For the past few years, I’ve watched a group of bloggers host an ornament exchange. To me, Christmas ornaments should all tell a story. Travel, stages of life, interests, hobbies… each ornament should have a meaning. Every year we get a new ornament for the kids and usually a family ornament as well. With dates! If not, I’ll write the year in permanent marker on the back. Now that you understand my love of ornaments, you can probably guess how excited I was to be able to join the ornament exchange! The exchange link party is going on now and here is the tutorial for my “The Stockings Were Hung” mini pallet ornament.
My Inspiration
Each of us participating in the exchange was matched with a partner. My partner is Emily from Two Purple Couches. I don’t know how the partners were matched up, maybe by name!
But Emily and I are a great match. We’ve sent some emails back and forth to each other and I wish we could chill out on either her purple couches or my gray ones and talk in person for hours! I’m pretty sure we’d have a ton of fun talking and crafting together.
Plus, we’re both Ohio gals, even though I don’t live there anymore.
Inspiration struck me when I learned this would be Emily’s first Christmas as a family of three!
Add to that working on a “purple and purple and purple” sweater for my niece and discussing handknit stockings with my neighbor… well, I’ll just show you how it came together.
Mini Pallet
I started with a few craft sticks.
And cut one down into smaller pieces. With my trusty glue gun, assembling the mini pallet sign was much easier than a full sized one!
Time to give the pallet a little color with antiquing wax.
Then I painted my wording on the pallet. When dry, I sanded a few places and over the words to give it an aged look.
I actually crocheted the little stockings at church one Sunday.
The stockings could be made from fabric, felt, really anything! They don’t have to be crocheted or knit, I just had the inspiration and the yarn…
Of course, I did have a minor dilemma as to how to attach the stockings to the sign! For the large barn wood stocking hanger, I used actual hooks… but its full size.
While I pondered this, I knocked over a container of bobby pins off the counter in my bathroom… picking them up, I realized they were the perfect solution!
With some wire cutters, they easily fit the back of the pallet. More hot glue to the rescue, along with a piece of twine as a hanger. My, or should I say, Emily’s ornament was complete!
Check out all the great ideas and join in the Ornament Exchange Link Party!
Are you ready for Christmas?
Hand knit personalized stockings
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