DIY Printable Paint Stick Ornaments: Names and Attributes of Christ

When I was choosing a name for this blog there were a lot of possibilities, but the name that seemed to fit the best was Today's Fabulous Finds--Tomorrow's Treasures.  I chose this name because I love the challenge of finding items that are ordinary, in-expensive (like paint sticks), or simply worn-out, and turning them into little 'treasures' for my home.  There is a satisfaction (and a happiness too) that comes when you use your creativity to make something that is uniquely your own!  That said, my greatest treasures in life will always be Jesus Christ and His gospel and my family.

I thought it would be nice to make something special with an emphasis on Christ for this Christmas season so I decided to make a new set of Paint Stick Ornaments for my Christmas tree.  This set includes 30 Names of Christ (pictured above) and 14 Christlike Attributes.  I also purchased over a dozen different 3"x 4" pictures of Christ to frame and hang on the tree alongside them.

The ornaments are really pretty simple to make and cost very little money.  They're made by photo copying black and white templates onto scrapbook paper and then Mod Podging them onto a 4" piece of a 5 gallon paint stick.  You can make four paint stick ornaments and a snowman ornament from just one 5 gallon paint stick.

Click here for a detailed tutorial 

on how to make the ornaments.

The templates can be used in other ways as well:

• Leave the wires off, attach magnets to the back, and use them for refrigerator magnets like the Teacher magnets that my sister designed.  

• Make the ornaments/magnets into an inexpensive Christmas gift by tying three (Faith, Hope, and Charity for ex.) or four of them together with a pretty ribbon.

• Tie an ornament onto a gift to use as an embellishment.

(My thanks to Amber M. for suggesting the words for the Christlike Attributes.)

• When you copy the templates, decrease the size with the copier settings to use them for smaller magnets.  Use the width of the paint stick instead of the length.  (I haven't tried this, but I think it would work.)
• Enlarge them with a copy machine then copy the names onto scrapbook paper and Mod Podge them onto a 2x4 piece of wood.  Add wire photo holders to the top to hold pictures of Christ and/or your family.

• My plan is to put the ornaments in a basket and then each time a family member does an act of service for someone else they can choose an ornament to hang on the Christmas tree.  If you'd like to be more specific for smaller children you could even tape a slip of paper to the back of the ornament with the service already written on it.

• Use them as an advent calendar by adding a scripture, storybook title, or a Christ-Centered Christmas activity to the back of an ornament for each day leading up to Christmas.  You could make the countdown as long or as short as you like.  Hang one ornament on the tree each day.

• I chose not to add any Christmas clip-art to the names of Christ so that they can be used year round for various projects at home or at church, as well as for Easter. 

• Make them as small signs (without the hanger wire) and group several of them together with a frame around them to hang on the wall.  This could be done without Mod Podging them onto the wood paint sticks, just copy them onto your favorite scrapbook paper and place the papers closely together under the glass in the frame in a patchwork pattern.

If you have any other ideas on how the templates could be used,

 please, please share them in the comment section!

Template Example

This is a low resolution image.
Do not use this, you will be disappointed.

 These Printable Templates are to be used 
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY 
to use in your own home, church, or to give as a gift.

They cannot be used on any items for sale or profit, 
this includes fundraisers, sorry no exceptions.

• Download the templates here.  (You can choose to download them or to print only the pages you want to use.)

• Print the templates with your home printer onto white printer paper, using the normal or high quality setting.
• Copy the template onto scrapbook paper using a copy machine.  Choose the paper you like, but keep in mind that lighter to medium toned prints that aren't busy work best. The red paper pictured below was too dark.  

 This is an important step.  If you print it on an ink jet printer and don't use a copy machine to copy it to the scrapbook paper, your ink will run and blur when you Mod Podge the paper on.  ( Exception:  If you have a laser jet printer you can skip this step and print it directly onto the scrapbook paper, I've been told that the ink won't run.)

Click here for the full tutorial.

Tips:

• Adjust the copier to the darkest copy setting for nice dark letters and when copying on scrapbook paper with a texture.  
• Use a Q-tip to apply distress ink around the edge of the paper.

