"Let it snow, let it snow. let it snow..." Ok I admit it, it was hard to get in the mood to even think about Christmas, let alone make Christmas ornaments! After all, it seems like we just finally got rid of the snow and cold here! But once I got going, I have to admit that making ornaments in the summer rather than during the rush in the holidays makes a lot of sense.

So, I put the Christmas Carols on the stereo, dusted my Christmas stamps off, and started playing. I had found some plain glass balls in a store a few years ago, I knew they needed decorating but wasn’t really sure what to do with them. I wanted to do something that sparkled in the glow of the Christmas lights. The tiny micro beads fit that criteria perfectly! How to hold the beads on securely without unsightly adhesive showing? Terrifically Tacky Tape to the rescue! It comes in sheets and rolls so I was able to punch out the stars and use the roll to make the bands around the ball. The finishing touch was a ribbon to hang it with. When I saw this little porcelain piece, I knew I had to try stamping on it. I had heard that it can be difficult to stamp on without the ink bleeding but I used my trusty StazOn Ink (Tsukineko), if Im unsure what ink will stick to a surface, I get that inkpad out and haven't been disappointed yet! As you can see, it worked great and using chalks I achieved a soft look to the piece.

Now, I was on a roll. I've always been interested in using cast-off or tossed out things. It was fun turning this matchbox into a tiny shrine. Any small box would do, an old jewellery box, matchbox, even a small tin would work. A small photo or stamped image inside the box invites the viewer to get closer to see inside. Looking to add some elegance to my tree, I reached for my copper foil. This was my first attempt at using the ShapeBoss (Fiskars). I liked the way this ornament glows but found the copper was just a little too bright. I wanted to age it a bit so it looked like an ornament that was a family heirloom. I used Black Patina (Novacan), which dulls some of the finish and adds a lovely, antique patina to it. UTEE (Suze Weinberg) and Mini Matts (Stampendous) just naturally go together. I used three of them, in different sizes and shapes to make the ornament pictured here. For a clear, almost glasslike finish, I didn’t color in the images and used a copper marker to edge the pieces. I have to admit this is probably my favourite one. It's hard to tell in the photo but the Pearl Ex (Jacquard) adds a pretty shimmer to the clay. Working with polymer clay is easier than you might think. Any mistakes made when stamping on it can be rolled up and you get another chance. If you don’t have a pasta machine to roll the clay out, you can use a rolling pin or even a flat can or jar.

Although the article is completed, I don’t think I will put my Christmas stamps away just yet. If I get started right now on my Christmas cards, maybe this year they will get sent out BEFORE Christmas!

Even though, there may not be a lot of supplies for Christmas out in the stores right now, if you look at what you have on hand with an "artists eye" you can turn your ordinary products into extraordinary works of art in mere minutes.