Saturdays with Sharleen - Ornament Card

Holiday Project -

Ornament Card











Hello, I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving.  Today I am going to post a holiday project - using a ceramic ornament to make a holiday greeting card.

I have been making my own holiday cards since I was a teenager.  Back in those days, not many other people seemed to be doing this.  I had to go to Long's Book Store on OSU campus, to their fine art department, to find blank cards and envelopes.  Not that I minded going there, what a fabulous place that was, full of inspirational art supplies and colors galore!  Over the years  I have made silk screened cards, lino prints, tea bag folded cards, embroidered cards, quilted cards, cross stitch cards, and cards with molded handmade paper shapes.  For the past 3 years, I have made ornament cards with a ceramic ornament attached.  Last year I did gingerbread men, this year stars. (See above.)  Paper crafts are another one of my loves, and it's so much fun to combine the two.  This is a labor of love for those special friends and loved ones.  I once had a new friend cry "Don't tell me you MAKE YOUR OWN CARDS!!"  My response was, "It's my way of showing people I care at a special time of year. " Some years after rushing to get them done and realizing how much time I am spending, I wonder about the wisdom of it.  But recipients sometimes tell me how much it means to them.  I had a high school friend tell me her daughter framed one of my cards and hung it in her room.  Another friend told me her sister was framing one of my quilted Christmas tree cards.  So these little pieces of me are saved and treasured, and that means a lot to me.
Anyway, here is this years card, at least the first one.  I usually end up varying them a little.
If you would like to make an ornament card, decide what clay ornament or pendant you would like to use.  Take this to the paper aisle at your local craft or scrapbooking store.  I bring the ornament with me and select special papers that I think go well with it.  I buy a box of blank cards and envelopes.  I also have a selection of paper punches for embellishing.  You can also embellish with ribbon, glitter, buttons, etc.  You will need glue sticks and a 1/8" paper punch, and ribbon or wire to fasten the ornament to the card. A paper cutter comes in handy, and of course scissors. 
I mail these in bubble envelopes and write FRAGILE on the envelope, front and back.  For extra security, the card and envelope can be pre-wrapped in bubble wrap too.

Didn't my star ornament turn out lovely?  This was rolled from red clay, and is underglazed with an evergreen color, and glazed in the impressions and border with Stroke N' Coat, Down to Earth; underglaze is glazed over with Amaco transparent leaf green.  The blue was unexpected and I don't know where it came from, but I love it.  The "kiln gods" worked their magic.  I pressed the texture into the design with one of those wood blocks from India that were used to hand dye fabric.  I have other stars with lino carved designs.

Below is a pictorial of the process of making the ornament into a card.

Select papers that go well with the colors in your ornament



I have chosen this blue and brown, and cut to fit the card.





Use the paper punch to make holes for threading the ribbon or wire to attach the ornament.



I used the fancy paper punches to cut out stars and swirls, and glued them to the card.
I sign the inside with a colored gel pen.