Holiday Shoebox: Shrink Plastic and Scanned Ornaments, Leftover Ornament Tree

Projects by Margaret Donnelly.

Materials:

translucent shrink plastic
pencil
circle templates
scissors
craft knife
3/8" hole punch
alphabet rubber stamps
permanent stamping ink: black, port red, leaf green
heat tool or toaster oven
acrylic calligraphy ink: pearlescent white
acrylic paint: red, green
assorted paint brushes, small liner brush
toothpick
photographs: color copies or printed off the computer
self-adhesive laminating plastic (optional)
glue
needle tool (optional)
jump rings
acrylic spray finish (optional)
decorative cording

Steps:

Note: You do not have to sand the shrink plastic for this project.

1. Using a pencil, trace a 4-1/2-inch circle onto shrink plastic. Trace a smaller circle in the center of the 4-1/2-inch circle. Mark two matching spots 1/8 inch above and below the line of the inner circle, both on the top and on the bottom of the circle; these will be the punched areas to attach the circle together. Also mark a spot 1/8 inch from the top of the larger circle. This will be used to hang the ornament.

2. Cut out the smaller circle with a craft knife; then trim about 1/16 inch of the circle with scissors to ensure the smaller circle will fit into the larger later. Cut the 4-1/2-inch circle out with either a craft knife or scissors.

3. Punch all the marked holes with a 3/8-inch hole punch.

5. Shrink both pieces using a heat gun or toaster oven.

6. Trace the smaller circle onto two identical photographs of the baby. Laminate the photos, if desired (I recommend this for photos printed using an inkjet printer). Cut the photos around 1/8 inch smaller than the traced circles. Glue the photos to both sides of the circle. Use a needle tool to punch through the photos if the photos are covering the punched holes on the circle.

7. Using the red and green acrylic paint and a toothpick, decorate the edge around one photo with alternating red and green dots. Let dry and repeat on other side.

8. Using a small paintbrush, lightly paint one side of the larger circle with the pearlescent white. Let dry. Paint decorative motifs using acrylic paints and a small liner brush. Let dry and complete the reverse side. Finish, if desired, with several light coats of gloss or matte acrylic spray finish.

9. Attach the smaller circle inside in the larger using jump rings and pliers. Attach a jump ring to the top hole and string decorative cording through the jump ring.

Oblong Shrink Plastic Ornament

Materials:

translucent shrink plastic
600-grit sandpaper
Holly Berry House ornament rubber stamp
black permanent stamp ink
black fine-point permanent marker
craft knife
scissors
3/8" hole punch
1/4" hole punch
artist-grade waxy colored pencils
alphabet rubber stamps
heat gun or toaster oven
photographs: color copies or printed off the computer
self-adhesive laminating plastic (optional)
needle tool (optional)
glue
acrylic spray finish (optional)
jump rings
decorative cording

Steps:

1. Sand the shrink plastic using the 600-grit sandpaper, first across the plastic and then down. Wipe with a cloth to remove any dust.

2. Stamp the shrink plastic using the black permanent ink. Let dry. Turn the stamped plastic over and trace the image using the black marker. You will be able to see the lines through the shrink plastic.

3. Cut out the center circle using a craft knife. Trim about 1/16 inch of the circle away using scissors. Trim the decorative triangles out of the stamped image using a craft knife. Using the 3/8 inch hole punch, punch holes in the center circle that match the positions of the decorative triangles about 1/8 inch away from the edge of the circle. Punch the top hole out of the ornament using the 1/4 inch hole punch.

5. Trace the inner circle onto two identical pictures of the baby. Laminate, if desired (I recommend this for photos printed using an inkjet printer). Cut out the photos inside the marked lines. Attach the photos to the inner circle with glue. Use a needle tool to punch holes through the photos if the photos are covering the punched holes in the shrink plastic.

6. Attach the inner circle to the colored ornament with jump rings. Hang the ornament using decorative cording.