Monday, December 3, 2012

Memory Scroll Ornament

Happy December everyone! On Friday, I was lucky enpugh to take part in Jenn's Trim the Tree party {as mentioned on Fridays post!}  I wanted to share with you what I did incase you missed it! So without further ado...

In January I became a first time parent to a pretty amazingly adorable little man and I am just starting to do all things crafty, DIY and home decor related again. LONG overdue! I am a self proclaimed Christmas nut, however I am sure my family and friends would not bat an eye to nominate me as such.  Confession:  I listen to Christmas tunes BEFORE Halloween. Yes, that is a fact.


I am so excited to take part in Jenn's Trim the Tree Party!  I have known Jenn for a very long time and have been a huge fan of her blog since day one.  I love her crafty ways and her fearless outlook on all things DIY. This is actually my very first guest post ever and I just love that it is a Christmas themed feature.  
                                                    
I had been wracking my brain, trying to think of a way to capture some of the sweetest little details about my little man Alexander and make them into a special keepsake for our Christmas tree.  I wanted to do a message in a bottle type ornament-something he could he could one day open and read.  I wanted a way my hubby and I could express the joy he brings us and document a few milestones in a meaningful way.  I had a flash of genius! (ok, maybe a stretch?) I thought about using clear ornament balls (instead of a bottle for our message) and it took off from there.  I wanted it to be very simple, sweet and somewhat traditional looking. Here is what I came up with!
  
Materials 

  • clear glass ornament ball
  • glitter paint
  • paint brush
  • number stencil
  • painters tape
  • exacto knife
  • bakers twine
  • vellum paper
  • kraft paper
  • letter stamp set
  • stamp ink in black
  • jute string (for hanging)
 
    How To 
    • type a list of things you wish to document on the computer-I put the year at the top and then listed the sentiments in point form, the print it on vellum paper.  
     
    • cut the list it to resemble a long scroll, roll it up and secure it with a piece of bakers twine.
    • Next cut a small piece of kraft paper and fold it width wise {to give it more weight} and glue it together with adhesive dots to secure the fold.  I used tiny letter stamps to spell out my little mans name on both sides.  I also burnished the edges with black ink to give it some visual interest.
     

    • Using a cardboard stencil, trace the number 1 on to painters tape and carefully cut it out with a exacto blade. Then place the painters tape stencil on the glass ball as a custom adhesive stencil. Be sure to press the edges of the painters tape stencil down firmly with your nails to avoid any bleeding of the paint.  I did three coats of paint to build up the glitter paint power ;) Let dry and carefully remove stencil. I VERY carefully scored the edges with the exacto knife first. 
     
    • Carefully place the tied scroll and name card into the ball.
    • Lastly, add some jute string to hang from your tree! 
     
    This little ornament is the first of a tradition I plan to keep up each Christmas, recognizing the number of Christmases we celebrate with our Alexander. This year he is actually going to be 11 months old on Christmas day.  The number on this ornament is to signify his 1st Christmas :)


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      I hope you and your loved ones have a very happy Holiday Season and make many cherished memories with your loved ones.

      Warm Wishes!





      4 comments:

      Connie@shabbyforsure December 3, 2012 at 5:02 AM  

      Hi, This idea is just precious. Sounds like you have an amazing family. Have a great day...Connie

      e.mel December 3, 2012 at 10:43 AM  

      Totally BRILLIANT!!!! Love love love this idea...so doing this, and then keeping the ornaments on Evalie's own little mini tree in her room...super super cool! Thank you for your genius!!!!!

      Jamie @ Huckleberry Love December 12, 2012 at 5:09 PM  

      This is such a sweet idea. I love it!!! Here visiting from Clean & Scentsible's Handmade Christmas Link Party.

      Jamie

      www.huckleberrylove.com

      Unknown December 16, 2013 at 6:03 PM  

      Love this ornament - so creative and pretty and personalized! Just wanted to let you know I featured your post in my roundup of glass ornament crafts here. Feel free to check it out if you want and hope you like it! : )

      -Mel the Crafty Scientist

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