I’m not super crafty, but when it comes to handmade Christmas ornaments, man do I love to experiment! I’m participating in an ornament swap with my fellow Three Angels adoptive mamas this month, so I had some fun putting together a travel-themed ornament for my secret Sister today.
I started with some clothespins I got at the grocery store (image 1). I removed the metal springs from eight of them (image 2), and then hot glued them together in pairs- flat side to flat side (image 3).
Next, I pulled a couple of leaves and three white berries off a Christmas sprig (Michaels), and then hot-glued all eight clothespins together, like this:
After that, I painted some small wooden letters (Michaels) with some leftover Dutch Tile Blue paint (Sherwin Williams)…
…and then hot-glued the letters W, N, E, and S to the front of the clothespins, along with the berries and leaves:
I also used hot glue to attached a loop of green and white twine to the back of the ornament so that it could hang.
I haven’t really felt ready to pull out our Christmas decorations yet, but making that little ornament definitely got me excited about what’s coming up in the next few weeks! Since I’ve got oodles of them, I think I’ll experiment with a whole bunch of different kinds of clothespin snowflake ornaments for our tree this year.
How about you? Are you ready to start decking the halls?
Ooh that is so pretty! I love it!
I think I have some in the garage and I might spray paint mine shiny silver.
Thanks for sharing!
I’m thinking about breaking out the spray paint on my next one too, Anele! 😀
Cute! I’m ready to start decking the halls, but I’m restraining myself :). We make a big deal of getting everything out the Friday after Thanksgiving while the kids are on break from school.
That is such a fun tradition, Angela! 🙂
That is so cute and clever. Great job, Layla. I’m not the best crafts person either, but this is simple yet pretty, I love snowflakes.
Karen
Thank you, Karen! I love snowflakes too!
my christmas tree is still up…going on two years now. i love, love, love my christmas tree and its ornaments. thank you for the idea to make some stars for my family. great idea!
i’m not ready to decorate the rest of the house, but perhaps i shall get to shopping for fun things to make.
🙂
Oh my gosh, I LOVE that your tree is still up!! My mom had a white Christmas tree with all red cardinal ornaments on it that stayed up for a long time too. 🙂
Very cute idea! and those snowflakes could stay out all winter! We are waiting until after Thanksgiving to decorate…I don’t want to overshadow this important day! I’m thankful for blogs like yours Layla!
Thank you, Julia! I’m thankful for your kindness and hope you’re having a very happy Novembrrrrr so far! 😀
Lovely! Am I reading this right … is the center held together entirely by hot gluing the tips of the joined clothespins? I’m going to make these with my grandchildren, but with six sides to the snowflakes (being snowflake lovers, they’ll call me on accuracy if we use eight ; ) So I’m thinking that since they won’t connect snugly like yours with eight, maybe I’ll have to glue them onto a little disk or round felt cut-out at the center/back. Any thoughts?
Hi Paula!
Yes, the centers are all hot-glued together, and I think you’re right- gluing them to a little round disc first would hold them together even better! 🙂
Since I work in a home decor store, we decorate for Christmas the third weekend in October..and it is very lovely. It definitely makes me want to run home and decorate, however…there is Veterans/ Remembrance Day and my son’s November bday..so I wait anticipating. While I do, I hear the Spirit say…” Jesus came without all the tinsel and glitter, so keep your heart in check and worship , without a perfectly decorated home” and my soul says “Amen”.
Love that.
Ooh! My Sonny’s birthday is in November too, Sunny! 😀
Love the little ornament you made. I think that homemade/handmade ornaments are so special.
Me too, Rosalind! Especially if Christmas music is playing while you create them! 😉
That is an adorable ornament. I have to say when I was first married and we had our first tree I had no ornaments. Well, I got to work! I sat for ELEVEN hours straight at a card table and made numerous ornaments. I tied cinnamon sticks with ribbon, dressed gingerbread men (made earlier by hand) in felt clothing, wrapped and glued Styrofoam balls in twisted rope ribbon (a lot of burns from those!), and even painted some salt dough ornaments and glittered them! Whew! I was in my element and had our tree that way for many years–probably almost ten. Eventually we phased groups of the ornaments out. The tree is now filled with more of my girls ornaments and some others gathered along the way. They each get one to open on Christmas Eve—our tradition–so when they go off to their own home they have something to get started with. 🙂
What a fun story and tradition, Kristin! 😀 Thank you so much for sharing it with us! XO
You need to make another one of these for the neighborhood ornament swap!
Kathy! 😀 When is the swap? I’d love to join in on the fun!
I love this ornament!! I think you are very crafty! These colors are perfect. It is so difficult to find premade ornaments in these colors. The stores assume that everyone loves the traditional red and green color palette. Very pretty!
Thank you, Erica! That’s so true about stores and their color palettes!
Cute! Making and pinning!
Thank you, Jenny! XO
I can’t even deal with how stinkin’ creative you are! 🙂
You are so sweet, Erika! XO
Love it.. I made some weeks ago with vintage buttons to sell in a booth that I have.
Oh! I love the vintage button idea, Olivia! Thank you for sharing it here! 🙂
Cute for sure and crafty too and I do like how you tied in the travel theme. But, and I really hate to rain on your parade, snowflakes only have 6 points. Sorry! But it’s cute and I get it and so will every one else, except a meteorologist, which I am not…
Good to know, Joanne! I think I still like the look of eight better than six, and this particular project wouldn’t work with six points, so my flakes may just need to march on to the beat of a different drummer, just like their creator- LOL! 😀
So cute and such an inspired design with the direction letters included. I love the soft colors that just say Layla made this!
Thank you, Mindy! I always smile when I see your name pop up here. 🙂 XO
Darling. 🙂
Thanks so much for the share! I’m constantly looking for easy DIY crafts to do with two of my littles and this will work well for them especially if it includes glitter! When they come to Nonnie’s house, it’s always craft time!
This is so pretty! I’d call it a ‘compass rose’. 🙂
WOW. I have tons clothes pins from making fridge magnets a few years ago. Excited to have another idea for them. Thanks and happy holidays.
So cute! Going to make these with our foster son, adding our own creative twist, to give as teacher gifts. Time spent together + making a thrifty, thoughtful gift = Happiness!
I love your idea!!! I used it for my sisters godsister that is 7 🙂 love the idea 😉