Seed Beads Design Ornament

Welcome to my first DIY Challenge hosted by Terrie @Decorate and More with Tip! I'm so excited to be here! On the first Wednesday of the month, Terrie hosts a DIY Challenge with a group of talented bloggers who  love to create budget friendly décor for their homes.   For December's challenge we were tasked with turning a clear, plain ornament into something beautiful! If you're coming over from Decorate and More with Tip, isn't Terrie's keepsake snowmen ornament adorable? I'm sure her grandaughter will cherish it forever! 

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Embellishing plain, clear ornaments is a fun craft with unlimited decorative possibilities!  And  it's right up my alley, too! I love handcrafted ornaments and over the years I've decorated clear ornaments into some lovely pieces you can see here, here, and here. 

But this time I wanted to do something a bit more daring but easy, too! So I'm going to turn a clear plain ornament into a magical work of art using clear seed beads, alcohol ink and glue.  It's a great way to customize a clear ornament with my favorite color, purple! I think you will be amazed at the end results! It kooks quite stunning, I must say!

Materials Used:

• Clear, plain 4" ornament 
• Seed Beads 
• Alcohol Inks 
• Quick Hold glue (by the makers of E6000)
• Bowl/jar/skewer sticks/cup parchment paper
• Glitter
• Bow ribbon

Let's start with gathering some of those old glass seed beads from my stash! AC Moore was famous for bins of seed beads on sale! I loved shopping there and I miss the sixty percent coupons they were famous for, too! Next, on the list is the alcohol inks - of course in my favorite shades of purple. Plus a container to mix the beads and alcohol in, and something to stir with - like a skewer stick you can throw away afterwards!

Now let me show you how to make this adorable ornament! First, pour the seed beads into a clean jar - I used an empty yogurt jar that I cleaned with alcohol to remove any oils and residue. Then add a few drops of alcohol ink to the beads. Alcohol inks can be used to change the color on a variety of surfaces including plastics and glass. It's also fast drying and fade resistant! But you don't want to add too much at one time - a little bit goes a long way to color objects!

Once you've added a few drops, blend in the ink by stirring with a skewer stick to see how the color looks. Add more ink . .  .

if needed, stirring the ink and beads together.

Have fun adding different inks until .  .  .

you have the shade you like!

Then dump the dyed beads on a sheet of parchment paper to dry thoroughly. Remember that the alcohol ink will stain so be careful until the beads dry.

While the beads are drying, wipe the clear ornament with alcohol to remove any oils or residue and let dry.

Next, using the tip of the Quick Hold glue as an applicator, begin spreading the glue on the ornament in a decorative design from just below where the bottom of the cap is to midway.

I wanted the seed beads to look like they are dripping from a bead covered area on the ornament.

Once the glue is applied, generously sprinkle the beads on the glue while holding the ornament over a bowl to catch the loose ones.

Once you've sprinkle all the beads onto the glue,  pour the loose ones back into the jar to continue adding more beads to the design.

Use your fingers or the back of an old spoon to lightly push the beads down into the glue for extra adhesion and uniformity.

When finished adding the beads, sprinkle a bit of glitter on for added glitz! 

 Prop the ornament on top of a cup to dry. 

Once the glue is dry, seal the beads with a layer of Mod Podge and let dry. 

Replace the ornament cap - (I rubbed a bit of gold Rub n Buff on the cap to match the gold in the ribbon) then cut a piece of wire edge from a strip of ribbon to make a hanging loop and .  .  .

 small bow with tails to glue onto the top.

How pretty is this!

This challenge was so much fun! Next up is Cindy @ Cloches and Lavender sharing a fabulous way of using silver leaf on ornaments! 

 Be sure to click on each of the creative bloggers listed below to see how they transformed their clear ornaments for this challenge

    

Decorate and More with Tip          Purple Hues and Me

      

Cloches and Lavender                Pallet and Pantry 

       

Patina and Paint                 Paula's Handmade Space 

    

 Stilettos and Shiplap           Sweet Southern Grace 

       

The House House                         B4 and Afters

Wood Sled Makeover

Decorative sleds are so Christmasy! Actually, they're not just for Christmas but the whole winter season! It's perfect as a accent piece for the front porch,  entryway, living room or den.  And it can be hung, leaned or used as a table centerpiece, too. 

I found an old wooden sled - not a real one - for decorative purposes only - at a moving sale several years ago. It looked like someone had tried to sand off whatever was on it!  I couldn't resist for just two dollars! After all, it was solid wood! Imagine what you can do with a piece like that!

But first it needed to be spruced up a bit - by sanding the wood until nice and smooth. And then putting my own touch on it by dry brushing the sled with a gray chalk paint. - no primer needed! 

