Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with ornaments

How do I transform cookies into lasting Christmas tree ornaments?

film — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 14:13:03 -0800

How do I turn my gingerbread man cookies into long-lasting Christmas tree ornaments? My brother and I decorated our gingerbread man cookies with royal icing glaze, and they turned out so awesome, that we want to turn them into permanent tree ornaments for next year. Does anyone have any idea how to coat them and make them more sturdy that we can keep them for use for next year?

I am thinking shellac or resin, but seeing if anyone has experience already doing so.

Thank you!

Future 15 month old wants something dangling that won't kill her

shortyJBot — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 17:35:49 -0800

Please help to give me ideas for safe Christmas ornaments/baby toys to hang on a tree for a 15 month old, that (individually) aren't too expensive. My sister has just one request for her new daughter for Christmas: ornaments that she can play with next Christmas, when she will be 15 months old.

They are overwhelmed with toys and books and clothes and baby things for her to use now through her first year of life, so I'd like to honor her request instead of adding to the baby pile.

I've only looked at Target so far, but the ornaments are all for ages 3+, and the baby toys would look odd on a tree and are kind of expensive for that sort of thing.

Can you help me think of ideas for baby toys that I can buy or make that would look pretty on a tree and that would be suitable for a 15 month old?

Un-Christmas Ornaments

coolguymichael — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:41:06 -0800

I'm looking for some cool, non-Christmas-y ornaments for a Christmas tree. Any specific suggestions for where I could find some or what to include? Inspired by this blog entry (specifically the octopus, which is a little pricey) I'd like to find ornaments that couldn't possibly be construed as Christmas-oriented.

(I know I could cover the tree in Halloween decorations, but that seems too limiting -- although little voodoo dolls would be great!)

Oh, Christmas Tree or Seasonally Appropriate Alternative...

pointystick — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:17:30 -0800

I want to show off my Christmas ornaments. I have a curious cat. Please help me brainstorm solutions! (details & constraints inside) I have a good sized collection of Christmas ornaments. They are mostly sparkly, bright, and cheerful and some are collected from my travels so displaying them is important to me. I also have a cat. PointyCat loves Christmas trees, both real & artificial. He will climb either type to attempt to nestle in the branches. He likes to bat at ornaments. This is not optimal. Keeping ornaments higher on the tree doesn't totally solve the problem.

However, I am not married to the idea of a tree. Obviously, I would like an ornament display solution to be not incredibly difficult or expensive ( <$100US is ideal for a temporary solution, a bit more if the solution can be multi-seasonal). Garlands, shelves, alternate hanging things that aren't fir tree analogues, ways to keep cat away (he doesn't seem to dislike bitter apple or be deterred aluminum foil), etc - I am eager for suggestions!

Possibly relevant details about my place:
- Tree will have to be in living room area; keeping cat out of there not feasible with my apartment layout.
- Most of my furniture can be moved but for something that stands on the floor, narrower is better than very wide. My Xmas trees are normally on the slimmer side of normal
-My ceilings are 11 ft so tall is great
- I have a blank wall, maybe 8 ft long, that may be useful. Other walls have windows or doors
- Walls are old fashioned plaster. I am allowed to hang things on walls
-With advice, I could explore hanging from ceiling maybe though am inexperienced there
-IKEA, big US box stores, Container Store, hardware stores all nearby.
-Scent of tree not important to me nor is being traditional/religious.

Home-made Christmas tree ornament post title goes here

A Terrible Llama — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 04:15:22 -0800

How do you make Christmas tree ornaments out of homemade Play-Doh? Looking for actual recipes you've used -- I get a little overwhelmed Googling this. I have a toddler who needs to be entertained this afternoon. Also I need to be entertained this afternoon.

We're making them for next year, although given the way 2011 is going we may just leave the tree up and use it again next Christmas.

Love these ornaments...want to display them!

Melismata — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 09:37:06 -0800

Help me display these ornaments and these ornaments. I love all these ornaments, and want to display them. For the first set, I was thinking of some kind of spider thingy to put on my piano, but am not sure where to look. For the second set, I have no idea (they're Xmas related, so they could be brought out once a year). Thank you!

Save my ornaments from getting smashy

pised — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:54:58 -0800

How can I protect vintage glass Christmas ornaments? I have a couple of old, very beautiful and very delicate ornaments that I love and want to preserve. (They're the last two still intact of probably a dozen or so from my mom's childhood.) I'm pretty sure they're glass because I remember some of those dozen shattering after falling off the Christmas tree. Is there anything I can do that will make them stronger and less prone to breakage and won't destroy the paint still on them?

