Christmas Paper Ornaments

I have to confess to having been a Grinch most of my life. It's not that I hated Christmas, it was the consumerism, ridiculous decorations and never-ending carols. Especially the carols, they still drive me nuts.

But as Nadia grows older, I've learned to appreciate the spirit of togetherness and family that inspire people at this time of the year. It helps a lot that temperatures drop down considerably, making people more comfortable, relaxed, and friendlier (if that were possible).

My daughter and I love crafting together, this is how we made some Christmas paper ornaments.

It is not time to deck the halls yet, at least not in my calendar. Many local malls have bedecked their isles with Christmas decoration since September. No, I am not joking. But since I consider myself a reasonably sane person, I think December 1st is a good time to bring out the ornaments,  and if you are going to make new ones, this is a good time to start.

I am all for simple and cheap, when it comes to holidays decoration, a little restrain goes a long way, and much as I love twinkly lights, turning our home into a small replica of Las Vegas is not in the books. Would somebody think of the planet?

All we have is a few hand-painted traditional Danish ornaments (a gift to Nadia from my mother in law, which we painted when Nadia was 3). This year Nadia and I have decided to make some ornaments ourselves, simple things, and in tasteful colors, if possible.

We made some paper "balls" using scrapbooking paper, and some paper lanterns too. We put a fake battery-operated candle in the lanterns. We made free-standing ones and hanging lanterns. They are very simple to make.
First download a sample pattern here. Print it on cardstock and use it to trace the shape on the scrapbooking paper.

1. Cut out 5-7 circles (or as many as you like) and fold them in half.
2. Apply silicone glue on the folded edge and join two circles.
3. Keep adding the remaining circles that way.
4. If you made a lantern, you can line it with wax paper or similar translucent paper.

You can add a small paper bow to the balls. I hung them using a fine fishing line, but I can see that a thin ribbon would look very pretty too.

This is a great activity to entertain the wee ones. They'll be very proud of their ornaments, and they could be used for several years if they are folded and properly stored (zippy bag).

Aunt Clara