Archive for the ‘Ornaments Ideas’ Category

« Older Entries

Choosing a Pet Ornament

Saturday, October 1st, 2011

ChristmasOrnaments.com - Chihuahua Ornament        ChristmasOrnaments.com - Girl Holding Kitten Ornament   ChristmasOrnaments.com - Pomeranian Ornament

 PETS ARE PART OF OUR FAMILIES

Looking at photos of my family’s Christmas tree, I notice ornaments that represent marriages, births, and family vacations, and all those bring back memories that our family spent together. Our family is, however, more than just people.  It includes our pets, and for that reason, we have ornaments for them too!

I can look at the ornament of Tiger, the gray cat we had growing up, and remember the time he decided to climb our 14 foot Christmas tree and send it crashing to the ground (he, along with the tree and ornaments, somehow came out unharmed). Or I can look at the ornament of our two golden retrievers, Elvis and Priscilla, and reminisce about the time when they helped open half our presents before we woke up.

CHOOSING AN ORNAMENT FOR THEM

ChristmasOrnaments.com - Dog Bone Frame OrnamentA lot of the ornaments I look fondly at are the ones I made as a young child. When it comes to pets, I don’t think it would be a good idea for them to assist in any part of the process – I’m just imagining glue and glitter stuck to the fur of your cat as your dog chases him around with painted paws. You can always run to a craft store and pick up a little wooden picture frame, paint it with paw prints.  Again, be aware that if you dip your pet’s paw into paint, you will probably have a nice memory of a pet who furiously squirmed around getting red & green paw prints on everything but the ornament. It’s easy to personalized the pet frame ornament by sliding your favorite pet picture in. If you don’t feel inclined to tackle the craft project, go to ChristmasOrnaments.com to buy the cute pet frame ornament which is pictured above. 

ChristmasOrnaments.com - Grey Cat OrnamentIf you are looking for a simple, mess free alternative, consider buying an ornament that looks like your dog, cat, bird, snake, or whatever kind of pet is part of your family. At ChristmasOrnaments.com, you can select from a variety of dogs, cats, horses, and even frogs. The grey cat which stands at 3 inches looks quite a bit like my cat, Oliver, while the German shepherd glass ornament which is 4 inches has an amazing resemblance to my mother-in-law’s dog. If for some reason you can’t find an ornament that looks like your dog, you can always get the ornament frame and put a picture of you and your dog in there.

CREATING YEARS OF MEMORIES

After you have an ornament for your pets, you will be able to be nostalgic about them for years. Just be sure to keep the ornaments up high on the tree especially if it’s in the shape of a bone!

Guest written by the folks at ChristmasOrnaments.com.  

More pet & animal ornaments on the Ornaments.com Directory.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Ideas, Ornaments Traditions | Add a comment »

Shimmering Star Christmas Ornaments

Monday, August 1st, 2011

Starlight Spheres Make Unique Christmas Ornaments

Starlight Spheres OrnamentsStarlight sphere ornaments are the perfect ornaments for both your indoor and outdoor Christmas trees and displays. The 5” and 6” diameter Starlight spheres feature dozens of mini lights secured in star shaped strong plastic that add a distinctive glow when placed on your Christmas tree. These larger ornaments give taller outdoor trees the look of a traditional decorated tree and, for indoor trees, accentuate favorite ornaments with a peaceful and stunning glow.

The spheres will not be hidden amid larger tree branches, which means each ornament will have a visual impact. Additionally, the ornaments are available in multiple colors so you can choose spheres which match or complement your decorating style.

Worried About the Weather?

Standard ornaments can easily blow away or fall and shatter when used on Christmas trees. These problems not only cost money, but could leave trees with empty spots. Starlight sphere ornaments are sturdy enough to hang from the highest branches of your outdoor Christmas tree and durable enough to survive an accidental fall.

