DIY Vintage Children Christmas Ornaments

There is still time to create a few vintage ornaments and slip them fresh off your craft table onto your Christmas tree:

When I found these Christmas Greeting Cards, I fell completely in love! They were not on my To-Do list for this years celebration, but I simply had to make the time! My ornaments are made like this:

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Print 2 copies of the page with all 9 images
2. Cut out the images
3. Cut 2-3 strips of crepe-paper approx 2,5cm/1 inch wide.
4. Fold the strips in soft ruffles, don’t press the folds too hard.
5. Attach the strips with hot glue to the back of one image (I was able to do 1 side or 1 corner at the time. if I put more glue in one go, it hardens before I get to it, or my work becomes too sloppy…
6. Attach the matching image to the back, to create a double sided-ornament, equally pretty on both sides 🙂
7. Trim the ruffles with scissors, if needed
8. Punch holes and hang with pretty ribbon of your choosing

I also made a couple with a small doily sandwiched between my pair of images. To do those, i accordion-folded the doily in the middle, and glued the middle centimeter together, to make it oval rather than round.

I also did a couple of ornaments using hand-dyed coffee-filters. If you don’t have crepe-paper on hand, this is a great alternative! Put a little water in a flat container and add food coloring of your choice. Don’t bother to stir ’till perfectly dissolved, as the vintage style benefits from a little uneven color 😉 Leave the filters in the colored water for a few minutes, dry them on paper towels. Don’t put the towels directly on the countertop, since the color could blead through. I left mine to dry overnight, but if you are in a hurry, I think you could use a blow drier or put them in the baking oven to dry more quickly. I have not tried coloring my coffee-filters with watercolor or acrylic color, but in theory that should work too! I’m going to try this technique to dye some doilies too, I will let you know how it turns out 😉 I think my blue crepe paper is too dark/bright, so if I make more of these, I’ll be coloring some coffee filters (or doilies!) pastel blue:

These would also look pretty on skewers in a vase, like a vintage bouquet of Christmas children 🙂 If you want to try that, I suggest sandwiching the skewer before you attatch the second image.

You could also use the same techniques to make cards, should you still need one. Print the collage sheets I have prepared with 4 of these cards on each sheet, cut out the image you want to work with and add crepe-ruffles or doily-lace. Then glue the framed picture to creme or soft pastel cardstock, and write your greeting inside.

The boy portrait is slightly wider than the other 8, so he is not included on the collage sheets for cards.

High quality print files for the ornaments, and collage sheets can be downloaded here:

Check out the wonderful details of these Christmas Greeting Cards! Click on the ones you like to go to Tuck DB and download individual images:

These files are free for your personal use and enjoyment 😀

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