What a treat today! Brett is here from Being Bianca to share the most ADORBS ornament! Loving it and super happy she's here today!
--
Hey y'all! I'm pleased as punch to be joining Kristi and all of you today. Eek ... ok, I'm actually really giddy! Not only is this my first time sharing a project with all of you fab I Should Be Mopping the Floor followers (***squeal with delight ***), but it's also my first Christmas project unveiling of the season! I just love festive decorating and am thrilled to share a really fun handmade ornament with you that is sure to be a great addition to your festive Christmas holiday décor this year.
Now, before I dive right in ... I do owe you the courtesy of a proper introduction, right? I'm B from Being Bianca and (probably like many of you) when I'm not tending to the boys in my life or working the "day job"; you can always find me up to something crafty!
I've already started unpacking my Christmas décor and poor Mr. Turkey is sharing space with his winter season friends at the moment (gasp ... I know). Once Thanksgiving comes and goes, our next order of business is the much anticipated arrival of our tiny North Pole Helper, Elfie. That's right folks, the Elf on the Shelf book series is all the rage and our family just wouldn't be miss out on this fun little tradition. In fact, this year I have a really fun elf themed tree in the little guys honor planned and today I am sharing one of the featured ornaments on this presh little tree.
To make your own elf inspired ornaments you will need:
- Burlap
- Mod Podge
- Acrylic craft paint (I used red and green)
- Scissors
- Paint brush(es)
- Permanent marker (black)
- Hot glue
- Glitter (optional)
- Begin by creating a pattern of your design. I found a darling pair of elf legs online in the Silhouette store and used that as my featured shape. I made my design about 5 inches in length so that they would be really visible on the tree. Really ... just print the picture on your printer and use that - no fancy transfer papers and such required.
- Trace the shape of your design outline onto the burlap using your marker.
- Cut around the outline of the shape you just traced.
- Using your hot glue gun glue two of the shapes together. You are basically creating a "two ply" version of your shape. Use caution because the hot glue CAN and will be felt by your sweet little fingers through the burlap (note that warning is given with a big giant blister bandage on my left thumb ... a war wound from my last battle with the glue gun).
- Once glue dries, coat the entire shape with the Mod Podge. Don't be stingy now ... go on ... slap a good coat on it.
- Let the Mod Podge dry and repeat on the other side.
- Now, at this point .... you will wonder what you have done. It won't look all that fab but perk up ... there's hope starting with this step. :) Go ahead and trim off any frayed edges or any pieces that just don't look right.
- It's time to paint your design. I started with the green and painted my little pointy toe shoes and the green zig zag skirt (I guess it's a skirt?) first. Use a fine tip paint brush to get the edges right and then simply fill in with the solid color.
- Once dry, add a contasting color for the tights. Candy cane stripes are absolutely darling, but I will warn you that it takes precision. Let's just say I started that way and went solid red after not being all too pleased with the result.
- Once your entire ornament is dry, you can use a fine tip paint brush or a paint pen to outline the shape for better contrast. I did that and would recommend it.
- Then, repeat the same design on the back side of the ornament - or if you prefer ... just paint it a solid color (hey ... it's the back, right?)
- I added a final layer of glitter mixed with the remaining Mod Podge to give a really awesome shine effect to the finished product. Would totally recommend it if you have any spare glitter or diamond fabric glue on hand.
- For one final embellishment, add jingle bells to the toes of the shoes. It's darling :)
We kick off elf season around these parts the weekend after Thanksgiving with a big arrival celebratory breakfast for our sweet Elfie. That's right, the little guy gets a big breakfast party in his honor and we pull out all the "little" stops for it. In addition to (going crazy) thinking up funny little shenanigans for Elfie to entertain us with each day, our little guy is getting a tree in his honor. These little elf legs will be joining a series of monogrammed ornaments, some fun polka dot and crazy stripe ribbon as well as a few other elf like touches on their very own special tree. I know Lil B will get a huge kick out of it this year and think the special tree in our little pint sized guest's honor is just the bee's knees!
I'll be sharing the full tree unveiling and our special breakfast party over at Being Bianca lickity split after Thanksgiving. In the mean time, pop on over, say hello and catch some the other crafty antics! Here's wishing y'all a very safe, spirited and absolutely fabulous holiday season full of memories ripe for the making!
About Brett:
Brett is a sophisticated southern belle who shares her musings, crafting and decorating at Being Bianca. She and her beloved husband, toddler son and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel call Atlanta home. In addition to sharing her creations at Being Bianca, Brett is a technology executive by day and loves to travel.
--
Thanks so much for being here today, Brett! What a PRESH ornament...I love me some curly toed-elf feet! Such a pleasure to have you here at ISBMTF!
No comments:
Post a Comment