Hanging Starlight Sphere Ornaments

Because spheres are larger in size than standard ornaments, they can be spaced farther apart on outdoor trees. Fewer ornaments will reduce the amount of time on a ladder, require fewer extension cords, and give your largest trees a full, Christmas tree appearance.

Whether you hang the spheres using the long lead or use standard hangers, the ornaments are versatile enough to fit in with all your Christmas tree decorations. 

Other Ways to Decorate with the Sphere Ornaments

You can use these ornaments in ways other than decorating your trees

•  Arrange the spheres around the base of your tree to look like ornaments that are yet to be hung

•  Spread the ornaments across your yard to provide a unique glow to your entire Christmas display

•  Use the lengthy lead to hang the starlight spheres from your roofline or porch

•  Indoors, combine various sizes of these ornaments in a basket or decorated box as a centerpiece on your table or in different rooms around your home

Starlight sphere ornaments are unique enough to stand alone or complement your existing trees, ornaments or lights.

Article and images used with permission from christmaslightsetc.com

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Ideas | Add a comment »

Personalized Ornaments Are Keepers

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

When it comes to personalized ornaments, the possibilities are endless.

   Teachers Have Class Ornament   Bride & Groom Personalized Christmas Ornament  

Shopping for Christmas ornaments at GiftsForYouNow.com presents a delightful menu of choices for your family, teacher, minister, employees, business associates, or just anyone that you want to say a special “thank you” to during the holidays.   The folks at GiftForYouNow.com  have a large selection of meaningful Christmas ornaments that are suitable for any recipient, whether it be your children, spouse, friends, co-workers or teachers.  Christmas ornaments make the perfect gift ideas that are treasured year after year, and all of the ornaments at this well organized site can either be personalized with a single name or the names of your whole family.  At GiftsForYouNow.com, you will see many choices for Christmas ornaments that are engraved, painted or printed with unique designs and personalization.  Choose from a wide selection of Engraved Oval Glass Ornaments, Printed Round Ceramic Ornaments or Hand Painted Resin Ornaments to find the perfect custom ornament to meet your needs.

Gingerbread Photo House Engraved Christmas OrnamentPersonalized Christmas ornaments are also ideal gifts for grab bags, exchanges, stocking stuffers or any life changing event.  You might want to give personalized ornaments to a newlywed couple celebrating their first Christmas together, a mother expecting her first child, someone who has just graduated or to a baby for their first Christmas.  More and more, we see gift buyers using custom printed ornaments to mark special occasions and many people order a personalized ornament to celebrate a new baby.  Then they continue the tradition by personalizing an ornament for the child each year.  All of these unique ornaments are perfect to complement any event.   They give you a chance at the end of the year to look back at all of the good times, and the personalized ornaments will remind your gift recipients of these fond memories for years to come.  Christmas will take on a new meaning each and every single year when you give personalized Christmas ornaments.

Personalized Christmas Gifts

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Ideas, Ornaments Online | Add a comment »

Collecting Christmas Ornaments for Kids

Friday, April 2nd, 2010

Collecting Christmas ornaments for children can be a fun adventure!

            

The folks at Pence Christmas Tree Farms have good advice when choosing ornaments for children and they are gearing up for the holidays already.  They will make sure that all of their ornaments for children are ready by June, so bookmark their Santa’s Workshop. 

Age Appropriate:

Baby’s First Christmas ornaments are plentiful and come in a variety of materials and price ranges for every budget. Christmas ornaments make nice keepsake gifts to package with “disposable” baby shower gifts which are so popular. New mothers love getting diapers, wipes, lotions, formula – all those necessary items for the little one. Coupling a basket of “disposables” with a specially selected keepsake Christmas ornament makes that baby gift even more special.

Keep in mind that Christmas ornaments are not toys, even though many are designed after toys and resemble toys. Materials are a consideration also. Obviously glass is breakable, so in the early years you may want to gift some ornaments made of resin, plastic, Claydough, wood, felt and fabrics. When choosing glass ornaments, stay with reputable companies that make it well known that their paints and glitters are lead free. Inge-Glas of Germany and Merck Family’s Old World Christmas are two examples.

