Craft Time: Ornaments from Kati

Do you remember THS Handmade Christmas Ornament week?  Did you know that we had a Handmade Ornament swap? A few of the awesome swap participants have offered to share tutorials on the ornaments they made!  I hope you’re ready to be inspired to get crafty!

This is part 1 of a 2 part special featurd today which I like to call “Crafting from R2.”  Two of my good friends who live in Madison are going to be sharing their tutorials today.  They both also happen to be girls who lived on my floor (Regina floor 2, hence R2) when I was an RA at Edgewood College! That place was just overflowing with creative genius, I tell ya!  First up we have Kati’s how-to:

 First and foremost, I’m an elementary art teacher.  I have wanted to be an art teacher since second grade and I am in LOVE with my job!  Heather inspired me to start my own blog, O’Keeffe’s Backyard.  Since then, I have immersed myself in the art teacher blog world.  My favorite is Art Teachers Hate Glitter.  Check her out of you were ever curious what goes on in an art teacher’s muddled brain. Seriously though, sometimes it is lonely being a specials teacher and this new world I discovered has made me feel connected to my profession in a whole new way!  I have a million art teacher blogs bookmarked and check them weekly.  I’m sure it’s a similar obsession to you healthy living bloggers.

While I get a lot of lesson ideas from these blogs, this time I gleaned an ornament idea.  This particular ornament is a take on an ornament by Tishalou, although I’ve seen this star book done a bunch of ways, a bunch of places.

I apologize ahead of time for the photo quality.  I don’t have a super nice camera to use, just my iPhone so I make do!

1.  Begin with 5 paper squares all the same size.  You can use whatever paper you’d like, just make sure it is easy to fold.  I used color printer paper.

2.  Take one square and fold it in half and in half again.

3.  I fold each the opposite way as well and then fold it diagonal.  Flip it over. You should have this:

 

4.  With one corner facing you, push in the diagonal folds so that the meet in the middle and your paper is now a quarter the size it once was.  Do this with the other four squares.

 

5.  Next cut two squares, one for the front cover and one for the back.  I’m not big on measuring.  I just traced my folded paper and added am eighth of an inch or so on each side.  (Really, just make sure it is half as big as your original inside paper squares when they were unfolded).  I used cardboard from a cereal box.  Be green!

  

6.  For the next part, find some pretty paper.  I used decorative paper from Artists and Craftsman because it was half off and it was so beautiful!  If I had more time, I would have made my own paper.  (Super easy, give it a try!)  Cut paper squares so you have about a half-inch to work with around your cardboard square.

 

7.  Fold in your corners and then your sides.  Glue down.  I used a regular glue stick for this.  Do the same for your second cardboard square.
  

8.  Lay your ribbon across both squares at a diagonal leaving enough ribbon on each side to tie a bow to hang on your tree.  In between the squares, leave a little room so you’ll have enough room to fold it like a book later.  Glue the ribbon in place.  Again, I just used a glue stick.

 

9.  Glue all five of your inside pages together.  Make sure to match all the open corners with the open and the closed corners with the closed.

 

10.  Watch your cat play in the decorative paper proceeding to get glitter all over himself so you’ll have to bath him later.  (optional)

 

11.  Glue your inside papers to the front and back covers (over the ribbon) making sure the closed corners are in the same corner as the ribbon.

12.  Enjoy open or closed.  Optional:  add some Zentagles to the inside so it’s especially interesting when displayed open!  This would also be a great place to add a motivational message.

 

I got into the Zentangles a bit.  They are super addicting.

 Thanks to Kati for sharing this tutorial! Come back later in the day to see the 2^nd segment of “Crafting from R2” from the ever sweet, Kelly!  xo – Heather