Do you want to make a snowman?

Most of my crafting supplies are boxed up and in storage so I am unsure if I will be participating in the ornaments exchange this quarter. That being said I have an ornament designed from recycled products, most of them I obtained from where I work. One of the lines of products we produce have holes punched through stainless steel sheets which are then made into the product - water recirculators for the welding industry. There are several sizes of circles, squares, rectangles which are produced as waste. Last year, I made a snowman out of 3 of these circles. Spot welding them together to produce the traditional snowman shape.

We also have expanded metal used to produce air-flow grates for these machines. In the past I used some to make icicles, and have other ideas for larger pieces, but I am thinking about using them to make stick arms for the snowman.

Another recycled aspect of the snowman will be the plastic 'sawdust' produced in another operation. We also manufacture plastic welding safety and cover lens for the welding industry which we cut to size with an industrial table saw. Even though the plastic is clear, the saw dust is white. I used the sawdust in making the icicles, so will use it along with flocking material to cover the metal discs. Thinking of adding some glitter on the top coating.

Finishing the details on the snowmen, I am thinking about making 'carrot' noses from air-dry clay, and use some yarn to form scarfs. Finally, I will use markers and stamping inks to add the finishing details such as faces, and buttons.

It has been awhile, but I have been busy: ICICLES and dangles

One of the Ornament Exchanges for this quarter was "Recycled".  Here are images of my final ornaments.  Where I work we have expanded stainless steel grating which we use as protective covers for the Water Recirculators we make.  There are pieces of scrap which I have de-burred and fashioned into various lengths.  I bent the top of each to form a hanging hook.

The base coating is another recycled product from work.  Another part of the company I work for in cutting protective lens from plastic sheeting, Polycarbonate and PET-G.  When cut on the saw, the resulting sawdust is a nice snowy white.  Using E6000 epoxy, I glued the plastics sawdust to both sides of the metal, allowed to dry and then using spray adhesive I applied large flake glitter, regular glitter and then micro-fine glitter to the surface.

This is a piece of the mesh.  I had one of the mechanist to shear the initial pieces into long wavy strips.  I then used the grinding stone to take any sharped metal off.

I had other ornaments I needed to make for other commitments.  Each year, I will do a "Pay It Forward" campaign on Facebook.  People sign up and commit to also "pay it forward" in that sometime in the year, you will make something hand-made and send to the person along with a handwritten note.  This year, the people will receive miniature Christmas ornaments made from glass teardrops, rhinestone rondelles, bead caps, metal beads, wire and Delica beads.  I had 10 different colors of the rondelles: Clear AB, Red, Lime Green, Emerald Green, Aqua Blue, Medium Blue, Sapphire Blue, Purple, Root Beer and Smoke Topaz.

There was another 'contest' on my Facebook page to identify the person dressed in the Santa outfit.  The image came from the up coming movie "I Am Santa Claus" which stars WWE wrestler Mick Foley.  The person who correctly identified him will be receiving the four dangles pictured below.

Ornaments 5 through 12, plus 4 more of the same design

Had a case of 'ho-hums', was unmotivated and didn't have any creative spirit.  I am fairly sure it was based on the fact to I had a co-worker staying with me.  Was supposed to have been for one week, turned into 3 weeks and each night when we got home I would go to my bedroom and read.  Got him to move on and that seems to have re-started things flowing again.  On the weekend of February 22nd-23rd, I started a Ornament Suite of seven ornaments.  One each of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple and an ornament with a spoke in each color.  Finished the seven on March 1st, and on the next day started on colors, Gold, Silver, Black and White.

Designing with constraints

One of the exchange groups I belonged to would send out an item which everyone who choose to participate had to use in making an ornament.  I enjoyed these challenges as there were times I would never had used the item(s).  I had in the past done similar challenges in jewelry where everyone would receive a bag of beads which had to be used.  The first came in the school year of 1977-8, when Rezunit® came out with the cone shaped air freshener.  They had a national contest open to high school students to use the cone to create something “Christmassy”.  The design which I submitted was turned the cone into a tree but using seeds, pods and spices.  The final piece had anise stars, cloves, cinnamon bark, sweet-gum balls, cardamom and cumin seeds.  Various shades of browns, but smelled of cookies and pies.  It took First Place.  Being limited to what you can and cannot use can be liberating, forcing you to think outside the normal,

In 2012, one of the challenges was to create and ornament using a compact disc.  I thought several days when I was looking through a scroll saw magazine and found some scroll saw ornaments.  Using one of the patterns as inspiration I called a friend and asked if I could send him a design to cut on his industrial laser.  I knew I wanted to ‘sandwich’ a piece of color between 2 CDs to create a ‘stained-glass window’.  After cutting the surface, I turned the next CD over to cut from the reverse.  I cut several pieces as I wasn’t sure how the final piece would look.

