HOW TO Make Those Recycled Christmas Card Ornaments

Wow, I had no idea these simple little angel ornaments would be such a hit.  Thank you for your interest in how they are made.  I hope the following tutorial will be helpful.

RECYCLED CHRISTMAS CARD ANGEL ORNAMENTS

Supplies:

Christmas cards (covers only)

Scissors

Glue stick

White glue

6” of decorative thread or ribbon (for hanger)

Pencil

Card stock (to make angel template)

Assorted decorative embellishments (ribbon, stickers, glitter, jewelry findings, etc)

Copy and print off the angel template, trim off most of the excess paper around the image, and gluestick it to the cardstock, then cut it out.  This will be your template to use for the Christmas card.  You can make the angel any size you want but this one is about 4” at its widest by about 4.25” at its highest.  This size works well to get two angel shapes from one Christmas card cover measuring about 5” X 8.”  Of course, there is no reason not to make your angel shapes from different cards.  That will just make them more interesting!  And don’t worry if the image prints off at a different size than what I’ve noted here.  Just work with it as it is.  You can always alter the size of your template at a later time if you’d prefer it smaller or larger.

Trace around your cardstock template on the back side of your Christmas card.  Then flip the template over and trace a second image on the back side of the Christmas card (or on a separate card if the first one is not large enough for two tracings).  You will now have two angels that are mirror images of one another.  Cut both out.  The finer the job you do of cutting them out, the less finishing work you’ll need to do later on.

With the angels face up (good side of Christmas card), take the angel with the wing on the left and cut from the center bottom of the angel body up about halfway.  We’ll call this the Left Angel.

Take the angel with the wing on the right and cut from the center top of the head down about halfway.  We’ll call this one the Right Angel.  (Photo shows both angels with the cuts as described.  You may need to look closely to see the cuts.)

Here’s the tricky part.  Holding the Left Angel in your left hand and the Right Angel in your right hand, slip the slot you created in the Right Angel’s head up into the slot of the Left Angel’s body.  Adjust the fit until both sides are even (this isn’t an exact science).  In the photos below I have taken the Left Angel from the white/red set and the Right Angel from the gray/gold set and slotted them together.  Hopefully the contrast in their colors helps to demonstrate what I am doing.

Use a couple of discreet dabs of white glue at the bottom of the now-joined angels to hold them together as one.   Do the same with the head, but if you are making a hanging angel, then layer your looped decorative thread or ribbon in as you glue, hiding the ends of the ribbon or thread of course.  Let dry before moving on to the next step.

You may want to trim the bottom of the angel or around the head or wings just to even things up. 

Now comes the fun part – decorating your angel!  You can leave it just as it is and it makes a great ornament, however I have trouble leaving anything plain, so I usually do some embellishing.

To cover the center seam that shows where the two pieces are joined, I will often run a small strip of double-sided tape (.25” wide) from the bottom of the angel to the neck.  I’ll then cover that tape with decorative ribbon or trim or some kind of embellishment.

I love adding a head to these ornaments and have used everything from clay face cabochons to bottlecaps with vintage face images on them.  The limit is really only your imagination.  Just remember that these items add bulk to your angel so if you are going to be mailing them, keep this in mind.  Also, depending on what you are adding for a head (or other embellishments) you’ll probably need to use a stronger adhesive such as E-6000 or Goop.

Even if both pieces of my angel came from the same Christmas card, I am always surprised at how they look when they are slotted together to make one.  That is part of the fun of this project, I think. 

Keep in mind that this template is a just a rough outline of an angel so that you can get the idea of this project.  You can certainly create something more refined or elaborate.  If you come up with a great shape that you are willing to share, we would love to see it.

I’m sure you’ll think of all kinds of other ideas of how to embellish your angel ornaments.  I would recommend that if you are going to do any kind of treatment to the ornaments (like paint, or glitter glue covering the surface), that you do that before you slot the two together.  It will be much easier that way.

The last thing to do is give the wings a gentle bend toward the back so that they and the arms stand out a bit from one another and give the angel a 3D effect overall. 

I hope you have fun with this project and I would love to see what you create if you wish to share.

I've included photos of a few more of these ornaments.  You can also see my previous post from December 27 for other samples and embellishing ideas!

Cheers!
Joanna