Memorable Event:

Beautiful Christmas trees are in fact – beautiful. All kids love brightly decorated trees with candy canes, lights and balls, but the best Christmas tree memories will be those associated with special ornaments. In the toddler years, you may want to collect ornaments to keep memories alive of favorite toys, songs, books, food, etc. Ornaments representing storybook classics and nursery rhymes are easily found.

Special times such as zoo visits, birthday parties, haircuts, loss of first tooth, vacations – are great times to choose ornaments. When children are very young, you may have to take the ornament and remind them where the special ornament came from or the “remember when….” event. But don’t worry….they’ll get it quick enough. It won’t be anytime before they will be pointing out “their” special ornament and the tales will begin to flow. School brings on another host of wonderful opportunities! First day, first bus ride, classroom, teacher, backpack, lunchbox and so on. More memorable events include recitals, sports, dance, gymnastics, karate, band, Sunday school and church functions, movies, makeup, music, cars, trucks..even dental visits and checkups!

Holidays and celebrations are a perfect time to give ornaments. Even when small children may not have the capacity to appreciate the ornament gift, you can couple it with a toy, book or whatever the gift so they will have some “now” and the keepsake ornament as a remembrance for later. Halloween is a wonderful time for ornament giving. Matching an ornament to the costume or memory from a Halloween party is great.

 

Storage:

Each child needs their own special box, one that will last several years. Shopping for this box, or creating it can be a wonderful excursion or rainy day project. All you need is a good sturdy box, one with dividers would be great, but just improvise as you have too. Paper plates work well as dividers.

Some say cardboard, some say plastic – if you’re not storing a priceless ornament collection – I say whatever is convenient – as long as it is stored in a controlled temperature setting. No basements or attics. The top of a closet is great. While you want easy access to the box so you can add to it all year long, you don’t want this to be a plaything. Ornaments are to be gently held, admired, then safely stored away until you decorate the tree. Plain boxes can be painted and decorated. Small wooden chests are also great for children’s treasures especially as they get older.

There are hundreds of ornament vendors that are ready to help you on your adventure.  Just enter your child’s favorite color in The Ornament Finder search at the top of this page and see where it leads you.  Enjoy!

Article and images used with permission from TrendyTree.com

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Collectors, Ornaments Ideas, Ornaments Traditions | Add a comment »

How to Make Valentines Ornaments

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Create fun and inexpensive holiday ornaments for every holiday.

                

With all of the hustle and bustle of the December and January holidays in the past, it’s time to think about Valentine’s Day and the ornaments that can be made for a Valentine’s Day tree!  Valentine’s Day decorations and ornaments are growing in popularity, and kids have always enjoyed making Valentine’s Day gifts for classmates and friends.  This year, why not spend an afternoon with your children creating Valentine’s Day ornaments that are fun and inexpensive?    

Valentine’s Day ornaments do not have to be elaborate to be beautiful.  In fact, one of the latest techniques is to create these ornaments out of recycled materials!  Using things you have around the house or buying recycled art supplies can be a fun and inexpensive way to encourage creativity.    Here are a few ideas for items you may have around the house that can make for beautiful Valentine’s Day ornaments.

  1. Yarn (left over from a knitting project or other misc.);   
  2. Tissue paper (check in some of the gift boxes you saved from Christmas);
  3. Old greeting cards (Valentine’s or not);
  4. Candles (melt the wax and use as glue);
  5. Ribbon and/or bows (check those Christmas gift boxes again);
  6. Newspapers or magazines (paper mache is so much fun).

The options are really limitless!  Get creative and have fun.  Making Valentine’s Day ornaments is a wonderful way to spend a cold, wintry afternoon with your children.  Once you’ve got a variety of ornaments, decorate a Valentine’s Day tree and give the rest away as gifts.  At the end of February, be sure to store the ornaments in a safe place so you can enjoy them next year!

