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Personalize your Christmas tree with a festive painted beadboard Candy Cane Photo Ornament using and !
I’ve mentioned many times how I love candy cane decor. Red and white together is just so merry-looking! It makes me think of Santa Clause, a jolly little elf, and yummy peppermint treats! All of those things really encompass the magic of the holiday season as seen through a child’s eyes.
My kids really make Christmastime fun. The sparkle in their eyes when we talk about visiting Santa and sitting on his lap, the twinkle in their smile when we mention gifts, and their laughter when building a snowman as tall as they are really brings wonder to the already joyous time of year.
One of the days we most look forward to all year is the day after Thanksgiving when all the Christmas decor comes out and we deck our halls and rooms with festive wreaths and bells, trinkets and snow-laden villages.
We blast the Christmas music while placing each ornament on the tree with love and care. So many memories are made during this most wonderful time of year! Without a doubt, our most favorite ornaments are those that are handmade. The kids always carefully craft them at school and wrap them in tissue paper, then place them under the tree for mom and dad to unwrap on Christmas morning. Those special ornaments are a sweet sentiment from my children that I will always cherish. Throughout the month of December, I pass by the tree and admire them often.
Because these handmade ornaments are so precious to us, I wanted to make a momentum from the year 2015 that we will always have on our tree. I’m actually starting a new tradition this year, which I wish I’d have started much sooner, of making a photo ornament to document our growing, changing family.
This year, it comes in the form of a wooden frame painted to resemble a candy cane.
Here are the paint supplies you’ll need:
Mod Podge Pearl
Mod Podge Sparkle
FolkArt Disco Crystal
FolkArt Apple Red
FolkArt White Pearl
In addition to these paints, you’ll need a piece of scrap wood (I used beadboard for its fun design), a piece of ribbon for hanging, and a small piece of decorative metal hardware if you’d like to include the year on the ornament.
We took this photo just a few weeks ago at our church on my baby boy’s blessing day. It was truly a special occasion, so an ornament with this particular photo could not be more perfect.
I printed a black and white family photo in 5″x5″ so I could cut it down nice and square. I trimmed off the excess, then cut a piece of scrap beadboard to be just larger than the photo (mine measured 4 1/4″ square). You want to leave enough space around the edges for your candy cane design to show.
I gave the beadboard a few coats of White Pearl, allowing it to dry in between. Notice the edges are still rough, but we’ll be sanding those later.FolkArt® Multi-Surface Paint works great on many surfaces including wood, glass, ceramic, metal, terra cotta, rigid plastic, canvas, styrofoam, slate, paper mache and fabric, so it’s the only paint I need for my projects!
It also has great coverage, which means fewer coats, and it dries really quickly!
And, there are so many color options available in trend-right shades.
Next, I trimmed pieces of masking tape and placed them at diagonals, parallel to each other, so I could paint the red stripes. Make sure the tape has a good seal on the board and in the grooves for a clean final look.
Then I painted the open spaces with Apple Red.I love the glossy finish of the FolkArt® Multi-Surface Paint and the fact that I can use it on ceramics, because it’s dishwasher safe too! I can use it on outdoor projects as well, because its water-based non-toxic formula resists moisture and rust!
I let that dry a little, then I peeled off the masking tape. If there are imperfections, you can touch those up when the paint’s all dry.
Next, I roughed around the edges with some sandpaper to give it a more vintage, used look. Then I painted over the top with Disco Crystal for a fun shimmer effect.
I put a coat of new Mod Podge Pearl formula on the back of my photo and pressed it in place on the wood.
If you haven’t used Mod Podge before, let me educate you, because you need it in your life! 🙂 It’s basically an all-in-one water-based, non-toxic glue, sealer, and finish for everyday crafting. It’s manufactured in the USA, it’s easy to apply and works fabulously on wood, paper, fabric and other porous surfaces, such as terra cotta, plastic foam, and candles. And, it dries in just 15-20 minutes!
It’s available in a variety of formulas (in Matte and Gloss) that work great on furniture, outdoor projects, paper, and fabric. Mod Podge washes out, is dishwasher safeand safe for Kids to use too!
It’s America’s number one decoupage medium for good reason! Mod Podge makes crafting easy and so much fun!
Then, I painted a coat of Sparkle Mod Podge over the top of everything to seal it and give it an extra bit of sparkle for a fun Christmas-y look. A thin coat will do.
After drying, it looked like this. Then, I hot glued a piece of ribbon to the back of the wood.
Then to finish it off, I printed out a 2015 label on my computer, glued it in the hardware piece, and screwed the hardware to my frame. That’s it!
My kids couldn’t stop picking it up and staring. 🙂 Now we’re on the countdown until we put our tree up! Oh how I love this time of year!
I’m so excited to continue this new tradition of making a handmade ornament before Christmas.
Do you have a favorite ornament that you put on your tree every year? I’d love to hear in the comments section below!
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