"Don't Forget Me! Glass Ornament"
Since I have the first grandchild of the family, keepsakes go over very well. I had started a theme of hand prints and this is what I last year. If you are using a standard sized ornament you need to check to see if your child's hand is small enough to make a print on it. My daughter was 15 months when we did this.
Supplies:
Clear glass globe craft ornament
Photo of your child that is small enough to fit inside. (2"x2" would probably be right)
Elmer's glue
Dental floss or string
Tape
Paper plates
Glitter
Fine tipped permanent marker
Backup! (have a friend or an older sibling to help you when doing the handprints)
Newspaper and a medium sized bowl of water for cleanup.
Instructions:
Step 1: The Handprint
Prepare the work area by laying down newspaper. A table works well because you want to be comfortable. Fill a bowl with water to wash off the prints that don't look good. You can wipe them off with a paper towel and try again. On one of the paper plates, put some glue and smear it around so that it is an even layer. Use another plate to catch the glitter as you pour it over the print. If appropriate, put the child in a high chair or you can set them on your lap. Guide their hand into the plate of glue then have them quickly cup the globe with their hand. Pass the ornament to your helper and have them inspect it. If it is a good print, they will pour or shake glitter over the print and set the globe aside. I bought a 12-pack of ornaments and set them back in the box to dry so they wouldn't roll around. When you have printed as many ornaments as you want you can wash up the kid! (You may want to do a few more than you need in case of breakage.)
Step 2: The Picture
After the ornaments have dried, gently remove the cap. You could also do this before step 1 but would need to be extra careful not to get water inside the ornament if you had to wash it. You can consider whether you want to round the corners of your picture or not. Either way will work but with rounded corners it may dangle and with sharp corners it will stay stationary. Tape an approximately 2" piece of floss or string to the back of the picture. You want it at the top center. Then roll up the picture gently with the front facing out. The other end of the string will be taped or tied to the top inside of the cap. If the loop is giving you trouble you can remove it until the ornament is all together. Now, the rolled up picture needs to be fed through the hole in the ornament. Try to put it on in such a way that the face will be on to opposite side as the handprint that you have made. The cap will fit on next and if the loop was removed it can be placed on at this time. The picture should uncurl and your little darling will show up nicely!
Optional:
You can put white or opalescent glitter in the bottom of the ornament before step 2 if desired. I did this with mine and you may be able to see it in the picture.
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Copyright © 2008 by Cari W. All rights reserved.