Article and images used with permission from UltimateChristmas.com.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Ideas, Ornaments News | Add a comment »

Butterfly Ornaments for Your Pretty Garden

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Add color to wedding showers or Easter baskets with butterfly ornaments.

 

ButterflyBuzz.com is a non-profit organization for people who love butterflies, and a portion of their sales is donated to the North American Butterfly Association to help with butterfly conservation. They have several glass ornaments that are handpainted with butterflies and dragonflies, and these are all presented very nicely in plush gift boxes. ButterflyBuzz.com also offers handcast pewter butterfly ornaments and even butteryfly hair ornaments and jewelry.

We really like the idea of a Christmas tree decorated with beautiful Lifelike Butterfly ornaments. These beautiful ornaments are made from a durable plastic polymer, come with a gold braid hanger attached and ready for hanging. Because the topside and underside of the wings have markings just like a real butterfly, they can be viewed from the front or back. You may have a hard time distinguishing these unique ornaments from real live butterflies.

The Lifelike Butterfly ornaments definitely are ornaments to be displayed year round, and would make a nice gift to enclose in a card or just to leave on someone’s desk as a special surprise. Use the Lifelike Butterfly ornaments to add a thoughtful touch to Easter baskets or attach the darling butterfly ornaments to the ribbon on a birthday gift.  At only $5.95 each, you can stock up now and use the multi-colored ornaments as unique stocking stuffers at Christmas, wedding favors, or fancy table decorations. 

Article and images used with permission from ButterflyBuzz.com

 

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Ideas | Add a comment »

Buy Ornament Patterns for Winter Projects

Monday, January 11th, 2010

 

Create a medallion ornament or a fancy ornament with beads and cabochons.

Rabbit Hollow Creations not only offers one-of-a-kind beaded ornaments for sale. They are also ready to supply the ornament maker with cabochons and “blank” ornaments. Their ornament patterns can be purchased in pdf format and most of the patterns are designed to just be slipped on to a plain glass ornament ball.

Cabochons are disk-like pieces similar to buttons and have many uses besides ornament making. Many crafters use them in their wearable ornament designs, ornamental magnets or barrettes. You can buy them at Rabbit Hollow with images ranging from flowers to Santa as well as in heart shapes.

The owner of Rabbit Hollow Creations is Holly and she doesn’t skip any corners on materials. The elegant round ornaments can include beads, cabochons, fringe and swags. Her medallion ornaments are made from porcelain and glass beads. Knowing that you want to take good care of your ornaments, Holly makes polyester filled gift boxes available too. Be sure to join her mailing list to hear when new ornaments and patterns are offered.

Article and images used with permission from RabbitHollowCreations.com

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Ideas | Add a comment »

Fun Ornament Projects for January

Monday, January 4th, 2010

Beaded Ornaments for the Holidays and Beyond presents 27 creative ornament projects for any level beader. This book presents a variety of ornament projects using different techniques including bead stringing, wirework, stitching, and netting. Beaded Ornaments for the Holidays and Beyond includes an introduction, basics section, comprehensive list of tools and materials, step-by-step photographic instructions, and design guidelines to guide beaders through their work.

“Our ornament projects are always really popular. They are a fun, festive way to show off and share your love of beading,” says Cathy Jakicic, BeadStyle editor.

Beaders will learn to make holiday ornaments such as beaded wreaths, poinsettias, ornament covers, standing spiders, and even peyote-stitched Russian ornaments, as well as beaded air balloon ornaments, stitched crayons, moccasins, leaves, flip-flops, and fruit and vegetables. There are even ideas for creating ornament hangers or ornament alternatives such as drawer pulls, drapery tiebacks, doorknob decor, and more.

Beaded Ornaments for the Holidays and Beyond is available in bookstores and direct from Kalmbach Publishing Co. for $19.95. To order the book direct, call (800) 533-6644, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Central Standard Time or visit them on the Web at KalmbachBooks.com. 

