Like many people, I started a tradition of having my daughter make a Christmas ornament each year (plus a couple of extras for her grandmas). She’s only two, so this was actually our first year, but I love the idea that she will have a huge collection of ornaments she made herself by the time she’s grown up. (If I can part with them, that is.)
You’ve probably all seen these wood craft ornaments in stores for super cheap. I picked these up for something like 40 cents each. They have lines printed on them, I guess to suggest coloring them with markers, but obviously you can do whatever you want with them. And I decided we would paint them.
I was a little concerned about the craft paint not covering the printed lines, so before getting started, I removed the hanging ribbons and sprayed them with a white spray primer.
After that was dry, it was time for Elise to paint them. I gave her some pearly white craft paint, and she pretty much covered the entire trees. She did miss a couple of spots the first time around, so I coached her to fill those in, but all the brushstrokes were hers. We did one side at a time so that the fronts would have time to dry before the backs were painted. I love the gloppy texture dabbing on the paint created.
After the pearly paint was dry, I helped her add the red dots on the ornaments. I do have to admit I had a hand in getting them to land on target, but she was holding the brush.
I think she did pretty awesome! Simple and not overdone.
After all the paint was dry, I added her name and the year with a fine-tip sharpie marker. I’m excited to see what this collection looks like in 20 years.
