Other Ways I Spend My Time: Holiday Crafting #Disney #ornaments

*NOTE* I started writing this post a gazillion ages ago, and didn't finish it until now. So half of it is a bit out-dated. But I still like what I wrote, so I just left it the way it was!

Hello! Happy Holidays to you! :)

It's been a wicked (as we say in Rhode Island) busy holiday season for me this year, and even more so than usual! I've been working on my PiBoIdMo journal, one commission (as you saw in my last post), selling calendars and prints of my work, catching up on my blogging for Little Raindrop's blog (who also has been a busy little drop!), created art for the Providence Athenaeum's owl button project, reading and answering the latest batch of fan mail from Mr. H's 3rd graders, Christmas-ing and on top of alll that...

MAKING ORNAMENTS! (Yay!!!)

It's a holiday tradition, that sometimes occurs yearly in our family, if we are lucky. But I really love making new ornaments for family and friends, and for myself, of course! Every year, our tree has a new theme.

We've decorated by color, and even ornament collections...

Frosty Blues and Winter Friends
(A tiny First Tree from way back!)

 

Lime and Teal

 

Teddy Bears and Toys

But this year, I went to my hero for some inspiration... Mickey Mouse! And since my tree was Mickey themed, I thought why have a Disney themed ornament making session? So that's what we did!

First, make your stencils.



Mickey parts made from glittery craft foam!

Minnie wreath!

Mickey's sorcerer hat! Craft foam and glitter, galore.

Candy cane holder!

Colorful fun! Mini Styrofoam balls and a few coats of glitter.

A foamy Jack Skellington.

I put my new ornaments on the tree, with some colorful themed ribbons and other appropriate Mickey and Disney ornaments, and voila!

Our almost-too-large tabletop tree.

This was by far my favorite tree, ever! We don't always put one up, because it takes so long for me to put everything back. (It is February now, and although the tree is gone, all the decorations are still in a pile on the table! Tisk tisk.) But it was well worth it, because I couldn't stop looking at it.

While I'm at it, here's another ornament I made a few years ago...

"So you made some knockoff Mickey things, who cares?" some would say. My point of sharing this, is that it's okay to do stuff for the fun of it! Sometimes when art becomes work, it starts to feel like work, too. Crafting and playing keeps my brain happy and full of fresh ideas. Go find something you are passionately happy about, whatever it is, and go create something to honor it. Creativity is much like a can of paint; it needs to be shaken and stirred regularly!

So go shake and stir up some fun! :)
~Melanie
p.s. you can see more Disney ornament making ideas on my Pinterest board! https://pinterest.com/mlcillustration/a-very-disney-christmas/