Good News!

I have some great news to share. We are expecting a baby! I am very excited. On the down side, I have been sick as a dog for a few weeks now. I’ve actually been losing weight. I am also very tired. I’ve made lots of ornaments to share with you and I hope to have the energy to get them all online in time to get them on your tree this year. I’m due in July!

Penelope

Easy Wreath Ornament

A quick, easy to make, beaded wreath ornament.

So. I followed the directions in the wreath ornament kit that I purchased at Michael’s and this is what I got. It is a nice ornament, but there are a few things I did not like about it. For starters, the loop for the hanger is off center. Most people probably wouldn’t even notice it, but it drove me nuts to look at it. The other thing I didn’t care for is that the holly leaves and berries were tacked on after the wreath was formed. That just seemed like a really inefficient use of wire to me. So I made some modifications.

Step one:

Thread on the large red bead, with a holly leaf on either side.

Step One

Step two:

Take one of the smaller red beads and cross the wire through it.

Step two

Step Three:

Add three sunburst beads, a red bead, three sunburst beads, a red bead and three sunburst beads to both sides of the wire. Then pull the wires around and cross them through a red bead.

Step Three

Step Four:

Pull tight

Step 4

Step Four:

Second view

step four. second view

Step Five:

Bring the wires together at the top of the red bead and twist them snugly together.

Step Five

Finish off

At this point, treat the two twisted wires as if they are one. Finish it off and make a wrapped loop. I have found that it is best to make the loop go front to back so that a string can be run through to hang the ornament. I’ve made fancy bead ornament hangers in the past. They look pretty but some times you have to twist or turn them so that the ornament is facing straight.  Think of it as hanging a pendant on a necklace. If the loop that you run the chain through is in the right spot, the pendant will always face foreword. Same thing. I’ll run a cord through the loop just like it is a necklace. When I slip it over the branch, the ornament will be facing forward.

I like my version a lot better. The wreath is a bit smaller but it went together in a snap. The loop for hanging the ornament is centered at the top and the holly and berries are neatly strung on to the bottom of the wreath without any extra use of wire!

Bead Kits. Cannibalize Them. Seriously.

The possibilities are endless.....

I have to say that I am fairly disappointed in the bead ornament kits that are available this year. I didn’t look for them last year, but the year before Walmart had a  whole little display of bead kits. This year, Michael’s has the best selection, although most of the kits have been around for some time. 🙁 Most of what Joann’s has in stock are foam kits. They have a couple of glass ball kits but I am not so in to those. I haven’t seen any kits at Robert’s Crafts other than the Foam and Pom Pom ones. I also noticed that there does not seem to be as big of a selection of cheap craft beads.

My solution? Cannibalize the cheap bead kits that you can find. I bought a snowflake kit at Michael’s, although I have to say that it resembles more of a flower. At any rate, the bead kit makes two snowflakes. I only made one. I will mix the remaining beads in with other kits I have purchased. This will allow me to have a decent array of beads to play with. A bag of plastic craft beads will run between $3 and $5. I think even pony beads go for $5 at Michael’s. So for $15 you can get three kinds of beads. OR for $15 you can buy three snowflake kits from Michael’s. Each kit will come with a variety of beads. You will have fewer beads than if you purchased bags of them individually. However, if you bought packages of all the different kinds of beads you would have (assuming you can even find them) you would be looking at $40-$50.  I personally bought 5 or 6 of the angel kits from walmart. I chose clear and light blue for making snowflake ornaments. I also picked up a couple of green, a red and a gold so that I’d have beads on hand in other traditional Christmas Colors. As an added bonus, when you purchase the angel kits, they come with safety pins, a halo and wings. Obviously if you use the beads for other projects you are going to have wings left over. But…. I’ve seen lots of other angel ideas online. To make those, I’d need to buy wings and a halo… .or I can just use the leftovers.

I love being cheap. I’ll be hitting the after Christmas sales for sure so that I can stock up!

I’m an angel.

Angel made with an inexpensive bead kit

I swear I am. :p I found this kit in two different places.  It was packaged differently but looking at the components and construction, I’m pretty sure it is the same kit. I got it at Walmart for two bucks. The variation was available at Michael’s for a dollar or two more. The Walmart bead kit was available in 12 colors, one for each month of the year. Fun stuff.

Front view of the beaded angel.

Don’t tell anyone, but her halo is on upside down. I wonder if there is any significance to that? :p

I  could do step by step photos of this one but it isn’t really worth it. If you had to go out and buy all of the components, it would cost you way more than the two bucks the kit cost. It was fun to make. I was surprised at how quickly it went together.