Felt Gnome Ornament

I decided to make one more 

felt ornament before Christmas. 

Why not a Gnome?

It had to be a cute one, not a creepy one. 

First I drew my design out on graph paper,

and then started cutting out the pieces. 

Walmart has the best price I've found for felt squares.

I used a cardboard insert, the same way

I did with my sugar skull ornaments.

I glued, stitched, and embellished

until it was finished. 

I think he turned out pretty cute,

although I like the drawing better.

Maybe it's the eyes. I need to tweak them a bit. 

Merry Christmas!

I hope you have a wonderful and blessed holiday season. 

Sugar Skull Ornaments

I'd finished with my 

felt sugar skull ornaments,

or so I thought. 

As with every one of my completed projects,

I need to sit and stare at it (whatever "it" is) for a while.

Sometimes a LONG while. 

In a weird way, the piece will let me know 

whether or not I'm finished with it. 

No, not in a "crazy

lady who hears voices coming from
inanimate objects" kind of way. 

There's just an internal satisfaction that

comes with knowing that I'm really finished

with each particular piece, or else
there's an unrest that means the piece needs more work.

Well, after thoughtfully pondering my ornaments for a while,
I knew they needed more oomph, pizazz, something. . .

My husband usually

says he knows I'm done with a piece when 

he starts getting dizzy. 

(Don't misunderstand, he says it

with a sweet smile in the most loving way.)

He appreciates my work and is

a great encourager to me. 

I thought I'd share

ten of the fifteen I've made. 

I'd like to make some with

white or cream felt too. 

What do you think about different

colors of felt for a base besides the black and white? 

I'm happy with 

the way they turned out. 

I'm really finished this time.

My husband is nice and dizzy. 

I hope his co-workers like their gifts!

Now I need to figure out a clever way to wrap them,
using the materials I have on hand.

Hmmm. . .  .

Black Felt Sugar Skull Ornaments

I picked up some felt squares

at JoAnn's last week.

The Black Friday shoppers had already

cleaned out several colors and it was

only Tuesday!

I wanted to pick up some white or cream for a

base as well as the black, but they were out of stock

at my store that day. 

I do like black with the bright colors

and am happy with the way they turned out.

I started by drawing a pattern on grid paper

and then cutting out the design on cardboard. 

I had a piece laying around that happened to be red. 

As you can see I need a new blade for my razor knife. 

(The right tools make all the difference!)

 I cut enough cardboard templates 

for each ornament, because they were glued inside.

I cut the felt about 1/4" larger than my template

so I could finish the skull off with a blanket stitch. 

I used DMC floss, buttons, beads,

and rhinestones for embellishments. 

They're a lot of fun to make.

I'm still working on several more. The options for

designs are endless!