It's looking better already! You know what they say about what a little paint will do!

Next, I needed to add some embellishments and got out my trusty Bowdabra to make a bow .  .  . first by adding 12" tails with dovetail ends .  .  .

and then the actual bow made with 4, four inch loops and 2, three inch loops!

Don't you just love the ribbon design? How cool is this look .  .  . 

with bows, berries and stems!

Decorating an old sled is lots of fun - the possibilities are almost unlimited. 

The finished piece adds a warm, charming and nostalgic atmosphere to any area and is a nice alternative to the usual Christmas decor!

Welcome back to the 'Do It Over' Designers, a group of talented bloggers who love to recycle/upcycle/DIY, hosted by Anne @The Apple Street Cottage. It's all about taking something old and/or unused and 'doing it over' into something new. Anything from fabric, old dishes, and decor to dressers and hutches. Items found in closets, barns, garages, yard sales, thrift stores, you name it! Sounds like fun, doesn't it!

Be sure to check out all the 'Do It Over Designers' listed below to see their lovely "do overs" too!  

Ann - The Apple Street Cottage - The Christmas Mermaid

Anita - Unique Creations by Anita

Allyson - Southern Sunflowers - How to Make an Upcycled Wood Ornament Stand and Rustic Ornaments

Chas - Chas’ Crazy Creations - DIY Kids Advent Calendar

Cindy - Cloches & Lavender - Curbside Hutch

Donna - Modern on Monticello - DIY Festive Santa Painted Basket

Gail - Purple Hues & Me - Wood Sled Makeover

Kathleen - Our Hopeful Home - Farmhouse Corbel Shelf Refinish

Kim - Exquisitely Unremarkable - Fan Blade Junk Angel DIY

Naush - Doodle Buddies - DIY Faux Farmhouse Crate From a Carton

Patti - Pandora’s Box - Recycling Your Throw-aways!

Sara - Birdz of a Feather - Tiered Plant Stand DIY

Tania - Little Vintage Cottage - Upcycled Vintage Wall Pocket Christmas Vignette

Purple Christmas Tree Decorations

I love purple! So it's a given that I decorate my trees in purple ornaments and accessories! I think purple is perfect for Christmas! It's a rich and noble color that helps to make my home feel warm, festive and stylish! 

Look how lovely this tree is! The purple ornaments along with accents of gold  and purple bows work well together.  The tree is located in our great room - an open space that includes the family room, kitchen and dining area - one where we basically cook, eat, relax and watch tv! I love how the tree turned out - it's quite pleasing to the eye, don't you think!

I usually put up three trees, but this year, just two. I found a 6ft flocked tree from Walmart a couple of years ago that I really love! I got another one this year for the same price of $30! So much better than the 7ft tree that I normally  put together branch by branch! Yuck! I decorated my first tree last week for our Festive Christmas Ideas Blog Hop! It's located in the front of the house, visible by anyone who comes to our door. I think it looks elegant blending in with my furniture!

I used lots of pretty oversized purple ornaments with silver accents on this one!

I'm thrilled to be sharing my second decorated tree this year at the Annual Christmas Tree Decor Blog Hop hosted by Michelle @Our Crafty Mom. 

This tree is adorned with a handmade treetop bow with reversible plum color ribbon on one side and green on the other .  .  .

with additional matching handtied bows throughout .  .  .

along with glittery resin style bows, too! 

Plus gold accented ornate ornaments  .  .  .

and purple swirled bulbs, creating a gorgeous color scheme anyone would love!

Purple is a fabulous Christmas color that gives a touch  of freshness and uniqueness to any holiday decor! It blends in well with just about any decorative style and trend!

Setting the mood at dusk .  .  .

 with sparkly lights that creates a magical spell when lit!

Welcome To The Fourth Annual Christmas Tree Decor Blog Hop

Be sure to visit all the participating bloggers below for gorgeous holiday decorating ideas for your Christmas tree.

 Our Crafty Mom // Sustain My Craft Habit // Red Cottage         Chronicles // Celebrate and Decorate Jenron Designs //  2 Bees In A Pod // Virginia Sweet Pea // From House To Home Tribe of Burton // Across the Boulevard // Intelligent Domestications // Simply Beautiful By Angela Modern on Monticello // Redneck Rhapsody // Purple Hues and Me // My Pinterventures

 Zucchini Sisters // One Thousand Oaks // Raggedy Bits // Southern Yankee DIY // Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

My Sweet Home Living // Pretty DIY Home // Michelle James Designs // Daily DIY Life Happily Ever After, etc. // Kippi at Home // Simple Nature Decor // Design Morsels