I'm so happy to finally be sharing these with you, it took me awhile to get them done!  I hope that I've left you enough time with your busy holiday schedules to make them for your family, friends, or for your neighbors this year if you'd like, and that possibly they might even become one or your family's 'little treasures'.

"Because He came to earth, we have a perfect example to follow.  As we strive to become more like Him, we will have joy and happiness in our lives and peace each day of the year.  It is His example which, if followed, stirs within us more kindness and love, more respect and concern for others.

-Thomas S. Monson

Today's Fabulous Find...Names of Christ and Christlike Attributes Handmade Ornaments

You might also be interested in the first set that was posted a couple of years ago...

or Download:

Paint Stick Ornament Templates, Names of Christ in Latin and Hebrew

Names of Christ and Christlike Attributes in Spanish

Sharing here...
Shanty 2 Chic Christms Craft Party   Today's Creative Blog    Home Stories A to Z 
Skip to My Lou    Under the Table and Dreaming   Tator Tots and Jello    Ornament Party at Gwenny Penny
Christmas Craft Party at The Nesting Place     Holiday Home Link Party at Centsational Girl
Someday Crafts    My Repurposed Life     Lil' Luna    Creations by Kara     Home Stories A to Z

Large Chicken Wire Frame and Barnwood Painting Technique

I'm not going to call this a tutorial because I know there are better ways of doing this, so today I'm going to show you one way to make a large chicken wire frame (not necessarily the best way). 

Valentine Mantel with Natural Elements

This project took almost a year to finish, can you believe it took me so long!?  I started it the end of May last year and didn't finish it until this last February.  Have any projects like this?   I had a grand vision of how it was all going to go together so perfectly until I got started on it and it all fell apart--literally!

Here's the story...

I started with 3- 1x3x8's (really measure 5/8" x 2 1/2 x 8).  These boards are cheap--like less than $2 each. You could also use 4- 1x3x6 boards.  They were cut into four - 4' lengths, and four- 2' lengths.  (Lowe's and Home Depot will cut them for you.)

My dad gave me an old piece of chicken wire that he didn't need, so that was free.  Sorry, I haven't priced it out so I don't know how much it would cost to buy new.

I first applied glue to the inside edges of the boards and used these little joint brackets (the metal piece in the picture below) to hold the boards together.  There were so many joints in the frame, and it was so big, that it wasn't strong at all.  The frame wobbled and moved to the point that some of the joint brackets fell right back out, it broke apart in places where it was glued, and the frame pretty much fell apart.  It was so frustrating I gave up on it and set it aside. 

The pieces of wood sat in my storage room (where I keep my unfinished projects) for 10 months  until the day I became determined to use it for my Valentine Mantel and finally figured out a way to fix my problem that didn't involve spending any more money on it--(no big surprise if you're a regular reader) I used paint sticks! 

I cut the paint sticks, pre-drilled holes into the wood frame, and then used screws I had on hand to attach the paint sticks and secure the corners of the frame.  (Make sure the screws are short enough that they won't go through to the front.) When it actually worked I was so, so happy!

The frame though is still only as strong as the paint sticks so I used a few of the metal joint pieces and glued all of the boards together as well.  I think a better solution would have been to cut a thin board out into the shape of the corner and glue and then screw it to the frame.  Our jigsaw is a cheap piece of junk though and won't cut even a straight line, so that wasn't an option for me. (A new one is on my wish list!)

I used a staple gun to attach the wire, be sure to wear safety glasses.  Staple the centers of the top, bottom, and sides, pulling the wire as tight as you can.  Position the staple over the wire so the wire doesn't slip on the staple when you let go of it.  Staple around the edges pulling it tight as you go.   It would be a good idea to wear some thin gloves to protect your fingers when you are pulling the wire tight.  I wish I had, my fingers were pretty sore by the time I was done.  It would have been nice to have someone to help with this step too.  Use wire cutters to trim off the extra wire.

The painting didn't start out any better than the frame did, but in the end was just what I was going for.  I first painted it with Heirloom White spray paint and then stained over the top of it with Minwax dark walnut stain.  It wasn't what I was hoping for, so I used a cloth rag and lightly wiped on some Alabaster white paint over it (allowing the other colors to show through in places) followed by some light sanding and more dark walnut stain.  I was going for the old weathered look and it was looking a little too brown, so I used a rag again and lightly wiped over it with a dark glaze, applying it thicker to the edges of the wood.

