One of my favorite things to receive during the holidays are the family photo Christmas cards.
I love seeing how the families change and the kids grow during the year. These are too special to discard after the season is over, so I have saved them through out the years with the intention of coming up with something creative to do with them. This year I decided to make an ornament out of them and "re-gift" them to the family that sent them to me. I think this is one gift that's okay to re-gift and the family won't mind receiving back this year.
Supplies needed: One photo cardTwo pieces of glass "I used scrap glass from an old frame"Scalloped copper tapeJump ringsRibbonBeads, loop pins, bead caps, silver ball beads
Wrapping your ornament
First step is to make sure you CLEAN the glass really well with alcohol rub before sandwiching the card between the two pieces of glass.I prefer to use alcohol rub instead of glass cleaner because it doesn't streak and does a great job of removing the grime. I peel back the tape and start wrapping the edge of my ornament.After wrapping the entire ornament with copper tape, I used a popsicle stick to smooth the edges down and remove any air bubbles trapped between the tape and glass.(If you need more detail on foil wrapping look under soldering tips on my blog)
When done this is what your ornament should look like.
Then it's time to plug the old soldering iron in and start soldering. I do the four sides first then the front and back of the ornament.After tinning the whole ornament I go back and add a thick layer of solder to enhance the scallops.(If you need more detail on soldering look under soldering tips on my blog)
Next step is to add the jump rings! I added two to the top to run ribbon through and three to the bottom so I can add some beads and bling.(If you need more detail on adding jump rings look under soldering tips on my blog)
I started my bead chain by adding a silver ball, bead cap, bead, bead cap, and another silver ball. Then I looped the opening closed. I continued this until I had twelve done.
Connect all of the beads together in two groups of five and one group of two. Then connect the two groups of five to the bottom of your ornament "creating a swag effect". Next I added the group of two to the center ring and added a little bling to the end of them. This way it dangles and adds a little sparkle
After adding a little ribbon you have a one of a kind handmade gift your friends are sure to love!
Here are a few other ornaments I created for family and friends this holiday season.
