Christmas Ornaments Guide

There are a variety of beaded Christmas ornaments about- from the simple beads threaded on ring tied with a bow to quite complex arrangements for snowflakes. I usually look for unusual or interesting ornaments to make; I like something that is out of the ordinary and requires some level of skill to make and that I will be pleased with when it is finished as it stands out from the crowd.

Beaded Angel

I discovered bead work this way. I was looking for a simple beaded angel to make for my girls. I found a number of different styles of making angels and along the way to finding what I was after I came across brickwork stitch for beading. I came across some patterns to make earrings, but realised that they could be adapted to be used for other ornaments. These beaded Christmas charms are just sewn together using a needle and thread (OK a long needle and strong thread!). The designs can be worked out on squared paper and made up using different colored beads to make the finished item. The hardest thing was learning how to sew beads using brickwork stitch. But once you get into a rhythm that just flows.The best beads to use are Delica beads as they come in a consistent size and have an enormous range or colors and shade, metallic, silver and gold.

Beaded Christmas Decorations

These beaded Christmas decorations can be used as gifts for earrings or for handmade bonbons or crackers. They can be added to key rings or bookmarks.They can also be added as a tassel to a bauble to hang on the tree. There are many different designs such as Santa, Mrs Santa, elf, trees, angels, snowmen, reindeer,and the principle can be extended to other themes. Beaded Christmas decorations can really add a unique and personal  facet to your Christmas theme.  Use them as covers for Christmas baubles with the color of the beads contrasting or toning with the color of the ball. They can be added to glass ornaments as an accent. Make beaded napkin holders for your Christmas table napkins, or wine bottle covers.

BeadCover by Prized Possessions

Glass Beaded Christmas Ornaments

Another type beaded Christmas ornaments is using glass beads to make up an ornament like an angel or a snowflake. In these kind wire is used to hold the beads in the design chosen, the beads can be plain or colored and the ornament can be hung on the tree. A variant of this type is the free standing ornament such as an angel where the beads are joined together to create a small figurine to sit on the table top.

Beaded Christmas ornaments add a variety to my Christmas tree ornaments and I get a sense of satisfaction from making them.

I have a story about one of my handmade Christmas ornaments – a temari ball. When my children were younger I used to go to a mothers group and one day they invited a lady to come and show us some craft. She introduced me to temari balls, although for a long time I had no idea what they were called! Temari balls are an old Japanese folk craft for making toys. The balls are usually 3-5inches but can be any size. The balls were probably made from old kimonos, but became an extravagant art form in terms of the richness of the designs and colors and the intricate nature of the sewing involved.  We started off using some felted wool to make the basic ball shape, but these days Styrofoam balls can be used, scraps of materials or even a bag filled with rice hulls or tissues. The next step is to choose a color scheme for your Christmas decoration I love blues and silvers, so mine was a lovely blue.

We need

Temari design

Basic ball either felted wool or Styrofoam ball

yarn any color will do as it will not be seen, 4 ply or thinner.

thread a reel in the color of your choice.

embroidery threads to suit your design.  Can be pearl cotton, silks, metallics or ribbons

long needles

long pins

scissor

paper to help with marking and dividing the ball

Tassels optional

Steps

1.Take the ball shape and wrap the yarn around it randomly so that the ball is evenly covered. You are looking to cover the ball with this step.

2.Take the thread (ordinary cotton sewing thread is ideal) and wrap this around the ball in a similar manner until all the yarn is covered. This gives you an interesting texture to base your embroidery on. About 300 yards of thread will be needed for this step.

3. The next step is to mark out the poles and equatorial regions on the ball. Most of the temari designs are geometrical. Depending upon your design you may need marking threads as well as pins. The marking threads can be in the same thread as the background (to be invisible) or can be in a contrasting color and form part of the design or can be a thread that will be removed at the finish. The divison are based on mathematical interpretations and will vary with the complexicity of the design. The best thing here is to choose a simple pattern and follow detailed instructions.

4. Sewing using long lengths of thread following the pattern.

There are many designs available so look out for books on the subject. For free patterns try TemariKari

Photo Courtesy WKlager

What make people collect things? The most common reason is that they like the items they collect, and get pleasure from having them.  At Christmas there may be other reasons for collecting such as collecting ornaments as keepsakes for your children or grandchildren. It maybe that you crystal collection could do with a theme, so you add more Christmas related items. Some items are collected because they religious or cultural significance. Others as keepsakes form travels around the globe. Some people collect as a form of investment.

Tradition – Family Collections

For family members collecting to start their children off on their own Christmas decoration box, it may start with the bauble with your child’s name on for their first Christmas and go from there. Some homemade Christmas gifts end up in the Christmas box.  Some collections just happen as each year your child chooses an ornament or make some artwork at school and they keep being added to the box. Some things are more special than others, the ones that remind you of a particular age or stage, such as the ball they chased when they were just crawling.

From a Hobby

Some collections come about as an extension to a hobby you already enjoy. Collecting cats may lead you to collect Christmas cats! If you collect china then you may look for Christmas related pieces that would give you a special mini collection to enjoy at Christmas.  Some people collect soft toys and add Christmas dressed ones to their collection for the festive season.  Another type of Christmas decoration that is great to collect is angels – it is so easy to fill your house with angels for the yuletide.

As A Momento

If you are a traveler and like have keepsakes, but don’t need them displayed all year round, then collecting Christmas themed ornaments from the places you have been to can be effective. At Christmastime you can open the box filled with memories of the countries and cultures you have seen, and then put them away at the end of the holidays.

Some people collect items that have cultural significance or are important family traditions. These items help make each family’s traditions unique. Religious items are very important to those with faith.

Christmas Decorations As An Investment

Items can also be collected as investments – these can be enjoyed now or put aside for later. An example of this kind of ornament is Swarovski crystal. Swarovski produce very fine crystal and every year release a limited edition Christmas star that is only available for the year of issue. Some of these stars have been valuable as there are very few of them in existence. They are lovely ornament that is also an investment.

These are a few of the reasons why people collect Christmas ornaments.  Christmas decorations are available for such a short time, so whatever your reason, I hope you enjoy them!