Article and image used with permission from KalmbachBooks.com

 

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Ideas | Add a comment »

Best Handblown Glass Christmas Ornaments

Sunday, December 20th, 2009

Unique glass ornaments are the most sought after ornaments this year.

        

At Ornaments.com, we hear from hundreds of gift buyers and collectors.  Many are looking for personalized ornaments, but almost everyone wants at least a few traditional glass ornaments for their Christmas tree.  We are picturing just a few of the favorite choices for handcrafted sphere type ornaments to add to the holiday spirit.  With a variety of ways to display ornamentsicon besides the traditional Christmas tree, you can keep these designer ornaments up year round to extend your holiday celebrations. 

Christmas is a season of goodwill and cheer.  Getting together with family and friends at this special time of year is something that everyone looks forward to.  Gathering around a Christmas tree decorated with beautiful ornaments and with good food and friends makes the season complete.

Christmas is celebrated around the world.  However, each culture has their own traditions. Many families gather together to decorate the Christmas tree with their favorite ornaments and to share precious family moments. It builds lasting memories that are cherished year after year and adding a special ornament each Christmas or adding a new ornament to celebrate the milestones of the year adds to the family traditions. Christmas decorations come in many shapes, sizes and colors.  However for those with  sophisticated tastes, hand painted blown glass ornaments are an excellent way to add elegance to any Christmas tree.   Tastes may range from a monochrome of  one color to a splash of festive colors and there are hundreds of wonderful vendors on The Ornaments Directory to choose from. 

Common themes for hand painted blown glass ornaments are Santa, Angels, Poinsettias, Snowmen and bells, but many artists also design in an impressionistic or artglass style, leaving the interpretation up to the viewer. The glass ornaments are crafted by artists whose delicate touch creates exquisite masterpieces that are treasured through the years.

Although ornaments are associated with Christmas, handblown glass ornaments are created for every season and occasion. Handpainted and handblown glass ornaments add a touch of class to any occasion. Collectors anticipate adding new and beautifully handcrafted pieces to their collections. Many of the handblown ornaments are signed by the artist to give it a uniqueness that is second to none. 

If you are still Christmas shopping, picture your gift recipients receiving one of the exquisite handblown glass  ornaments December 24.  There is still time for them to enjoy the ornament through the holidays, and they will remember your thoughtfulness when they unpack the ornament each year.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Collectors, Ornaments Ideas, Ornaments Online, Show & Tell | Add a comment »

Christmas Wreaths – Ornaments for Your Door!

Monday, November 16th, 2009

A fresh Christmas wreath sets the mood for the holidays.

Evergreens are a wonderful symbol of the holidays, and the aroma of a fresh noble fir and pine wreath brings back nostalgic memories of family and friends at Christmas. Holiday wreaths are considered ornaments in themselves as they add a festive touch to your door, and the Christmas wreaths are a perfect place to display your favorite ornaments too.

The Holiday Swag at ChristmasForest.com especially invites creativity, since its natural branches are perfect for hanging ornaments. We have seen beautiful displays of bird ornaments on the Holiday Swag and many Christmas Forest customers display the Christmas swag “upside down” so it really does look like a Christmas tree. Then they decorate it with colorful ornaments just like they would a Christmas tree. That is a great idea for anyone who has limited space, or just isn’t able to put up a large Christmas tree in their home or apartment.

The Christmas Forest wreaths not only are decorated with pine cones and your choice of bow, many of them also have pastel blue juniper berries and pale yellow incense buds on them to add even more color and forest fresh aroma to your Christmas. Another plus is that they are “greener” than artificial wreaths and the elves at Christmas Forest are careful to protect the environment. With pine cones, noble fir, princess pine, and natural berries, these gorgeous Christmas wreaths really are nature’s own ornaments.

Article and images used with permission from ChristmasForest.com

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Ornaments Ideas, Show & Tell | Add a comment »

« Older Entries