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My Christmas tree does not look like anything I have ever seen in the design magazines. It doesn’t have an annual theme, or accent the surrounding slipper chairs. It doesn’t have vintage ornaments that color coordinate, or create an ombre design. No, my tree is unique because it is filled with handmade, personal, and/or sentimental ornaments that I have been collecting since I was a child.
The act of pulling out the Christmas box from storage and unwrapping treasures brings back memories spanning my whole life. I’m sure to date each new addition to the collection so I can jog my memory down the road as to the timing of each special trinket. Then I hang them on the tree with a smile, knowing I can come back and visit these memories every day, at least through the holiday season.
What I really love most, however, is sharing these memories with family and friends. In the festive season, I’m especially aware of those who have shared many a Christmas season with me but are no longer here, like the pets who left us after far too few years.
This year I created ornaments with photos of my beloved pets who had passed on, so I can reminisce about the joyful years we had together, and ensure that they are a part of our holiday celebrations filled with old friends and new family.
- Clear glass or plastic ornament
- Glass or jar (for measuring)
- Marker (for measuring)
- Tweezers
- Photo
- Scissors
- Epsom salts or artificial snow
- Funnel
- Measure the circumference of the ornament by wrapping a string around the widest part of the width and cutting it where the string meets the end. Use this length of string to measure your glasses and jars until you find one that is just a half-inch shorter than the string.
[/url]- Choose a photo that you want to preserve as a memory. Use the glass to frame the subject of the photo and use the marker to mark the circle that you want to cut out of the photo.
[/url]- Roll the photo and slip it into the ornament. Use the tweezers to unroll the photo and place it into position.
[/url]- Pour Epsom salts or fake snow into the ornament using a funnel.
- Make sure to date the ornament and add a sentiment. For this project I used a small circle label with the year of the top of the ornament, and added my personal message to the back of the photo.
Used In This Project:
- Small Circle Labels • I chose the “Floral Candycane” style in aqua.
- Fancy Diamond Labels • I chose the “Floral Candycane” style in aqua.
More Holiday Gift Ideas:
Brownie Mix in a Jar DIY Christmas Cookie Cutter Candles Floating Holiday Candles Holiday Centerpiece: Mini Pinecone Trees
Shop Our Holiday Collection:
Stephanie Rose is a gardener who lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where she has grown over 100 edibles, 400 perennials, and countless other plants in her small urban yard; a hobby that continues to grow with each season. Stephanie writes DIY garden projects, yummy recipes and crafty goodness at Garden Therapy where she hopes you will find something to inspire you to get outside for a little, well, garden therapy.
Amazing, and looks so simple! Thanks for this idea! 🙂
How do you get the pic to unroll? How do you get the pic to stand up?
Hi Kristi, it just bounces back once in the ornament. And to stand it up you set it in the Epsom salts.