When my mom and dad were just starting out, they were strapped for money (as most of us are). They didn't have a lot of money for decorating the Christmas tree, so they got creative. I guess making ornaments out of egg cartons was popular in the 70s. My folks made these ornaments for their very first Christmas tree. Even though we can all afford a bit more, these are actually some of my favorite ornaments on our tree. We still put them up every year. And of course, I wanted to make some Disney themed ones, so let me show you exactly how I made them.
Materials you will need:
- empty paper egg carton
- paint (red & white)
- thread or baker's twine (to hang)
- card stock (black)
- Disney punch (I used Mickey)
- glitter glue
- a button or bead
1. Cut Out and Prep Egg Carton
I used the pointy part of the egg carton instead of the shallow cups the eggs sit in. I cut out two of these and painted the insides of them white. I used two coats of paint as the egg carton material really soaked up the paint!
2. Punch Out Mickey and Prep for Hanging
I used a Mickey Mouse punch and punched him out of black card stock. I trimmed the card stock corners so it would fit in the space inside the completed ornament. I used my awl and poked a hole in the top of the Mickey paper and strung some thread through it, tying it into a loop; this will be the ornament hanger, so make sure it's long enough to loop over a branch.
3. Insert Mickey
I wanted my Mickey embellishment to dangle freely inside, so I tied a button to the thread about a half inch above the Mickey. This served as a positive stop for the thread and left room for Mickey to dangle inside the ornament. I then threaded the loop through the top of the egg carton piece. Mine already had a hole in the top; if yours doesn't, then simply use an awl to punch a hole through the pointed side of the egg carton piece and thread your loop of thread through it.
4. Glue Egg Carton Pieces Together
I used Gel Medium/Mod Podge to glue my egg carton pieces together, but Elmer's glue, Perfect Paper Adhesive or even Super Glue would work. To keep them in place, I used small hardware clamps. You could also use bulldog clips if you have them. I set this aside for about an hour to let it fully dry. Once it's dry you should have something that resembles an ornament. You just need to decorate it!
5. Paint the Ornament
I used red craft paint to cover the outside of my ornament. It only needed one coat of the red, but make sure you don't have any missed spots. I found that the egg carton paper made it difficult to get all the spots without a little touching up.
6. Glitter the edges
I like my tree (and my Christmas!) to sparkle. So I decided to use some glitter glue around the edges of the ornament to give it some pizzazz. I think it also helped to cover up some of the unevenness of the egg carton paper. Let it dry and you have your very own unique Disney-themed Christmas ornament! And for me, it was completely free. I had all the materials I needed at home! And wouldn't Jiminy Cricket be so proud of us?
Until next time, may all your holidays be filled with fairy dust!
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