4 Full Weeks of Ornaments starts today! Join us!

Ornaments aren't just for your tree...Lynn Kvigne's quick and easy project using (what else!) wire and beads transforms an ordinary household object for the holidays!

Here is what Lynn has in store for you over at her blog...

And also in store... join us!

And also in store... join us!

Ornament Thursday is officially one year old, and we're up to our ears in ornaments!

This month all 4 Thursdays before Christmas will be Ornament Thursdays, and we're looking for a few good ornaments!

If you'd like to participate this holiday season along with the OT Team, we'd love to have you!

Here's how you can join us...

• Create an ornament, and if you follow our project, you'll know, we use the term "ornament" loosely... anything ornamental qualifies.
• Post the ornament to your blog on the Wednesday before the upcoming Ornament Thursday
• Email Michelle at: eggsb@comcast.net with a direct link to your posting, (this should not be a link to your general blog, but to the posting of your ornament.) To be included in the posting on our Ornament Thursday blog, you must have your submission to me by midnight EST the Wednesday night before the scheduled OT
• Voila! You're part of Ornament Thursday!
• If you miss the deadline, you are always welcome to post a link to your creation in the comments section of the OT blog posting!

Happy Ornamenting!

And here's what the Team's been ornamenting!

Brandi's keepsake childrens coaster ornament! Super fun and easy ornaments to make for the whole family!
Christmas Past and Needle Magic at http-design.com Michelle is addressing the ghosts of Christmas past and Helen gets down and dirty sewing a Christmas ornament - stand well clear, she is dangerous with a needle.
It's ORNAMENT Ornament Thursday! Michelle's got some cheap, easy mini clipboard ornaments to share!
It's Ornament Thursday Again: Icicle Time! Lisa takes a look at handmade icicle ornaments from Ruskin Designs
Needlepoint Stocking on BeadStyleMag.com Linda's ornament this week is a mini stocking in needlepoint.
Strands of Beads Melissa makes cute and quick Christmas tree earrings this week.
Beading Help Web's Holiday Candle Wraps Super easy and festive "ornaments" for your candles!

It's Ornament Thursday... Big Time!!!

Our post today comes from Linda Augsburg!

An Ornament Thursday note from the Ornament Thursday Crew

It’s the 1-year anniversary of Ornament Thursday (or something like that). And to celebrate, we’re offering our readers four weeks of ornaments (or decorative items) to celebrate the season. Our incredibly diverse and talented group of artists have created a bevy of beautiful and ornamental items for your enjoyment, so every Thursday between now and Christmas day, you’ll have a new batch of ornaments to inspire you. If you want to join us in Ornament Thursday, leave your link in the comments each week so visitors to this blog can check it out.

As for me (Linda), my way of welcoming you all is to offer these yo yo trees. I found them in a magazine years ago—a magazine I have since misplaced, so sorry to whomever designed them, I tweaked your design a bit and can’t offer you credit. The original pattern was for the little trees, as I recall. But I though they seemed too small, so I cut out a bunch of yo-yos to make bigger trees. I ran across some finished and some unfinished yo yos the other day on another cleaning binge in my craft/sewing room and thought “Ornament Thursday!” So I’m sharing them with you.

Yo Yo Basics: It’s as simple as cutting out a circle of fabric and running a gathering stitch 1/4” from the edge of the fabric. Make sure you’ve got a good knot at the end of the fabric, because you’re going to need it to hold the gathers in place. Once you’ve stitched all the way around, simply gather the fabric up along your stitches until you have a little fabric ball—the opening should almost close. Take a few stitches around the knotted end to secure the two thread ends and knot the thread.

To make the trees: For the smaller trees, I cut circles with the following diameters: 1.5”, 2”, 2.5”, 3”, 3.5”, and 3.75”. For the larger trees, I cut these sizes: 1.5”, 2”, 2.5”, 3”, 3.5” 4” 4.5”, 5”, 5.5”, and 5.75”. You’ll need a cardboard to put in the bottom one, 2” diameter for the small one, 3” diameter for the larger one. Before you close up the largest one, you’ll slide that cardboard inside and make sure you flatten the yo yo so the gathered opening is in the center. Attach a jingle bell or a brown pompom to the center of the ungathered side of the largest yo yo by sewing or gluing it in place. Once you’ve made all your yo yos, flatten them with the gathered edge in the center. Stitch your hanger on the smallest one, having the flat side up. (I just cut a strand of pearl cotton a little longer than I wanted my hanger to be, knotted one end, stitched through from the gathered side to the flat side and back through from the flat side to the gathered side, and knotted the ends together.) Hot-glue the yo yos together, gathered side up, placing the glue about half an inch from the edge of the largest yo yo and stick the next smaller one to it, having it centered. Continue building your tree until all but the one with the hanger are attached. Glue the smallest one in place hanger-side up, gathered-side down. You can add a bow to the top of your tree, or a star, or whatever you’d like.

The thing I love about these trees is that I used up some Christmas prints that I got for free. For my taste, they were prints that I wasn’t going to use in a Christmas project like a quilt or a stocking where their unusual prints would be very visible, but gathered up in yo yos, you don’t really notice the print as much as you notice the festive colors. Also, you could probably mix the fabrics if you wanted to. I can’t decide if they look more like bells or trees, but I’m calling them trees. And since I cut these circles out a while ago, the colors are pretty traditional red and green, which is fine for me. I think they’d be very retro in some of the new Christmas fabrics or in some of the more modern Christmas color schemes.

So join the fun the next four weeks and post your link in the comments each week.

