Tag Archives: Handmade

Christmas Ornaments Part 4

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Here’s the 4th and final part in the series on handmade ornaments that my daughters and I have made over the years.

Category 4: Mixed Media

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There’s a real smorgasbord of styles and techniques in this group, including applique, embroidery, beading, plastic canvas, general crafts/glueing, and knitting! The icicle, candle, and lollipop were made by my girls when they were in grade school. The mini stocking – one of my favorites in this group – was knit on regular knitting needles, and then transferred to “tiny needles” made from round wooden toothpicks and beads! Notice the little red bird with a strand of the yarn in his beak.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series as much as I have enjoyed presenting it. I encourage everyone to make a few Christmas ornaments each year. It’s amazing how quickly your collection will grow! There’s no need to make complicated designs. Simple is always beautiful. Before you know it, you’ll have a “family heirloom” kind of tree!

In case you missed the earlier parts of the series, here’s a quick photo recap . . .

Part 1 Cross Stitch

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Part 2 Embroidered Felt

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Part 3 Fabric Ornaments

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Part 4 Mixed Media

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Merry Christmas!

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Friday Favorites

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For this week’s “Friday Favorites” may I present an ornament I’ve just finished making!

This “mini-sized” Christmas Stocking measures about 4 inches from top to toe, and it was so much fun to knit. I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out – especially because it’s been a long time since I’ve made anything with a charted design and I was a little worried about it.

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Julie of “Little Cotton Rabbits” designed the pattern and you can find it by clicking here. Julie is an extraordinarily talented lady, who knits the most delightful little rabbits and a whole assortment of other wonderful things!

The tiny bear above just happened to be in my stash of craft supplies. I have a big box of odds and ends that I find on sale and put away for future projects. They really come in handy! This little fella was just the perfect size to snuggle in a mini stocking.

Now that you’ve seen him, I’ll put him on the tree 🙂

Once the holiday rush is over, I think I’ll start making a few friends for him . . . for next Christmas!

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Christmas Ornaments Part 3

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Here’s the 3rd part of my handmade ornament series.

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“Fabric & Ribbons”

These little characters feature fabrics and embellishments with a Christmas theme! They were whipped up fairly quickly on the sewing machine. Only the little slipper is sewn by hand (It can also be glued . . . click here for the pattern).

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In the photo above, in the bottom right corner, there’s a tiny cat wearing a dress. One year when I was making lots of different items for a craft show, I asked my husband if he could cut some cat shapes out of tin for me to dress as ornaments. He kindly obliged and they were a real hit at the show. I’m so glad that I kept one aside for us, though. Now, when we decorate the tree with all of the “handcrafted” ornaments that my daughters and I have made over the years, there’s one that was made by “Papa Bear” too!

Three’s Company . . .

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Which one in this category is my favorite, you ask? Well, I guess it would have to be “Humpty”. Love his bow tie, and look at that protective arm he has wrapped around the little angel! Awww . . .

Stay tuned for Part 4: “Mixed Media Ornaments”

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Christmas Ornaments Part 1

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Do you love Christmas ornaments? Do you like to collect them? Have you ever made ornaments for your tree? I have to answer “yes” to all three questions 🙂

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Over the years, I’ve had lots of fun making ornaments. Each year, I’d make a few with the plan that someday I’d have enough to decorate our entire tree with just handcrafted ornaments!

When my daughters were old enough, they began to help me and eventually we had a nice assortment of different styles.

I thought you might like to see them, so I’ve divided them into 4 different categories and I’ll post pictures over the next week.

Today, I’ll start with the “Cross Stitch” Category.

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Some I made and some were made by my daughters. Many are dated – I wish we had dated them all, though. Maybe you want to remember to do that!

Here’s a closer view of the top section of the photo!

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And a better look at the ones at the bottom . . .

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This is one of my favorites!

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Luckily, I remembered to date it – 1988.

Yowza! Time does fly when you’re havin’ fun!

Stay tuned for Part 2 – Ornaments in Embroidered Felt.

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