Two CDs are glued together with a piece of red lighting film sandwiched between.  To continue with the dilver reflectiveness, a silver-toned chain and jump-ring were used as a hanger.

Looking at Globes

Going through past images of my ornaments, I have noticed trends.  Starting off in 1976 with gold-foiled kraft paper to make 3-Dimensional Platonic solids and using colored glue, cellophane cling wrap, liquid leading and pages of coloring books to make glass clingers, then ‘graduating’ to beads and the other media, most of my ornaments take unusual twists.  If you ask most people about Christmas ornaments many will answer with the ubiquitous ball or globe shaped ornament.  Easily remembered, but always easily forgotten.  Boxes of the globe ornaments are sold each year in a wide range of colors, finishes and sizes.  They make great ‘filler’ ornaments that people expect to see on the decorated tree.  I, like most, have boxes upon boxes of the ornaments in different sizes, colors, and finishes.

Back when I was studying at Florida State University in the late 1980s, I began constructing embellishments to the globe ornaments.  The first was making custom globes for friends by pouring latex paint into the globe, swirling around, and then letting drain over night.  This can be a great “First Christmas in a new house” gift, making ornaments using the colors of the rooms in the house.  Depending on the finish of the clear glass globes you can make frosted, ‘AB’ or aurora borealis or shiny using the reflectiveness of the plain clear glass ones. 

Doesn’t take long after gathering your supplies.  You will need some type of work place covering - old sheet, newspaper, etc., either some denatured alcohol or vinegar (a bit smelly but a good cleaner which leaves little residue), drainage cups - I usually use the small Dixie cups used in the bathroom, you paint and the glass globes.  Remove the ornament cap by gently pulling the hanger up and sitting them aside.  I always clean the inside of the ornament by pouring a little denatured alcohol into the ornament and swirling the alcohol around and turning the ornament upside to allow for drainage.  Because of the low ‘flash’ point of alcohol much will evaporate just from the heat of your hand.  I would clean the ornaments one evening and the next would coat the insides.  There are several different techniques to inject the paint inside the ornament.  If you are using the small bottles of Tole paint, you can just squirt the paint from the bottle.  You can also use small plastic bottles for cake decorating or carefully pour the paint inside with a paper cone.  You don’t need much for a 65mm glass globe.  I would give a ‘good squirt’ and fill the bottom maybe 0.50 inch.  I would start tilting and rotating the globe slowly moving the top of the ornament to the bottom.

As the paint completely covers the inside of the ornament, turn the ornament upside to drain into the disposable cups.  Allow to drain overnight.  When drained, I keep the cups for the next batch, replace the ornament caps and take a soft lint free cloth moistened with either the alcohol or vinegar and wipe down the outside of the ornaments removing fingerprints.  Depending on the weight of the paint, you may want to glue the cap onto the ornaments, I traditionally use E-6000 or 572 epoxy. 

I have also used spray paint to coat the inside of glass globes.  I would suggest doing this outside, wearing disposable gloves.  Align the nozzle tip and place next to the ornament opening.  Depress nozzle and let the paint spray into the ornament.  Shake the ornament and rotate until the insides are evenly coated.  Again turn upside to drain.

Another embellishment to the common globe would be what I call “Ball Gowns”.  I have collected several books on tatting, crocheting, bead-working and macraméing coverings for globes.  It seems every few months, a new book of designs comes out, or a new design is featured in magazines.  Here is one of mine I did in the late 1980s.

 



















The Summer of 2006, I attended a wholesale gem and jewelry show where I purchase several gross of simple costume jewelry necklaces.  I had no idea what I would do with them be the price was great.  On the 5 hours ride back, I knew I would end up turning them into ball gowns.

After attending the 2009 show, I came back with several pair of earrings which have ended up as focal components of more ball gowns.  Using plain curb chain, jump rings, and the earrings I constructed more ball gowns. 

 

In the beginning of 2012, one of my ornament exchange groups had a theme of “Recycled”.  The ornament I made were from recycled parts from where I work.  I used tube caps to strengthen the neck of the large globes and add more area for epoxy to glue the small globe.  To hide the connection point, I used scrap fibreglass and flannel to make a scarf.