I have been saving empty ribbon spools, liking their shape but not knowing what to do with them. Then, feeling original, I thought I'd make ornaments. Surely no one has ever done that before! Well, as I discovered after I completed my project, of course they have, and you'll find all sorts of fun versions if you type "ribbon spool ornament" into Google. I think the simplicity of my version is a good choice if you want to make these with kids--and it gives you a way to use old holiday cards you've saved. (You do save them, don't you? Tell me I'm not the only one).
Apparently I do not ever recycle cards; that one on top came from my friend Sloan in 2004. My daughter had a great time going through the stacks and choosing images for our ornaments; her taste, like that of my great aunties, runs toward the glittery, as you shall see.
In addition to old holiday cards and empty ribbon spools, you need a few tools. Scissors and glue are fine; you might also want a rotary cutter and a compass cutter, which cuts a perfect circle. You'll need a cutting mat beneath the rotary and compass cutters, of course.
So here I am demonstrating the compass cutter with one of the images my daughter chose. How about that glitter! (You could also trace the spool onto your card and cut it out with scissors--no need for a compass).
Once you've cut out your circles, simply glue them to each side of the spool. On most of our ornaments we chose a fancy image for one side and plain colored card stock for the other.
We cut a thin strip of paper and adhered it to the spool where the ribbon used to be, and then tied a length of ribbon on top to hang the ornament.
One of these just may make its way to my Holiday Traditions Exchange partner!
