Art How-Tos Christmas Newer »

How To Make Folk Art Bird Ornaments

Sunday, December 6th, 2009 by Alyice

I had so much fun creating beautiful bird ornaments last month that I decided to make some more this month. Only this time, instead of going with an understated look of elegance, I opted for a folk art look.

I just love the way they came out! I even added 20 multi-colored threads at the base of some birds, making the dangly very full and robust.

Supplies:

Strathmore Paper for Acrylics or Watercolor or Strathmore Canvas Paper
Scratch or photocopy paper
Stencil
White Gesso
Paints: acrylic, watercolor, or oil (your preference)
Paintbrushes
Kramar® non-yellowing varnish—for sealing
Aleene’s Jewel-It®—for gluing
Fine tip permanent marker
Scissors
Hole punch
We R Memory Keepers Crop-A-Dile™ Eyelet & Snap Punch
Eyelets
Yarn or ribbon for hanging
Embroidery needle
Embroidery thread
Black moveable “wiggle wiggle” craft eyes
Miniature bells and/or beads
Seam ripper
Self-healing craft mat

Instructions:

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Paint a sheet of Strathmore paper with gesso.
Let dry.
Paint the paper. Don’t worry about creating a distinct look, go for abstract. Add various shapes and doodles. Blend the colors together, or create distinct lines and curves.
Let dry.
Use scratch paper to sketch out a bird.
Cut out the bird sketch to create a template.
Trace the template onto the backside of your painted paper.
Cut out the bird.
Punch a hole in the top of the bird.
Use the Crop-A-Dile™ to insert an eyelet into the hole.
Place bird onto self-healing mat.
Use the seam ripper to punch a hole into the middle part of the bird’s tail. Make sure hole is 1/4 inch from edge of bird.
Continue to punch holes around the entire bird, spacing holes about 1/4 inch apart; closer if you like smaller stitches.
Thread embroidery needle.
Coming up from back of bird, place threaded needle into the hole at the middle of the bird’s tail, leaving 1/2 inch of thread hanging out of back of hole.
Find the next hole, and place the threaded needle into the hole, going back into the back of the bird.
Continue this stitching motion until the entire bird has been stitched.
When you reach the end of the bird, use the remaining thread, with the 1/2 inch thread you left hanging, to tie a double knot. Then cut off any hanging thread.
Take the bird outside and spray a thin coat of varnish over the entire bird.
Let dry.
Use Jewel-It ® to glue the eye into place.
Let dry.
Use the seam ripper to poke a hole in the bottom of the bird; aligning the hole directly below the brand and the bottom stitch.
Use your scrap thread to create a dangly. Thread needle with a few strands of thread, then pull the needle through the hole. Once the thread is through the hole, pull the ends together so that they are even.
Holding that thread, at the hole, with your pointer finger and thumb, pull through your second batch of thread and make ends even. Continue adding thread, in this manner, until you have desired look.
Once all thread has been pulled through the hole, grab the two sections and tie a knot at the base of the bird.
Pick a single strand of thread, from the dangly, to add the miniature bell. Thread the strand through the miniature bell, leaving 1/2 inch of thread at the end. Tie a knot to hold the bell into place, and let it hang.
Sign and date the back of the bird.
String ribbon through the top hole and tie into a bow or knot.
Sign your Christmas greeting card, insert the bird ornament, address envelope, and affix it with the proper postage.

Now your friends and family will receive a nice surprise and you’ll have turned the boring task of sending Christmas cards into something fun and festive!

Keep Creating

P.S.

When you cut out the birds, the sides will be white–or whatever color your original paper is. You can easily color the sides by running an ink pad alongside the bird, or by placing a latex glove on your hand, then dipping your pointer finger into paint and running your finger alongside the bird.

Posted in Art How-Tos Christmas | 4 Comments »

How To Make Christmas Bird Ornaments

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 by Alyice

One day last year, I discovered a fun way to spice up some old background sheets using acrylic paints and modeling paste. I used those papers for all sorts of projects: greeting cards, altered jars, and even canvases. But I had yet to use them as Christmas decorations until this year.

You see, I joined a really fun group called Swap-Bot. It’s a free service that unites artists and crafters from all over the world in an effort to bring back the fun of sending and receiving “snail mail”—you know that stuff you get from the United States Post Office.

This week, one of the swaps I joined thought it would be fun to send greeting cards for Thanksgiving with a short message of what we’re thankful for this year. Originally, I had planned on taking a photograph of a Turkey cookie I made, enhancing it digitally, and then printing it out on card stock. Unfortunately, I ran out of ink and the stores were all out. So I opted for a less traditional card.

I could have left things there and met my swap obligation, but the fun of the swap is the creating that goes behind each piece so I grabbed that spruced up background paper, cut out two birds, and created fun little Christmas ornaments.

It was so easy and cost-effective that I think I’ll create a few more for family and friends!

Supplies:

Strathmore Paper for Acrylics or Watercolor or Strathmore Canvas Paper
Scratch or photocopy paper
White Gesso
Liquitex modeling paste
Paints: acrylic, watercolor, or oil (your preference)
Paintbrushes
Thin-tipped putty knife
Mod Podge® glue or Kramar® non-yellowing varnish—for sealing
Fine tip permanent marker
Scissors
Hole punch
Red lace ribbon
Stencil

I Recommend

Your purchase
supports this blog.

Instructions:

Paint a sheet of Strathmore paper with gesso.
Let dry.
Use putty knife to randomly place modeling paste over paper. Or place a stencil onto the paper, then frost it with the modeling paste.
Lift the stencil up gently and the design will remain.
Let dry.
Paint the paper. Don’t worry about creating a distinct look, go for abstract. Blend the colors together, or create distinct lines and curves.
Let dry.
Use scratch paper to sketch out a bird.
Cut out the bird sketch to create a template.
Trace the template onto the backside of your painted paper.
Cut out the bird.
Punch a hole in the top of the bird.
Sign and date the back of the bird.
Seal the front of the bird with Mod Podge® or varnish.
Let dry.
String ribbon through the hole and tie into a bow or knot.
Sign your Christmas greeting card, insert the bird ornament, address envelope, and affix it with the proper postage.

Now your friends and family will receive a nice surprise and you’ll have turned the boring task of sending Christmas cards into something fun and festive!

Keep Creating

Posted in Art How-Tos Christmas | 1 Comment »

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AlyiceEdrich.com
I'm a freelance writer, mixed media artist, SMVA, and the owner of The Dabbling Mum.

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All material on this blog belongs to Alyice Edrich, unless otherwise noted. No project, artwork, or text may be reproduced or displayed elsewhere without the consent of the creator. That includes making derivative works for resale. Please use project tutorials for personal use and/or gifts only.