Homemade Christmas Ornaments

"Christmas in a Nutshell"

Submitted by Kathy Geoghegan of WA

I have made these for the past several years and gave them out to the people I work with at my office, and they are always a nice ornament that they can hang on their tree year after year.  It is easy to make and makes a statement about the reason we celebrate Christmas!

My 2 daughters and I had so much fun making these ornaments.  We had the most fun trying to crack the walnuts! 

Supplies you will need:

Walnuts

Cotton balls

Wooden beads, about ½ inch

White flannel-cut into 1 and ½  inch square for body and another 1 inch square for baby's head

Gold thick decorative thread or string

White paper

Directions:

Take a cleaned out half of a walnut shell.  This is when I glue the gold string in. The string goes in by the top of the head and the bottom of the body. With glue gun, glue the smaller square of cotton around the head of baby Jesus like a scarf. Glue head in the pointed part of the Walnut. Take the bigger piece of flannel and fold it under on the top and wrap it around the cotton ball and glue it in the Walnut, tucking the flannel in and getting it close up to the head. Take a strip of White paper about 3 inches by ¼ inch  and on half of it, write "Christmas in a Nutshell." Place it around the gold thread and glue the 2 halves together.  There you have it!  Christmas in a Nutshell!  

Homemade Christmas Ornaments Index