We Can Do Ornaments the Easy Way, or the Hard Way....

The lights all work!!!  The troops all decided that we should go for the ornaments for the tree next.

Tessie got out the big jar of leftover beads....It goes like this.

She stands in the middle.  Zar says something like, "Beside your left foot and about three layers down.  It is a large red bead." 

Then Tessie dives for the bead in question...Then we make an ornament...This could take a while...

Personally, I prefer the easy way...

I am talking about making ornaments for the trees.  Many years ago, one of the first classes I took in mini was making a tree and ornaments.

The tree was easy....The ornaments, the way the teacher did it was hard.  And they were hard to hang on the branches of the tree too. She made a fussy, tiny hook on each one...

In one of my more clear headed moments, I decided that the ornaments did not need that silly, tiny hook to hang over the branches.

This is how Tessie and I have done it for a long time now.

Instead of trying for a hook, we simply bend the wire in an L shape at the top of the ornament.  That way you can just stick it into the greenery anywhere.

The red one on the ground is done on a piece of #32 gage floral wire.  I cut a piece about 3" long.  I strung a seed bead on it and bent it in the center and twisted.  Then I put the main bead in place and then a tiny cap finding over that.

Once that was done, I twisted the wire and bent it.  Almost instant Christmas ornament.  Even faster, you can use head pins if you have them for jewelry making.  They have a head on one end and if the hole in the bead isn't too big, you don't even need the seed bead.

I cut off the wire to between one and two inches.  Then they can be stuck in the tree with or without glue.  It just depends if you want to change the ornaments every year or not.  Also, glue is better if you are going to move the tree around.

Here you see the few that I made in a matter of minutes.  You are only limited by the beads that you have on hand and the wire.

I like the green wire for some things, because it doesn't show in the tree. The headpins are much faster to use, but sometimes they do show.  Try getting the antique brass ones if you have a choice.  They don't stand out as much as the gold or silver colored ones.

After the photo shoot, Tessie claimed that she had to go help Zar with another room....

The silver, mid century mod tree was missing from the stash....I knew right where to look.

They already have that room all decorated and ALL of the wrapped gifts are in there under the tree...Boy are they going to be surprised when they open them...Yup.  All fake.  You would think that they would remember that from years past.  They never do and I have to re wrap every one.

Don't feel sorry for them.  They tear into any present that enters the house.  By Christmas, they will have opened and played with all of the goodies.  Including the ones for other people.

I am going back to make a bunch more ornaments now.  All alone...

See you tomorrow.