Making your own Christmas ornaments can be fun and easy. Using your creativity and a little bit of effort, you can make simple ornaments for your tree. Playing Christmas music while you work, helps get you in the mood and stay focused. Just slip a CD into your PC and you’re ready to begin.
Collecting images: You can hit the Internet for free downloadable Christmas images. Try these sites to get started:
- http://www.parenting.leehansen.com/downloads/clipart/christmas/ - Find a wreath, candy cane, or candy cane heart here. These are in color.
- http://thekidzpage.com/freekidsclipart/holidays/christmas/12-14-4a.htm - Click the third image page using the arrow to the right to find amusing Santas, and click the fourth page for candy canes and tree images. These are in color.
- Like Vintage Christmas images? Try this site for three lovely cutouts - http://collectdolls.about.com/library/blclip7a.htm. These are in color.
- Going for a Retro tree this year? Check out this site, it has lots of great images to choose - http://www.andynortnik.com/christmas-clip-art.htm. These are in muted reds, whites, blues, greens, and yellows…just like back in the 50s.
For larger ornament ideas that the kids can color, try downloading coloring pages from the first two sites and then downsizing them in PowerPoint before you print them out. If you don’t have PowerPoint, you can use MS Word or even Word Perfect. You just need a program that will bring in graphics files so you can print the images you want in the sizes you need.
Paper: It is a good idea to use cardstock that you can purchase at Office Depot or Staples. One package should do a good 4 foot tree, depending on how many images you print to a page. Remember, you can put different sized images on the same page. If you have a black and white printer, use colored card stock or use markers to add color to them once they are printed out.
Printing: Once your images are printed, cut them out. You can have the kids write their names and the year on the back of images if you want to keep them from year to year. Or, if you are making gift tags, now is the time to write on the backs. You can further enhance your ornaments in one of two ways. You can take them to A+Teacher outlets or Office Depot and have them laminated, or you can use Clear Contact paper that is available at most dollar stores and of course, Wal-Mart. Just cut off a 12-inch length of the contact paper and peel back one corner about half way toward the opposite lower corner. Place your ornaments face-up with at least 1/4 of an inch space between each ornament. When the sheet is full, carefully place another sheet of contact paper on the table and peel back the top corner again. Place your entire page of ornaments on the contact paper with the images that are covered on the front and place them face up onto the new contact sheet. This time you are covering the back sides of the images. Now just trim out your “laminated” images. Use a pin or a threaded needle to make a hole for hanging at the top of the image.
This is just one of many ways to create personalized Christmas ornaments for your tree. Once you have experimented with this method, try making decorations for other Holidays using the above or similar sites. You can also use magazine pictures glued to cardstock with glue sticks or spray adhesive (be sure to use in a properly ventilated room). Try using matte finish photo paper instead of cardstock for a shinier image. There is no limit to your imagination, why should there be a limit to your ornaments?
