One of my favorite ways to share our kids with family and friends is through personalized gifts. Our kids change grow and change so fast that it’s fun to look back and see how tiny they once were! I’m going to share with you two of my favorite ornament projects to make – a simple photo cube and a thumbprint deer ornament!
Simple DIY Photo Ornament
You’ll need the following supplies:
*wallet sized photos
*a cube shaped ornament (I found mine at Hobby Lobby)
*Mod Podge
*Paint
*Glitter
Paint your cube – I chose white paint, but you can choose any color that will go with the photos you have chosen and let dry. I personally am loving the Kwik Stix paint sticks!
Cut your photos to size – you’ll need five, one for each side and one for the bottom of the cube. The best way to see what size photos you will need is to measure the flat part of the ornament and then cut the photo a little bit smaller!
Adhere photos with a light coating of Mod Podge to the ornament and let dry. Once the first coat has dried, go over the cube again and cover your photos with a light coat of Mod Podge and let dry.
Coat the top with Mod Podge and sprinkle with glitter so the ornament really sparkles in the light!
That’s all there is to it! It’s a simple and easy way to share favorite photos with your family and friends, or to display on your own tree. If you have a little more time and don’t mind getting a little messy, this next ornament project might be for you. I love having mementos of how tiny my kids’ hands are – and this ornament is a fun and easy way to keep a record of those teensy finger prints!
Simple DIY Oh-Deer Fingerprint Globe
You’ll need the following supplies:
*Clear glass globe (You can use plastic, but it won’t show up as clearly)
*Washable paint: brown, black and red.
*Foam Brush
*Small tip paint brush
*Snow or glitter flakes to fill up the inside of the ornament.
*baby wipes/paper towels because messes happen!
Spread a thin layer of brown paint on your child’s thumb. Carefully press the thumb to the ornament and ROLL it from one side to another. Lift off carefully. let dry. If you smudge it by accident, wipe the print off and start over. Baby wipes are great for this.
Using the small tipped brush, draw antlers and dot eyes with black paint. Let dry.
Using a small tipped brush, make a dot red nose. Let dry.
Fill the ornament with snow (or other filler: glitter, shredded paper, etc)
Step back and check out how cute your ornament looks!
Make sure to put your child’s name and the year on the back of the ornament! Sharpie pens are great for that – I used metallic silver here, but I’ve also used plain black. Another fun ornament to hang on your tree this year. And next year you can look back and see how much your kids have grown!