 I like to use a rag because it applies the paint unevenly and doesn't cover every bit of the previous colors.  I also don't wait for the paint to fully dry before I sand or add another layer of paint or stain.  I've found that if the paint is still slightly tacky when I sand, it's easier to get the worn barn wood paint look.  Keep layering paint, sanding, and glazing until you get the look you like, it's really quite fun!

You can read more about the metal accents here.

Now that it's all been figured out and I'm done, I don't know why I struggled with it so much at first.  It really wasn't that hard to finish in the end.  I guess some projects are just like that!

Flushing Toilet (Valentine Box)

My son wanted a funny Valentine box for his class party, so he made a toilet (with my help).  A toilet is not a toilet though without it's flush, so we gave it one!

You can hear for yourself, here's a quick video of my son demonstrating how his Valentine box works.

Click here if you are viewing this in a reader or through e-mail to view the video.

My kids have had a lot of fun with this and I'll admit, I have a hard time walking by it myself without giving it a quick flush, ha-ha!

I had to call around to several places before I found a pre-wired 20 second digital voice recording module at Radio Shack that I could record the flush with.   It was more than I would normally spend on an item for a Valentine box ($11.00), but since this is the last year he'll make a box, I just went for it and splurged this time.  My first idea was to use a greeting card that you can record a message to, but I couldn't find one that didn't end with a song.

Supplies:

• Pre-wired 20 second digital voice recording module from Radio Shack
• Ice cream bucket (we ended up using a round one)
• Small (white) box the size of a water tank
• Foam Board
• Packing and Duct Tape
• Scissors
• Utility Knife
• White Spray Paint
• 2 Large Bolts and Nuts (or wood to hold them in place)
• Pencil and paper to make a pattern for the lid and seat

I'm not going to go into too much detail in directions because it's pretty simple to put together when you look at the pictures, but I do have a few tips for you:  

We used paint sticks to hold the bolts in place because it's what we had that would work, nuts would work best. 

Be VERY CAREFUL when you attach the voice recording module, the wires are fragile and will break easily, so try not to move them.  You might want to tape them in place so they don't move.

The seat lid is held on with clear packing tape.  Taping it on the underside of the lid to the top of the seat will help the lid to stay up on it's own

Use the sandpaper to clean up and round the edges of the foam board.

When you record the flushing sound, hold the recorder down low (just past the seat) inside the bowl to get the best sound.  Try not to think about what you're doing.

Cut holes in the box and for the button and the speaker.  Tape the module to the inside of the box.

  

The black circle on the top of the 'tank' is the speaker.  It's taped to the box

  

My son drilled through the ice cream bucket and into the box, pushed the bolt through and then threaded it through a pre-drilled piece of wood (paint stick).  We used a scrap piece of foam board and taped it under the box as a stand so the toilet wouldn't tip back from the weight of the box.

  

I promise you this is the only time I'll ever write an entire post about a toilet, and hey, I spared you from all of the toilet jokes too!  Can't say I wasn't a little tempted to sneak a couple in though. ;)

Today's Fabulous Find...Digital Recording Module from Radio Shack 

(Without it, it would have been just another toilet box.)

 *Have you checked back to see how the wheat grass is growing?

Click here to see how tall it's grown! 

Marshmallow Wonderland Vignette {6 Tutorials}

Recently I was given the wonderful opportunity to guest post at Under The Table and Dreaming for Handmade Holidays (featuring STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam), which was really such a huge thrill for me.   Stephanie Lynn's blog is one of the first blogs that I started reading and has always been a favorite of mine and a source of inspiration.  This is the post that I shared.

Imagine a world with marshmallow trees and whipped cream days.  A place where the sun shines so your nose won't freeze, and marshmallow clouds are being friendly.   Doesn't that sound so fun!   These images come from the song 'It's a Marshmallow World', which was the inspiration in creating a whimsical marshmallow wonderland for my kids that will keep them dreaming all Winter long.

In our marshmallow world there is a tree made of white fluffy 'marshmallows' with polka dots that look strangely similar to the berries in a certain crunchy holiday cereal we enjoy! 

