Thoughtful DIY Christmas Gifts

I don't know what has gotten into me lately, but I have been on a DIY kick lately. Too much HGTV, too much time on my hands, I don't know. Anyway, not that I am super creative by ANY means, but I have been having fun with my little mini projects this Christmas. My latest creation came from a tradition that Quentin and I started during our first married Christmas together. Every Christmas Eve we exchange an ornament. I love having little traditions like this, but unfortunately there are not a lot of specialty ornament shops to choose from, so I was having trouble coming up with a thoughtful unique ornament for this year. So, I made my own! It was super easy and resulted in four total ornaments for less than $20. Here's what I bought, all at Hobby Lobby:
One package of 4 large clear glass ornaments $8ish
One tube of red fine glitter $1.50
One spool (is that the right word?) of narrow red ribbon with white polka dots $2

One bag of white gift basket filler paper $4ish
Gold paint pen that will write on glass $3ish


Add your favorite photo (about wallet-sized) and you have all you need

Here is what I did for the assembly:
- Remove metal piece from top of ornament
- Lightly spray some aerosol hairspray inside the ornament (crazy, but I wanted some of the glitter to stick to the sides of the ornament and not all collect on the bottom)
- Sprinkle in some of the glitter and shake it up
- Add stuffing to the inside until ornament is filled out but not stuffed too tightly
- Roll your photo loosely into a scroll and slide through the opening of the ornament. I had no trouble adjusting my photo with my finger (the stuffing should hold it in place pretty well, if not, add some more)
-  Place the metal piece to the top of the ornament and tie a pretty little bow on top with ribbon of your choice
- To commemorate the year, I added 2011 to the back of the ornament with my gold paint pen

After I completed my first ornament, it only took me about 5 minutes each to do the other two. I made one with a photo of Quentin and I from our Christmas cards this year, and the one below for my parents as well as the same one for my brother and sister-in-law. I still have materials for one more, but can't decide what to do with it yet.

I think these make such a sweet and thoughtful gift for family and friends. It doesn't take much creativity (trust me- I did it) and it is a personal keepsake they can hang on their tree from year to year. I can't wait to share these with  my family.

Thanks for reading!