Saturday Step x Step - More Christmas in July

It is Cec here and today I am presenting the Saturday Step x Step.

Since the current challenge is Christmas in July I thought I would make something Christmas to share with you and this time it is another one of my ornaments.  These are really quite easy to make and can be made to look very simple or fancy, whichever suits your tree.  Let me show you how this one came together.

First I grabbed an old CD and got my husband to drill a hole in the top and the bottom, directly across from one another.  Then I cut two circles from the Graphic 45 paper called A Christmas Carol.  This time I just used a bowl to draw the circles and then fussy cut them because I didn't feel like dragging out my Cameo machine so they are slightly bigger than the actual CD.

Next I glued the CD to the wrong side of one paper circle using Super Thick Slap it On (IndigoBlu) and then re-punched the two holes.  Note:  It is easier to open the holes in stages like this or you might not be able to find them once you add the other paper circle.

I adhered the other circle to the CD and punched the holes again. I didn't worry if the two paper circles lined up perfectly and when they didn't, I just used my scissors to trim them knowing the embellishments would hide any imperfections.

This time I decided to only decorate one side of the ornament because I wire all my ornaments to my tree and it won't spin.

I started by dying some venise lace with Antique Linen Distress Ink and then attaching it to one side of the ornament. Next I did some stenciling with Aged Mahogany Distress Ink through a Poinsettia Mini Stencil from Tim Holtz set 19.

I die cut some poinsettia leaves using a Marianne Creatables die and paper from Graphic 45 St. Nicholas pad.  The petals were then shaped and layered.

Some "greenery" was die cut from the Tim Holtz Holiday Greens set and some scrap card stock.

I used my fingers to rub some Classic Treasure Gold wax paste on the edges of the poinsettia petals and the "greenery". I also added some to the outside edges of the ornament. To finish the poinsettia I added some seed beads in pearly white and gold to the centre.

Next I dyed some seam binding with Fired Brick and Aged Mahogany Distress Ink but it seemed a bit pink so I sprayed it with Aged Mahogany Distress Spray Stain and to get the depth of colour I was looking for.

To finish the ornament, I cut some little stamps from A Christmas Carol, inked the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and added them in a row down the side. Next I folded the ribbon over and wound some wire around the top to hold it together and then added a button to hide the wire before I added that next to the stamps. The poinsettia was added next with the "greenery tucked underneath. I scattered some pearl stickers and gold gems around.

Finally I made a simple bead chain for the top and a more substantial one with dangles for the bottom. To attach them to the ornament, I looped some chain through the holes and used jump rings to attach the bead work.

I hope I have inspired you to get a start on your Christmas preparations.