When we admitted to putting up our Christmas tree before Thanksgiving, many of you asked whether Clara would get a special “First Christmas” ornament. We finally made one right before moving boxes took over the house. Packing got us so busy that writing this post slipped down the list, which is why it’s appearing after the tree came down.
We decided a silver ornament would likely match our tree for years to come, since we tend to use silver accents. Still, we wanted something distinctly Clara circa 2010—personal and simple. At the craft store we picked up a plain white ceramic ornament for a dollar and a small bottle of silver acrylic paint. We actually bought two ornaments, just in case; they were inexpensive and we like having a backup.
The plan was to create a silver background and Mod Podge a scaled-down version of Clara’s baby silhouette onto it. A silhouette reads unmistakably “baby” and also creates a theme we could repeat annually to track how she changes. I still had the digital silhouette file from an earlier project, so we resized it, printed, and cut it out.
For the silver background we first tried metallic acrylic paint, but it looked streaky. Then Sherry remembered a metallic Sharpie we keep in a drawer and tested it on the backup ornament. The Sharpie gave a much smoother, glossy finish on the ceramic and dried well. We learned the acrylic paint tended to peel off the ceramic in a puffy-paint-like blob, while the Sharpie adhered cleanly. A second coat of Sharpie a few hours later produced a nearly seamless finish, so that’s the approach we recommend if you want the same look.
After coloring both sides of the ornament with silver Sharpie to create a coin-like shine, we centered Clara’s cutout silhouette on one side and glued it down using Aileen’s Tacky Glue. We were careful not to let glue squeeze out onto the silver surface, and if any did, we wiped it away quickly. Once the glue was dry, Sherry applied a few thin, even coats of Mod Podge over the black paper silhouette to seal and protect it. The finished ornament looked charming—especially for a project that cost less than $2.50.
On the back we wrote “Clara’s 1st Christmas, 2010” in small handwriting with a black Sharpie. With the spare ornament, which had lost its acrylic paint cleanly, we started over and made a second version featuring Clara’s handprint. We traced her hand on paper, cut it out to make a stencil, traced the outline onto the ornament with the silver Sharpie, and then filled it in. I love how perfectly her tiny hand fits the curve of the ornament. We probably can’t use this same ornament each year unless we find larger ones, but it’s a lovely keepsake of how small her hand once was.
So Clara’s first Christmas was represented on our tree in two handmade ways for that season—simple, personal, and inexpensive. We’re hoping they make an encore appearance when we do some quick holiday decorating in the new house.
Have you made any DIY ornaments? Sherry briefly suggested stuffing a pink baby sock into a round glass ornament to make a third Clara-themed piece; I thought that idea was odd at first, but I’d love to hear if anyone has created something tasteful and sentimental like that. I might change my mind.
Psst—check out some other ornaments we DIYed a few years back in our older posts about seasonal decor.
Update: We’ve since compiled some favorite holiday decor finds—many are budget-friendly and under fifteen dollars.