Learn how to create beautiful Christmas ornaments out of your favorite books!
You will need:
- A book of your choosing
- Mod Podge Matt
- Mod Podge Sparkle (for top layer, optional)
- Christmas ornament balls (I used plastic because they won't shatter)
- Exacto Knife
- A glass of water
- Napkins
- Flat paint brushes
- Paperclips (same number as the ornaments plus a few more)
- A pair of round nosed jewelry pliers
First step is to find one of your favorite books that you are willing to literally rip apart. I found this rather beat up book from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series at T. J. Maxx on clearance for a dollar. You may choose to tear out some of your favorite or important passages in the book along with portions of the cover for the main photos on the ornament. Those will go on the back of the ornament. Also, tear out lots of smaller areas of copy. This will be the background and you will need enough to cover the entire ornament.
If you plan on using the binding of the book, a Exacto knife will help but, be careful as those a very sharp.
You will need Mode Podge and medium sized flat brushes. I used matt and sparkle Mod Podge. The sparkle Mod Podge was used for the top layer to give a slight glittery effect.
The next step is to turn your paperclips into hangers. Use the picture above to assist you in creating the hangers. The only step I needed the pliers in was the last one to round it off. The first three steps you should be able to complete using your fingers. The extra paperclips are needed incase any of the clips fall apart during the second step. It seems that there is a solder point at the bottom of the clip that is weakened during that step.
These hangers will assist you once you start making the ornament and need to have them dry while hanging. I used them while hanging them from drop ceiling, but if you don't mind the possibility of scratching up your work table, you can hang them on the edge of the table. I ended up hanging mine from the table since it was much easier.
Now, you will want to reverse the cap on the ornaments. The above pictures illustrate how to do this if you've never played around with one before. This is so that when you cover the ornament you don't have to worry about the cap when covering the stem.
Once your ornament is ready, supplies are set up, hooks made, and your pieces of paper ready, you will get to start the ornaments. It is easiest to cover the neck of the ornament first with a long strip of paper. The best way to attach the paper is to cover the back with Mod Podge and also cover that area of the ornament. Once you stick the piece of paper on, cover it with more Mod Podge. Try to flatten the paper as best you can but, if you can't do it perfectly you will be able to fix it after the next step.
After your ornament is covered in scraps of paper of your choosing and covered in more Mod Podge, use one of your hangers to help it dry a bit. Do NOT add the glitter Mod Podge yet. It will only get all over you hands in a moment.
After the ornament dries a bit, but before it is fully dry (varies on how much Mod Podge you used) take the ornament in the palms of you hands and roll it around, rotating it so you have pushed down any remaining wrinkles. If you need to, use more Mod Podge to glue down any stubborn flaps. Remember to clean out your brush ever now and then.
Now when you go to put the picture from the cover onto the ornament, you may need to slightly wet the back of the picture in order to get it to relax and conform to the shape of the ornament. Depending on the size of the picture, you may want to press it onto the ornament and create any necessary fold before you adhere it to the ornament. Add a favorite passage to the back and then repeat the steps required for pressing the paper down once it has started to dry.
Once all of the pieces of paper are added to the ornament and are flattened, coat the bulb with the sparkle Mod Podge and let dry. You can repeat this if you want more than one coat of glitter.
Once it has dried, remover the cap from the ornament and flip the cap and put it back on to the ornament. Make sure the edges of the paper are either pressed down or cut off so that it doesn't interfere with replacing the cap.
Now you are ready to enjoy your ornaments!
Pictures were taken outside, but I do not believe they can stand up to the weather. They are really for indoor use.
