Sunday, December 9, 2012

Foldable Christmas Ornaments


 These exploding, foldable paper ornaments are just so fun to make! Once you have it down, they go very quickly and before you know it you have a couple dozen of them. It's the perfect project to do while watching a movie in the evening. 


 We have 21 young cousins on my side of the family so anything I want to make them for Christmas has to be quick and easy. These exploding ornaments were my project this year. We celebrated yesterday, so I was able to snap a few pictures of the action. The ornaments were all hung on the tree and I challenged the kids to find which one was theirs. 


Once you slide the bead up the string, the ornament unfolds and you see the message inside. One side has the cousin's name, and the other side has the date. They had so much fun trying to find their ornament, and teaching the other cousins how to work it. Well worth the effort!

Here's a closer look...


You can completely customize the ornaments by the papers you pick. For many of the ornaments, I didn't use Christmas paper. Any colorful, fun paper will work. This one has cute aliens. Use what you have on hand, no need to buy anything new.
 

This one is from the same striped alien paper, but I've used a different section of the paper, and folded all my circles along the same solid blue line. It looks completely different than the previous ornament. No aliens, but you can see UFOs in the green stripe. 


There's quite a mix ... floral, graphic circles, dots, gears, football helmets, glittered holly leaves.


Here they are from the side, you can get a feel for how dimensional they are.


Then when Christmas is over, slide the bead down the string, flip the ornament over, fold it up, and slide the bead back down the string. It's not going to get smashed in storage! I also appreciate that it doesn't take up much space (our ornament box is overflowing!) You could even attach it to a present in this form as a gift tag.

Interested? I have a tutorial in my last post HERE.

How about some varieties?


 Alternate the patterns. Or use all different papers. 

Vary the number of folded sections. This ornament has six folded sections so it has a slightly different shape and depth on the side than the previous ornaments with five sections.



Double up on the layers. For this neon ornament I started with the green base, and in the center of each section I glued another folded pink layer. Also, on this one I embossed the papers for some interest since there is no pattern. You could also stamp something in the middle before you fold the layers.


Change the shape. This one is a snowflake (silver with script on the inside).


I hope you give them a try! Or come up with your own version. I'd love to know what you do.

Thanks for looking!
-Kelly


Submitting these in the Knotty or Nice CASual Fridays Challenge. They all have knots at the end to keep the bead from sliding off.


The neon ornament is inspired by the Moxie Fab Keen on Neon Challenge.

,
Also sharing with:
UndertheTableandDreaming 

33 comments:

  1. Kelly these are wonderful and I'll bet all of those little ones had a great time with them! Thanks for sharing this fun project!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Kelly! Thanks again for linking up to the Keen on Neon Challenge in the Moxie Fab World! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, I love these just as much as the snowflakes! The neon ones are so trendy and fun! What a great family project, too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love these, especially in the nontraditional colors! All of them are so bright and cheerful and you can see that the little ones enjoyed it very much. Just awesome, Kelly. Thanks so much for sharing the how-to!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Aren't you super crafty or what!? I love love the creative Christmas hangings! Love the Neon and the large snowflake! Gorgeous, Kelly!

    ReplyDelete
  6. FAB decorations Kelly - LOVE all the possibilities :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. These are wonderful! They look beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good Morning Kelly!

    You have been busy! I love them and I think that what really touches me in your posts is that they're always so "warm"...i love the fact that you included these precious pictures!! and that tree of yours is fabulous!
    So I pinned and tweeted your fab' TUT' and I'm very excited that you can make it to downtown Chicago next week...you're going to love it and totally smart of you to do it on a week day! Macy's I'd rather call it Marshall Fields' but...) windows are so pretty, love the retro spin...

    Cheers~

    ReplyDelete
  9. Gorgeous, stunning, wow! You are amazingly creative - what a perfect gift! I'm going to make these for the girls in my group - they'll love them for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I like these even more then the one from the post earlier! What a great idea.
    Hugs and smiles

    ReplyDelete
  11. These are WONDERFUL! Thanks for sharing!

    Have a great week, hugs, Karin

    ReplyDelete
  12. WOW Kelly!!! These ornaments are a great idea, you never cease to amaze me with your creations!! I could not find your email and I wanted to tell you Thank you for all the wonderful comments you leave me and YOU MADE MY DAY by becoming a follower, WOW! what a surprise when I seen that. Thank you!!! Thank you!!! Also that seam binding I order from HUG SNUG and dye it myself.

    ReplyDelete
  13. You are AMAZING! I love this idea Kelly! I am always looking for something to make with the kids when the come over…. I cant wait to check out the how to. Your pictures are beautiful , We always have a house full of little ones too. Everyone looks like they are having so much fun. You are an amazing mom……!!!! TFS Love this!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh Kelly still ove these ornaments and I have to try them myself. What an awesome Idea to make them with the kids ( 21 cousins - amazing and wish my familiy would be this big) . Love the paper that you used
    have a wonderful day
    Tascha

    ReplyDelete
  15. Kelly these ornaments are so so sweet. I think it is such a great idea to make them with the kids.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Kelly what a wonderful way of bringing them together and creating some wonderful memories!

    ReplyDelete
  17. These are super fun and so creative!
    Thank you so much for sharing!

    hugs x
    Crystelle
    http://www.crystelleboutique.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. These are lovely!!! I'm pinning these and trying them out for next year!!! :) Thanks for sharing the tutorial as well! :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Such a great idea! I love things that are easy to store.

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is pure delight! Thanks for joining us at CAS-ual Fridays!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wow, Kelly, these are just as amazing as the snowflakes ... your creativity knows no bounds! Looking forward to having a play ... Anita :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. This is so clever and looks like your family had loads of fun with them! Thanks so much for playing at CAS-ual Fridays this week!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wow...wow...wow, Kelly!!! These are so pretty, sweet and wonderful!! What treasures you have made!! Thanks so much for sharing your creativity with us at CAS-ual Fridays:)!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wow! These are flippin' amazing! Do you ever make anything just so-so?! hahaha! No, you don't, it would be impossible for you! :)

    So glad you played along and shared your amazing work with us at CAS-ual Fridays!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Congrats on the honourable mention - and now that I've looked at it for the THIRD time, I'm starting to understand how it works. I'll try to make some with my daughter and her friends tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Popping back to say congratulations for the HM at CASology, Kelly! These were so deserving of the honor!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. This is very cute! I am visiting you via Somewhat Simple. I look forward to seeing you at My Dream Canvas. Have a great weekend and Happy Holidays.

    ReplyDelete
  28. oh, fun! great idea to use these as gift tags! :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Congrats to you as well Kelly. These ornaments are truly amazing! I don't know how you find the time, but glad that you do because we get to enjoy your awesome cards and creations! Happy holiday season!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Just came by to congratulate you on being a CF Favorite with these wonderful ornaments ... so well deserved! Anita :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Congrats on earning VIP status at CF! Love these surprise ornaments! I'm anxious to follow your tutorial & make some myself!

    ReplyDelete

I absolutely love reading comments. Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to leave one! - Kelly