Ten-Minute Holiday Ornaments by Judi Kauffman for The Queen’s Ink

  

It took me only 10 minutes to create this sparkly holiday ornament:

5 minutes – Die cut three Shimmer Sheetz holiday greens (2 holly sprigs in Emerald Gemstone, 1 pine sprig in Green Iridescent). Remember, you MUST use a metal adaptor plate or Sizzix Big Shot with Precision Base Plate to die cut Shimmer Sheetz).

4 minutes – Trim each holly sprig into two 3-leaf pieces (use 3 pieces for the ornament, set 4^th aside for a gift tag or another project). Attach holly and pine sprig just below the cap of a faux mercury glass ball using tiny slivers of Tombow Power Adhesive Tabs to hold the greenery in place. Use non-stick scissors to cut Power Tabs into slivers.

1 minute – Add a cluster of 3 ‘berries’ (Glitter Dots peel-off stickers).

Beginners: Don’t fret if it takes you more than 10 minutes. Everything takes longer when you’re just getting started. Experience brings confidence; confidence boosts skills. And don’t forget that crafting isn’t a competition or a race. I only mentioned how quickly the ornament came together for me so you can get a sense that it’s a simple project and embrace my mantra – Easy isn’t cheating!

DESIGN STRATEGIES

As always, there are lots of ways to customize this project:

Don’t want quite as much sparkle? Start with a matte finish ornament or tone down the Shimmer Sheetz by lightly sanding it prior to die cutting.

Want more dimensional berries? Make them out of air dry clay and paint them red.

Need something less traditional? Stick with the faux mercury glass ornament but use Gold and Silver Metallic or Fire Opal and Australian Gemstone Shimmer Sheetz instead of Emerald Metallic and Green Iridescent. Or switch to a royal purple ornament and go for Amethyst Gemstone and Purple Iridescent Shimmer Sheetz! (Who says that ‘Holiday Greenery’ has to be green?)

For durability, choose an acrylic ornament, as shown, rather than fragile, breakable glass. Safety reminder: Ornaments are not toys – be sure to keep them away from pets and small children.

Need some last-minute holiday cards? Instead of dimensional ornaments make flat ones that can be mailed in a standard envelope! (I’ll be showing a batch of these later this month…stay tuned.)

SUPPLIES

(Call or drop by The Queen’s Ink to get the Holiday Greens dies and other supplies needed for this project) 

• Tim Holtz ‘Holiday Greens’ Thinlits dies
• Shimmer Sheetz in Emerald Gemstone and Green Iridescent
• Die cutting machine with metal adaptor plate (Sizzix Big Shot with Precision Base Plate)
• Red/Gold Glitter Dots stickers (use largest size on the sheet)
• Tombow Power Adhesive Tabs
• Non-stick scissors (to cut Power Tabs into slivers)
• Faux mercury glass holiday ornament