She's crafty. But not really.

A Terrible Llama — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 06:37:35 -0800

Will clear finish/gloss still work in the cold? I want to spray a bunch of handmade Christmas ornaments with a finish to protect them (it's acrylic on wood) and I have a can of "Design Master Clear Finish Gloss" which comes with a series of warnings on the can about how toxic it is and how in the case of overexposure, it can cause "cardiac sensitization" and other fun things.

I'm thinking I'd rather not inhale it, but it's cold outside (there's snow on the ground) and it says to use it in 70 degree or higher weather.

What do I do? I can do it in the basement, but a) it's the world's creepiest basement and b) I'm concerned that the fumes will just come through the vents and floor anyway.

I'd like to just use it in the garage, but what will happen? Does the instruction to use it in warmer temperatures mean it will just take longer to dry in the cold, or should I spray them out there and then bring them in to dry after spraying, or does this mean that in either case the finish won't preserve it as well or will crack or something and I should finish my Christmas tree ornaments in June?

It's supposed to take three minutes to dry, and you're supposed to do multiple coats.

I'm not very crafty and I've never done this before.

Antique Ornaments in NYC?

toftflin — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:12:35 -0800

Help me repay a gift of 23 chromosomes: Is there a store in New York City that sells antique Christmas ornaments? My mother vaguely recalls hearing/reading of store in New York City that sells antique Christmas tree ornaments.

Does this ring a bell for anyone?

I am perfectly aware that antique ornaments could be bought on e-bay (or possibly e-ornaments.com if it exists) but this is specifically about stores in NYC.

And Original Series Star Trek Hallmark ornaments don't count as antiques. Yet.

I'm attracted to shiny things

revan — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:46:44 -0800

Last year I was in Strasbourg and was lucky enough to visit the Christmas Markets. I was amazed by the variety of Christmas ornaments, I've never seen anything like this in the US. That's the problem. I bought a few small ornaments, but would like to buy more. Does anyone know where online I can find these?

help me tame my feral hair!

lonefrontranger — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 19:37:49 -0800

I need hairbands, and hopefully barrettes to help tame the wild animal attacking my head. I googled and searched ask for prior answers and nothing really clicked for me, so I'll try to be specific. I need cute, pretty, stylish ponytail holders and/or clips that WORK, period. They have to have enough volume for some seriously thick hair, and they have to have some 'grab' cos it's slippery, too.

I have some hair bands but i really don't care much for the alice-in-wonderland look (for me) plus my hair is a little aggro for them too (they slip off easily). I much prefer the single clip / ponytail idea, except that i have not yet found a clip with the volume to hold this mess. it slips/springs out and frizzes all over the place and breaks ponytail holders. scrunchies slip off immediately.

I have some seriously thick hair, like, i measured the volume with a piece of string and the diameter is 1 3/8" give or take a sixteenth. Add to that the texture is... well the closest thing i can think of is a horse's mane. it's thick, springy, SLIPPERY and full of cowlicks... meaning it's not curly, but not straight either. it patently REFUSES to hold a braid, i don't care what products you use or how tight you yank it, and a braid pulling at my temples gives me a headache anyhow.

the benefit is that when it's down, it's a glorious, glossy, thick, shiny, full-of-body mane of porn-star hair. GREAT for going out, and the dude loooves it. so i'm not going to cut it. the challenge is that i need to keep it back at work (it gets everywhere and drives me nuts when i have to have my head down writing or whatever).

so, help point me towards some stylish, snazzy hair clips, ponytail holders and accessories that can stand up and latch onto my ornery-assed hair.

How to make stuff in ferrocement.

the cuban — Sun, 21 May 2006 03:57:25 -0800

How do I get started in constructing ferrocement sculptures? I'm interested in experiences, online resources, step by step tutorials, handy hints and the like.

Information on each stage of the process from constructing the armature to finishing the surface is what i'm after.

Pagan Christmas tree ornaments?

agropyron — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 19:17:51 -0800

Ahh, Christmas time. MeFites are a bunch of blasphemous heathens, so I'm hoping you can suggest some interesting pagan Christmas ornaments. Also interested in cool pagan wall hangings. I'm seeing a lot of pendants with pagan symbols, but they tend to be heavy and kind of small, so not really ideal Christmas tree ornaments. If you know of anything that might be more appropriate, in a similar vein, please suggest it. We especially need a tree topper that's not an angel.

I'm also interested in cool wall hangings with a pagan bent, or similar. I'm not pagan myself, but I've always liked the imagery. This one looks pretty cool.