More ornaments

Here are images of some other ornaments I have done over the years.  The pearl twist was done back in the late 1990s.  I made this one for an Ornament Exchange on MiningCompany.com (now moved to the Yahoo group: YearlyOrnamentExchange).  I have thought about making another set of these since they are fairly easy. 

I used an aluminum welding wire as the thread and threaded graduated pearls, starting with the largest 18mm pearls.  Thread both ends of wire through the hole and pull until most of the wire is through. Insert a pair of needle nose pliers into the loop and pull tight to form the loop.  Take one of the wire and bend at a 90 degree angle to form the hanger.  On the other wire, thread the remaining pearls in sets of three until you thread 3 - 4mm.  Bend the wire into an arc, and using wire flush cutters, cut leaving about 3/8 of an inch.  Using loop pliers (or needle nose), create another loop to hold the pearls secure as well as a place to secure a pearl teardrop.  Attach a pearl teardrop at other loop.  To Create Hanger: Straighten curl from wire, then make a bend to off set the ornament.  Create another loop and some chain to suspend from tree.
 

Another ornament which I created for an ornament exchange is the “fuzzy chandelier”.  The theme for this exchange was “Fuzzy” and this is the ornament created back in 2009.  I decided to add some additional embellishments with swags of gold chain and beaded dangles.

The last ornaments are all out beaded.  Back in the late 1990s, I placed an order for some beading materials and the telephone operator asked if I would be interested in hearing about their specials, of course I said “Yes”.  One of the special were perforated disks, I bought a couple packages not knowing what I would do with them but figured I would think of something.  I ended up using them in these tassels.  Each perforated disk has 91 holes.  I used several different lengths of needles to make the fringe in ring the same length.  I would do the bottom disk with fringe and then bead the top disk with loops of beads.  After completing the two disk I would sew them together and then create the beaded hangers for them.  These could be made in a wide variety of color combinations.

The first tassel was made as a Christmas present for my adopted brother.  The beads were pre-WWI Czech with gold-line square holes with an Aurora Borealis (or AB) finish.  When finished the ornament looked like solid champagne.  

The gold and green tassel was the first ornament I ever sold.  The price was $75.  My mother saw the price tag I had on it and she told me no one would pay that much for a Christmas ornament.  I hadn’t even finished setting up my vending table and someone purchased it.  They didn’t bat an eye at the cost.