Paisley Ornaments

Part of the attraction of this tree for me was the chance to do a mix of glam and earthy, high and low, that is represented in the nativity story. The king of heaven born in a stable; the wise men and the animals; gold, frankinscence, and myrrh and hay and burlap. I love that contrast.

The first ornament I made for this tree was inspired by the luxe, ornate fabrics I envision when I think of the wise men. I didn’t just want to fill this tree with different versions of people, I wanted some ornaments that were a little more abstract and gave the suggestion of the story. When I found this gorgeous glittered ribbon, I knew just how to use it.

I found these cool paper mache ornaments at Papersource, but all your usual craft stores will have something similar. Cut your ribbon long enough to cover with a bit of extra, and get some glue that is thin enough to spread easily.

My ribbon was wide enough that I could cut it in half, and then you just glue it onto one of the sides of the paper mache ornament.

Let the glue dry, then cut off the extra ribbon to be flush with the sides.

Repeat all the way around for each side, letting each side dry before trimming.
To disguise all my seams, I ran a thin line of glue down each side and sprinkled glitter over it. Glitter will cover up any little spaces you cut too close, and make the ornament look polished.

This is one of those ornaments I was talking about yesterday that would work for you even if you’re not into nativities. This could be used with any ribbon, or really any fabric at all, to fit into whatever your decor is. Ribbons are so gorgeous and ornately decorated, this is a super simple way of getting a whole lot of gorgeous on your tree in a really easy way.