Christmas Ornaments

These ornaments are plastic and come in two parts. You decorate each half and then join them. They come in round, bell, star, and heart shapes, available from http://www.mrcraft.com.

• Measure the height your cutout will have to be to fit into the shape
• Have it photocopied to the correct size if it isn’t already
• Cut it out
• If using the round shape you may need to cut into the cutout to make it curve around the shape. Try to cut where it will not show too much or where an overlap will not detract from the appearance.
• I use Liquitex Gloss Medium & Varnish as glue
• Apply the Liquitex over the area where the cutout will go
• Place the cutout and use the brush to smooth it out
• Use your fingers to press the overlapping bits
• Use a damp sponge to wipe off the excess Liquitex from the cutout and around it
• Allow to dry
• Once the cutout is dry make sure all the edges are glued down
• If not, fix them and allow to dry
• I apply glitter next. There are several products you can use to do this
• 1 – Use Liquitex Liquigems. This is a sealer with coloured glitter in it. The glitter flakes are quite large and you will need to apply several coats to get an even coverage. You can choose from gold, silver, green, red, blue.
• 2 – Use glitter that you get from the rubber stamping people. Much finer glitter is available from them. I apply a coat of Liquitex on the inside of the shape, tip the glitter into it and shake is around so it covers the complete area, then shake out the excess on to a piece of paper and put it back into the container. This gives an even coat with one application. There are many colours and sizes of glitter flakes to choose from.
• Now it’s time to paint. If you are using Liquigems, use a similar colour paint (red paint over red Liquigems)
• I use Iridescent White over the very fine glitter and then a coat of titanium white to make it opaque
• When the paint has dried you can fit the two pieces together
• Use a sticker strip of gold, silver or glitter to go around the seam
• Add a ribbon holder and you’re finished

Christmas Ornaments Page 2--- Page 3

Last updated July 2006.