Ornament Tutorial

You are gonna need a coffee for this post! This took some time to put together so I am hoping it makes good sense to you. I tried to number my photos in the tutorial to help you if the text and the photos don't line up.
Well, I have really loved making these tree ornaments for Crafty Secrets. The chipboard, cotton scraps, and patterned paper are all courtesy of Crafty Secrets. I love the cotton scraps because they are flexible, so I can create these panels with dimension...so cool! I added a few final touches that I don't discuss in the tutorial. The blue ribbon to match the girl's dress and the bead at the bottom to give my ornament some weight. Ok...Here we go!
1. Here are some of the supplies I used for this project. Really it is quite inexpensive to make but the final results are fabulous!

2. Cut strips from your double sided patterned paper 4" long by .5" wide. I cut 9 of them.
3. I gathered them together then used my Crop-a-dile to create hole in each end for my ribbon to thread through. I tie a knot at the end to prevent them from slipping.

4. Tie another knot about 2 inches from your last knot, this will be the height of your Christmas ball.
5. Bend and string on your strips and tie one more knot to secure it. You can now fan out your strips to make the shape of a Christmas ball.
Now I will go into the instructions for the puffy panel.

6. trace out the shape of your chipboard on the patterned paper. Remember one will be the backside (without the hole) on one will be your front (with the hole cutout).
7. Modpodge the front only to your chipboard frame. I then sand my edges and add a little sponging of distress ink to the edge to hide the chipboard look.

8. Cut out some cotton batting squares using the square insert of your chipboard as a reference. I cut out 2 so that my panel would be extra puffy!
9. Layer up your items. Your panel first then your batting and lastly your chipboard square.


10. Push your backing through so that it is flush with your frame. I then took some double sided tape and secured the edges of my cotton panel to my chipboard.
11. This is what it should look like from the front an nice raised panel that is soft and springy when you press on it.

Well those are the basic elements to this ornament design. Try it out, it is a fun way to use scraps of paper and you can either do this puffy panel on top or see my post below with the chipboard bird. Phew, now to go make another latte and get some stamping done!