Our wonderland has a tree that is made up entirely of 'mints', a tree topped with yummy whipped cream, and a 'fur' tree that is softer than any fir tree we've ever known! 

Our marshmallow world is a magical place full of wonder and fun and I'm so excited to be here today to show you how you can make one of your own.  If you're not a sewer, don't worry, you will only need some hot glue and a whole lot of straight pins!

For all Five Trees

Cut a tree branch in varying lengths for the trunks of the trees.  It's best to use a saw, but large pruning shears will work okay.  For the tree bases, cut a small log into varying sizes.   Hot glue the branch to the log (use plenty of glue) and then glue moss around the base of the trunks.

Tree #1:  'Fur' Tree

Supplies Needed:

• One 12" x 4" Cone of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam
• 13" x 17" Faux fur remnant
• Ribbon
• Extra long satin pins
• Hot Glue Gun

1.  Wrap the fur around the cone of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam on a diagonal and pull the fabric together tightly.

2.  Pin along the side, then cut the fur next to the pins.

3.  Fold the fabric on the end up to the base.  Cut the fur to fit the base. 

4.  Pull the fur together on the side, overlapping it slightly, and pin it in place.  Trim if needed.

5.  Trim the fur at the top of the cone of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam (if necessary) and pin in place.

6.  Cut a small hole in the circle of fur at the base large enough to fit the diameter of the branch for the trunk.

7.  Fold the fur under at the edges and pin it in place at the base.

8.  Wrap the ribbon around the tree on a diagonal.  Pin at the top and the bottom.  Cut the ends of the ribbon on a diagonal to reduce the risk of fraying.

9.  Hot glue the tree to it's base.

Tree #2- 'Peppermint' Tree

 Supplies Needed

• One 8" x 3" Cone of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam
• 13" x 14" Fabric Remnant (A heavier decorator fabric works nicely.)
• Ribbon to Embellish
• Extra Long Satin Pins 

1. Wrap the fur around the cone of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam on a diagonal, overlapping the fabric.

2. Fold the fabric on the tree top under and pin in place by sticking the pin straight in to the cone of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam.

4.  Fold and pleat the fabric at the tree base, pin in place.

5.  Trim the extra fabric, leaving an opening that is the size of the branch for the trunk.

6.  Hot glue the tree to it's base and pin the fabric close to the cone of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam.

7.  Pin a ribbon(s) around the top and around the base of the tree.  The finished tree pictured in the vignette has on ribbon over top of another.

Tree #3-(No Sew) 'Whipped Cream' Tree

 Supplies Needed

• One 6" x 3" Cone of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam
• 2 1/2" Strip of 45" wide fabric in white and one 4" white fabric square
• 2 1/2" Strip of 45" wide fabric in green (or another accent color)
• Extra Long Satin Pins 

1.  For the Ruffles:  Of the green fabric, cut two 2 1/2" x 11" strips, one 2 1/2" x 10" strip, and one 2 1/2 x 9" strip.  Of the white fabric, cut one 2 1/2" x 11" strip, two 2 1/2" x 10" strip, and a square 4" x 4" piece for the top.

2.  The order of the ruffles starting from the bottom is:  11" green, 11" white, 11" green, 10" white, 10" green, 10" white, 9" green, and white 4x4 square on the top.

3.  Fold the fabric strips in half.  Wrap the bottom strip around the bottom of the cone of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam overlapping the edges.  Pin it.

4.  Pin the fabric strip on the opposite side, then again in the middle of the other sides and then once more to gather the ruffle.

5.  Make a 'bubble' of white fabric (steps shown below), pin it to the top of the tree.  Tuck any raw edges under and pin it so the bubble of fabric hides the pins.

6.  Glue the tree to it's base.

Tree #4-'Marshmallow/Bubble' Tree

 Supplies Needed

• One 12" x 4" Cone of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam
• One package of sixteen 1" Balls of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam
•  3/4 yd of 58" wide heavy weight white fabric (The tree pictured is made of white stretch taffeta.)
• Paint
• Extra Long Satin Pins 

The Marshmallows/Bubbles

(This tree was inspired by my Burlap Bubble Wreath.  I thought it would be fun to try the bubble on another shape.)

A pin is used in the pictures to show where you will hold the fabric with your thumb and index finger when folding it. You don't need to pin it until step five.

