Handiwerx

Paper Ornaments Part 1

a tutorial

My friend LouAnne sent me a tutorial link for these paper ball ornaments.  The gal on the video has a large paper punch to make her 16 circles required for the ornament.  I do not.  I don't have a Cricut.  I priced a 2-inch punch and it was $20 and I was not willing to spend that (also, they are difficult for me to press.)

Trying to cut 16 round circles was the daunting part of this craft for me, but I wanted to try it!  I have some templates for applique called Perfect Circles by Karen Kay Buckley.  That made drawing the circles easy, but you could trace any round thing.  Here are a few tips if you want to do this and have to cut the circles.

• Just decide before you begin that this project won't turn out perfectly perfect and that will free you to have fun with it (especially if you are working with someone else.)  
• Use paper colors that are similar to each other so the edges don't much if they don't match perfectly.
• The larger the circle, the more gentle their curve to they are easier to cut (small circles, therefore are more difficult.)
• A large ornament also uses up a lot of paper (I could only get 4 circles out of a 12"x12" piece of scrapbook paper.)
• You might want to add more circles to fill out a larger ornament.

Not too bad, eh? (It's hanging in hubby's cluttered office :P)

I hope to get some more made before Christmas, but have only made one ornament so far.