Cut Now, Measure Later : Keepsake Paper Ornaments

Hello again!

Before we get into this week's craft, I just have to brag on my mom for a second. Let's be honest, any crafty genes in me came directly from her. :-) Check out her Sharpie ornaments!

The pictures don't do these ornaments justice! They are so awesome! :)

Ok, now on to this week!

The inspiration for the ornament project this week was also courtesy of Martha Stewart's Handmade Holiday Crafts.

I have a theory that Martha Stewart secretly doesn't want me to be able to make what she makes. That being said, the instructions for this ornament were pretty confusing. Luckily for me, I had some awesomely talented guest-crafters for these paper ornaments who figured it out together. (Thanks Danielle, Jamie and Kylie!!)

These ornaments are great for leftover Christmas cards you have; (it's SO hard to throw those away!) This is also a great project to use those pretty papers that you don't want to throw away, but also have no idea how to re-use, like wedding invitations or programs, birthday cards, or kid's artwork.

The final product is beautiful, and would certainly make a great gift!

What you'll need:

-Hole punch or scissors

-Card stock or paper (You will need enough for 20 circles)

-Pencil and ruler

-Glue stick or hot glue

-Ribbon for hanging

Ok, here we go! After my lovely friends finished their ornaments using Christmas-themed scrapbook paper, I tried one of my own using some of my 200 leftover wedding invitations. (Sometimes buying in bulk is not the answer.) So, you'll see pictures of both!

You can use a craft circle punch in almost any size, or trace a drinking glass to determine your circle size. Obviously, the bigger your circles are, the bigger the finished ornament will be. Our ornaments were made using a 2.5" circle punch. Martha suggests a 1.25" circle punch, but you can work with whatever you have! You need 20 circles for each ornament.

Once the circles are cut, use a ruler to draw an equilateral triangle on the back of each ornament. For the 2.5" circles, each triangle side was 5.25cm. The triangle drawing is tedious, but it is helpful in the long run. If you have helpers, an assembly line works best! :)

THANK YOU DANIELLE.

Use the triangle lines to fold each side up. (towards the right side) I found that using the edge of a table/counter helped make the folding a lot easier.

And now you have 20 folded little circles waiting for glue! If you're using hot glue, go ahead and get it warm; otherwise, pull out the glue stick!

You could glue these in a few different orders, but here is what worked for us. Start with one group of five circles; think of this as the top of the ornament.

Use glue to attach one flap of each folded circle to the next circle; make sure the edges are lining up. If the triangles you drew were a little bit off, don't worry. Just keep lining up the outer edges of the circle flaps and you can adjust the folds as you go. The triangles should be pointing in the same direction.

If you use just a little bit of hot glue, the seams are tight, and the project moves much more quickly!

^^^This will be your test for your completed ornament--- at each "intersection" of triangles, you should see 5 pieces!

Repeat this with another set of 5 circles; think of this as the bottom of the ornament.

Now you have 10 triangles left that will form the band around the middle of the ornament.

Take the top or bottom section of the ornament and start gluing the middle band, one piece at a time, with the triangles alternating pointing up and down.

I used a straight pin to mark the center of the "top" section of five triangles. This helped me stay on track as I was attaching the middle section, piece by piece.

As you work your way around, keep checking to make sure you have 5 triangles in each "intersection."

Now all you will need to add is the bottom section.

One flap at a time, attach the bottom section of five circles.

View of the inside before attaching the bottom section of five.

Time to start gluing! Adjust the folds as you go, but make sure to keep lining up the edges.

Before you glue your final flaps together, knot a length ribbon or string and insert it in the gap. Apply the glue, squeeze the pieces together and pull the ribbon until it is secure under the glued flaps.