1. Cut six 4" strips that are 58" long and then cut each strip into 4" squares. 

2. Fold the square in half to form a triangle. Take the right hand corner (pinch one layer of the fabric on the very tip) and bring it to the front. Line up the corners.

3. Take the left hand corner (pinch one layer of fabric on the very tip) and take it to the back. Line up the corners.

4. All four corners should be lined up at the bottom.   Puff out the center, it should be in a bubble shape now.

5. Pin through all four layers of fabric.

6. Pin the 'bubbles' to the cone of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam. Pin one bubble on and then place the next one close to it so that it hides the pin on the one that you just added. The bubbles should be just close enough so that you don't see any of the cone of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam or the pins.

Polka-Dots/Berries (To add a little whimsy.)

Push a pin through the center of each of the sixteen 1" balls of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam.  Hold onto the pin to paint them.  Let fully dry.  Push the pin in between the bubbles on the tree.

Tree# 5- 'Mint' or 'Jelly Bean' Tree

Supplies Needed

• One 6" x 3" Cone of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam
• Bag of baby lima beans
• Hot glue gun and glue
• Accent ribbon
• Off white spray paint

1.  Glue the beans on in rows one at a time with hot glue until the tree is completely covered.

2.  Pick off any strands of hot glue, then spray paint it with off-white spray paint.

3.  Glue the tree-top onto the trunk and base and pin a ribbon bow to the top.

Subway Art Sign

Supplies

• One 12"x18" Board of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam
• Four 1/4" x 3" x 24" Poplar Boards (They actually measure 2 1/2 inches wide, not a full 3" and can be found at Lowes.)
• Four large 5 gallon size paint sticks.  You can buy them at some paint counters.  (You could also use ribbon instead.)
• Dark Walnut Stain
• Off-white Paint (Sherwinn Williams Alabaster was used for this sign.)
• Sand paper
• Hot glue gun and hot glue
• Black spray paint or craft paint

1.  Spray paint the front of the 12" x 18" board of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam.  Be careful to keep the coats light.  If you spray too heavily in one place it can damage it.  (This step is only necessary if the white color will show through between the wood slats, you could also use craft paint.)

2.  Cut the 1/4" x 3" x 24" poplar boards in half.  Measure first before you cut.  You may need to trim them down some so the will fit.  Cut the paint sticks to fit around the board of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam.

3.  Use a rag to stain the 4 paint sticks and the poplar boards with dark walnut stain.  Let fully dry.

4.  I used a vinyl cutting machine and contact paper to make a stencil for the subway art.  The font used is called Latha.  Another option is to print out the words you want to use and cut out a stencil with an exacto knife.  You could also print the subway art words on your home computer, take it to a copy center and copy it (prevents the Mod Podge from smearing the print), then trim to size and Mod Podge onto the boards. 

5.  If you are using a vinyl cutting machine:  Cut out the subway art words onto contact paper.  Weed out the background.  Apply the lettering to the boards and paint over it.  It may take 2 coats.  While the paint is slightly dry yet still tacky, pull up the contact paper with some tweezers.  Let dry and then sand to distress, sand all edges and lightly over the top of the stencil.

6.  Glue the paint sticks around the perimeter of the board of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam.   Glue each board slat into place with a dot of hot glue on each side.

*I'm planning to buy more boards to put on the back of the subway art to make it reversible.  I'll use words that are not seasonal so the board can be used year round.

This vignette took some time to put together, but wasn't difficult to make.  It was nice to be able to use pins with the STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam.  If something didn't look quite right, I simply pulled out the pin and tried again.  Also, if I ever want to dream up a new look for the trees, I can easily unpin the fabric and recover them with something fun and new!

 

This was a lot of fun to put together and has now given me a reason to look forward to the month of January. :)

Edited to Add:  If you'd like to see my full Marshmallow Wonderland Mantel and My Christmas Mantel, click here.

 

 

 

Linking to:  Beneath My Heart   Creations by Kara   Tator Tots and Jello   Funky Junk Interiors   Creation Corner  Someday Crafts  Domestically Speaking  Blue Cricket Design  Today's Creative Blog  Home Stories A to Z

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned in this post for free in the hope that I would mention it.  Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe my readers will enjoy. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”