Quick, Inexpensive, Cute Ornaments in Minutes!

I'm so excited to be guest posting on See Vanessa Craft, showing you the quickest and easiest Christmas ornament project EVER! It would seriously take you longer to stand in line and buy an ornament than to make this one.

And it uses one of the hottest entertaining trends of 2013 ... the paper straw!

Ready? Let's get started. Here's what you'll need:

- Paper straws (found on Amazon for $5 with free shipping ... less than 4 cents per ornament!!)

- photos

- needle and thread

- narrow-blade scissors

- tape

1) Cut lengthwise down the paper straw.

 2) Slide the photo into the slit you just made in the straw.

3) Cut straw to size, and repeat for the bottom of the photo.

4)  Run thread through the top straw for the ornament hanger.

5) Tie.

6)  Use a small piece of tape to adhere the straw to the photo in the back. Cover with patterned paper.

7) BONUS STEP: add a date and name on the back. 

Wouldn't this be a neat tradition to have a photo from each year for your child? Or for couples on each anniversary? Or entire families? Or even using your Christmas card photo? What about using the Christmas card photos you receive in the mail and just cut off the sentiment portion?

Yet another idea is to use extra school photos - either for your own tree, or to pass out to friends and relatives. This is a perfect craft to outsource. Put your kids to work and have them do the assembly. It's really hard to mess this one up!

I used photos from our Christmas card photo shoot, and have them hanging on their own tree in the foyer. It's a great conversation-starter for guests who drop by.

 
Why be limited to Christmas ... pair a neutral-patterned straw (like gray and white stripes or birch tree bark) with favorite photos from throughout the year. Or make a literal family tree. If you don't want to use photos of people, use photos of birds that visited your garden this year. How cute would that be ... a bunch of bird photos in a tree! So many possibilities! I hope you're inspired to make something fun : )

Many thanks to Vanessa for inviting me to be part of her 20 Crafty Days of Christmas! I always love the awesome projects she shares on her blog.

Sharing with:
Ginger Snap Crafts,Creations by Kara, Handy Man Crafty Woman, What I Learned Wednesday, My Girlish Whims,