Here’s my favorite ornament I made last year…a Find It Ornament for each hooligan.
Do your kids have those Find It games? It’s a clear plastic tube, filled with little plastic beads and about a gazillion tiny objects. My hooligans keep theirs in the car, and it’s proved a great quiet game for them. For their ornaments last Christmas, I decided to make a version of the game, lightweight enough to hang on the tree.
Supplies:
- Flat round ornament with tiny styrofoam balls in it
- 12 tiny Christmas objects
- Embellishments for the tag
- Ribbon for the edge
I found all sorts of miniature Christmas-y things at the craft store, along with the ornaments. The ornaments were already filled with styrofoam balls, and opened along the side, so I didn’t have to have objects small enough to fit into the top opening. All mine did fit that way, so I didn’t need to open up the ornament, but I could have bought larger stuff if I wanted!
To make the tag, I downloaded and printed a vintage-look tag with a “12” on it, from Designer Digitals Counting Christmas Tags No. 1. I just wrote “Can you find all” above the number. After I printed a list for each ornament (they were slightly different), I trimmed it to fit the front tag. I used an adhesive runner to stick the front and back tags together.
Then all I had to do was tie the tag on using some bakers’ twine and a little jingle bell. I ran a strip of sticky strip along the side seam and covered it with ribbon, just to hide the seam and make the ornament a bit more colorful.
Making four of these (I made one for an ornament exchange, as well) took about an hour, mostly because I had to figure out the correct size and type the list.
Hope your Christmas plans are moving along swimmingly!
I love this ornament! Where on earth did you happen to find one with styro balls already in it???
Hobby Lobby, I think. If not, it must have been Michaels. Isn’t it fun?
Hobby Lobby, I think. Fun, aren’t they?
My son and I are making these this year. We are using larger round ornaments, but I really like how yours turned out. So far, I’m having a hard time being able to actually find the items through the “snow” because the ornament is too large I believe. I may have to rethink this and look for ornaments like yours. We are doing a different theme for each ornament depending on what that child is into and I have looked everywhere for toys that fit. It’s been awhile, but I think I have enough (thank goodness for vending machine toys! lol)
I love your Christmas themed ones! Do you remember which section you found your tiny objects in?
Thanks, Gerri…I’m so glad you and your son are having fun making them! I think I got all my little things at Hobby Lobby, in the section for decorating mini-trees. That’s where I found the flattened ornaments, too. Good luck, and Merry Christmas!