and into something else and clean off the waxy mess. You can just let the paraffin cool in the jar, screw on the lid, and store for future use.) Dip the ornament into the melted paraffin to make a protective coating over the Christmas card design.
4. Let cool. Hang on tree or give to a friend.
If you want to make the kitty kat:
1. Do step one, but make two styrofoam balls. I had to use two Christmas cards, on for each ball.
2. Insert a tooth pick into the base of kitty's "head" as if you were creating a neck. Insert the other end of the tooth pick into the second styrofoam ball that will serve as kitty's body. Make sure tooth pick does not show. Reinforce with hot glue. Then attach ribbon or twine with pin as in step two, inserting the pin into the "body" ball, just below the "neck" area.
3. Follow step three, dipping entire kitty ornament into paraffin. If you use the glass jar method, you may have to dip one end and then the other as kitty, if he's as big as mine was, won't fit inside the jar horizontally.
4. Let paraffin coating on kitty cool completely. Then hot glue wiggly eyes in place. I created a nose and mouth by put a piece of Christmas card that looked like a nose and mouth where I intended kitty's face to be. If you don't have a card that works the way you could glue a button or a fuzzy ball on for a nose and draw on a mouth with a black felt tip pen. If you draw on the mouth, do this BEFORE dipping in paraffin.
5. Take one fuzzy stick and cut 4 approx 1-1.5 inch pieces. Insert wire of fuzzy stick into the face around the nose, two on each side of the nose. Reinforce with hot glue.
6. Cut a length of fuzzy stick and insert it into the appropriate "tail" area of the body. Reinforce with hot glue. Bend and twist to make tail curl like a cats.
7. Cut 4 aprrox. 2.5 inch lengths of fuzzy stick for legs. Insert them into the appropriate area of the body for legs. Bend into an L shape at the ends to form feet. Reinforce with hot glue.
8. Cut triangles for ears from the black felt and hot glue to the top of kitty's head.
Waa lah! A kitty kat for your Christmas tree!
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