Happy Thanksgiving and here’s to the holiday season!

The Ornament Thursday Team is Grateful!

This month the Ornament Thursday Team is all about...

GRATITUDE!!!

Our featured artist this month is the talented Brandi Lung-Gill who has created these amazing gratitude journals as Thanksgiving Day favors!

Here's what Brandi has to say about these pretty journals...

"My project the month is gratitude journals! I made these as favors for Thanksgiving! I put the book together with a Bind it All Zutter! Way easy to use!

Every fall I dig out my Kaleidacolor ink pad in Autumn leaves and try to find fresh ways to use it! This year my muse was Stampin Up's new stamp Gratuitous Graffiti!

I dug out my Ranger glossy paper,a brayer and white ink pen and went to town! I always use glossy paper with brayer to get best color saturation!

I added lace to a few of the books to fem them up a little :) I took white lace and rubbed it with one of the colors from the Kaleidacolor ink pad to keep the same custom color pallet!

The technique that was used to put it all together is the bandanna technique . I am looking forward to stamping the inside of my pages with these great stamps from my friend Sally."

For more photos and information on Brandi's journals and what the rest of the Ornament Thursday Team is up to... visit our links!

(And we're grateful for all of you as well!)

Thank you!

Cat's Attitude of Gratitude
Michelle at http design has a fun take on gratitude - think about it - what do cats give you when they love you? Mice!

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Cindy's grateful for Ornament Thursday!

Gratitude Screen
Michelle's grateful for OT!

Linda shares her expression of gratitude
Of course there's a story behind Linda's shadowbox on the BeadStyleMag.com blog

Lisa looks at the meaning of the word
Just some reflection this month

Ornament Thursday - Gratitude
I am grateful that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

There are so many ways to say thank you
Helen from http design puts wordle.net to work to create these earrings which say thank you in so many ways.

journals

Brandi’s got some journals to share!

Gratitude...

This month's Ornament Thursday theme?

GRATITUDE

And this month's Ornament Thursday teaser comes from...

Brandi Lung-Gill

She's made some Thanksgiving favors that you'll be grateful to see on Ornament Thursday!!

Check back on Thursday, October 30th for a full photo and all the links to the Ornament Thursday Girls' projects!

Something wicked this way comes...

This month's Ornament Thursday theme is...

BREW

And Melissa Lee has something wicked brewing for us!

Check back next Thursday, September 25th to see what the crew has brewed!!!

Ornament Thursday... ACADEMIA

August's Ornament Thursday - Academia!

This month's feature brought to you by...

Lynn Kvigne, Editor, Beading Help Web

Did you guess the teaser?
This month's Ornament Thursday theme celebrates the kick off of Back To School - Academia! I love to read, and fortunately my children have discovered this love as well. While I can just as easily use a scrap of paper or an old magazine subscription card for a bookmark, I prefer to do something a little more stylish! This month's OT project is one that I've done over and over with great results - it's quick, easy, and you can use up orphan beads for a design that reflects your personality!

This is also a great kid's project, and they can use the bookmark that they make all year long!

Easy Wire Bookmark

Level: Easy/Beginner

Materials12-16g wire (sterling, copper or craft wire)
Head pins
Beads, crystals, small bells, charms
Jump rings

Just a note - sterling silver wire makes a sturdier bookmark, but because it will be continually exposed to air, it will tarnish. Copper wire can be hammered to strengthen, and oxidization will eventually color the wire to a warm brown. Craft wire tends to flop a bit, even after hammering. You can experiment with wire and find the type that you like to use best.

Cut a piece of wire 9" long using a flush side cutter. File the ends smooth. Create a small closed loop at the end of the wire. Using a round object that's about 1" diameter, create a shepherd's hook at one end of the wire. Slightly curve the loop outward.
Create a tight spiral at the opposite end of the wire: Make a tiny loop using a round nosed pliers and close the loop using a chain nose pliers. Create the spiral by holding the loop in the jaws of any pliers with flat inside surfaces - I recommend 2-3 revolutions around the original loop.

Hammer wire to strengthen.

To decorate your bookmark: Make wrapped loop dangles using head pins and beads, bells, or crystals. Attach dangles to the closed loop at the end of your hook using jump rings. Another option is to hang charms in a theme (gardening, wine-related, Red Hat) on the closed loop using jump rings.

That's it from Beading Help Web this month! Check out the other OT gals projects...I know I am going to!!!

Art Bead Scene & The Golden Rule
The Art Bead Scene editor shares a few words of wisdom for jewelry designers.

Back to School-Make your own Pencils
School is back in session, everyone needs new pencils. Why not glass?

BeadStyle goes back to school
Lindsay Haedt's on her way to the classroom, but not before Linda shares one of her recent designs

Beading Help Web Wires Up Academia
Lynn Kvigne to read! While you can easily use a scrap of paper or an old magazine subscription card for a bookmark, why not whip up a stylish book mark instead?

Check out the "homework" project from Joolz by Lisa
A collab effort works out great when you plan ahead

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Cindy's learned how to Mail!

First Day
Michelle's School Book - it's academic!

Michelle's Edumacation

Michelle has yet another go at decorating Helen's workstation, this month, less scary than last but oh, so funky

Swelldesigner goes crazy over school supplies!
Alexa shows you how to turn pencil grips into ultra funky accessories

August Teaser!

Lynn Kvigne of Beading Help Web has whipped up a project using wire, charms and orphan beads that's heavy on Academia!! Check back in two weeks for the final project AND free instructions!!!