Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Nature Inspired Ornaments (Using Canning Lids) - The first of many early morning posts...

Like many of you - I don't sleep well.  The topics vary greatly yet I can always trace my slumber problems to my restless mind.  It just doesn't understand the concept of rest and relaxation.  I'm almost embarrassed to tell you what has me up so early today but since recording my thoughts is the reason I started this blog - here goes.  I am worried that we are using too much propane to heat the water in our home.  Yup!  There it is - in black and white.  I could be upstairs with my wonderful husband in our beautifully decorated bedroom - cuddled up under a warm down comforter, but here I am in our incredibly unorganzied and half-designed office typing away because we have no way to get out from under the propane company that has overcharged and underserviced us for the past two years.  Perhaps I should chronical the reasons why I loathe them so, but that would bore even me - and I don't want to lose your attention before I share some of the other great ideas I have swirling in my head.

CHRISTMAS DECORATING

Yes, Yes, Yes, I know we haven't celebrated Thanksgiving yet; however, if I am going to have a beautifully themed tree I have to start planning WAY in advance.  We are still new to our home, and my living room is still a work in progress (this is the room where our main tree will be placed).  I've decided to carry the beautiful scene outside all of our windows into our home.  We live on 3+ acres in a lush, wooded area with lots of wildlife visitors - so I am going with a nature-inspired decor and this theme will carry over to our tree.


Canning Lid Ornaments

While planning our Halloween party I came across a picture of a tree that used flat, round ornaments.  My incredibly talented friend, Jenn B, said they looked like canning jar lids.  We bounced around ideas and after many prototypes were designed I have finally created something that will look beautiful on our tree.  Here are the supplies and steps for you to create your own personalized ornaments:

Supplies:

Canning Lids -You can purchase new ones at Wal-Mart for about $2-$4 depending on size - they generally come 12 to a box.
Spray Paint - I used Rust-Oleum Hammered Spray Paint (Copper)- I like the "depth" the hammered spray gives - much better than a flat color.
Primer Spray Paint - Don't skip this step - your paint will fall right off if you do not properly prime your lids.
Decorative Paper - I selected paper that looks like tree bark.  Use this as an opportunity to further emphasize your theme.
Nature Stamps - I have a bird, a moose and some trees - this is where you can really customize your ornaments.  Think about the room where the tree will be placed - can you pull some ideas from your current decorating? If I were to place a small tree in my kitchen I might have stamps of utensils and roosters.  You don't want your tree to "clash" with your home.
Colored Stamp Pads - Again, make sure the colors you choose will "blend" or "compliment" with the colors you already have in the room where the tree will be placed.
Sheer Ribbon (no bigger than the outer rims of the canning lids) - Experiment here - I used black ribbon to tie in with the black stamp color of the nature elements I selected.
Glue Gun & Glue Sticks (or whatever type of glue you are comfortable using).

Step 1:  Prime your lids. (only the outer rim needs to be primed).  Save the flat round disc - you may be using this later.
Step 2:  Paint your lids.  I have a lot of "Fall" colors in my home & living room so the copper color will really help this ornament compliment my decor. 

Step 3:  Using the flat canning disc, trace and cut out circles with your decorative paper. 
Step 4:  Start Stamping!  Decide how you want to "layer" your stamps.  My initial design was simply a moose or a bird, but they looked so plain.  So, I added a layer with trees in the background.

Step 5:  Place the stamped circle paper into the painted canning lid, and lay the flat canning disc behind it.  You can vary this as well.  I decided to place the canning disc behind the paper so the lights from the tree would not distort the image on my ornament.  Test your image by holding it up to a light.  You may like the way it looks without having the disc behind it.
Step 6:  Glue around the perimeter of the lid.
Step 7:  Tie your ribbon around the outer edge of the lid - make sure to leave enough ribbon so that you will be able to attach your ornament to your tree.  I used hot glue to secure the ribbon to the lid - just a tiny bit though - any more would "ooze" out onto the ornament.  *  The picture below does not "show" the green trees in the background - darn you, flash photography!


Options:  Now that I have been successful with this type of ornament, I think I am going to continue playing with it.  My daughter, Kelly, will have a tree in her bedroom & playroom.  I'm already thinking of using the colors in her rooms - hot pink & orange - to be the palate for her canning ornaments.  I'll let her select the Christmas stamps she likes; this will be a great craft we can do together.

5 comments:

  1. these are adorable! i am getting ready to transition the diy collective over to my main site, but as soon as i am done i would love for you to link this post up! others will love it, and it will make a perfect feature for getting into the christmas spirit.

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  2. I LOVE these!!!!! If you don't mind I have an album on my fb fanpage called "Different Uses" I'd like to copy the picture and post it. I'll also post a link back to your blog. Let me know!! Almost forgot, bummer about the high bill and lousy service!

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  3. Link away! I'm thrilled that you like the idea :-). I will be making some ornaments for my daughter's room later today - pictures to follow...

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  4. Perfect! I'm going to do it now! ;)

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  5. Ooohhh What a good idea!!! I've got like a million pickle lids!! (What? I like pickles) :)

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