Shiny, Happy Ornaments
Make aluminum ornaments that are easy as pie.
Submitted by
Kayla Chong
Kayla Chong
Finally, a use for the leftover aluminum pans from all those frozen pies you're so fond of--or at the very least an excuse to buy a couple and devour them. The kids get to make awesome holiday ornaments. You get to eat pie. Sounds like a fair trade.
- Disposable metal pie plates
- A large-mouthed cup or a lid from a Pringles can:You'll use this to trace circles for your ornaments, so find a size that is big enough for your kid to draw on.
- Permanent Markers:In all colors.
- Scissors
- Newspaper
- White glue
- Embellishments:Seed beads and/or rhinestones.
- Ribbon
First, lay newspaper over your workspace to keep things clean.
Next, place the cookie cutter or cup on the back of the pie plate and let your kids carefully trace around the outside with a permanent marker to make a circle.
Use scissors to carefully cut out the ornament. Be extra careful of the edges, which can be sharp. You'll have to help younger kids with this.
Get rid of the pie plate scraps and place the cut ornament on top of the newspaper.
Next, hand the kids some Sharpies and have them draw designs on their ornaments. (You might want to change them into dark clothing for this step; Sharpies are permanent!)
When they're done decorating, use the nail to poke a hole through the top of the ornament. (You should do this part because kid fingers can easily be poked, too.)
Now comes the pizzazz! Have them use white glue to add seed beads or rhinestones to their ornaments. Let dry.
Finally, thread the ribbon through the hole—and take the permanent markers away from your kids before they "decorate" your walls.
- Look for textured aluminum pie plates, baking trays or cake tins for pretty patterned ornaments!
- Make it personal by cutting out small photos of each family member and gluing one on to the back of each ornament!
- Looking for more homemade ornaments for the tree? Try Tree Bling or Cinnamon Stick Stars.
Submit!
