{Hot Glue Snowflake Ornament}

Last year, I had the pleasure of guest posting at Under the Table and Dreaming for Stephanie Lynn's Handmade Ornament Series.  I didn't have time to post the tutorial here on my blog before Christmas last year, so I saved it for this year.

Supplies:

• Glue Sticks
• Hot Glue Gun
• Wax Paper
• Dish Detergent
• Ornament Template
• Glitter (My FAVORITE supply!)
• Mod Podge
• Small Paint Brush
• String or Wire

Step One:

Google an image you would like to use for your ornament.  An image with simple lines that all connect works best.  I googled snowflake images and found a nice one to use.  Print your image the size you want your ornament to be.  (Make sure you don't print a tiny image because you will end up with a blob of hot glue that will look nothing like an ornament.)  Get your glue gun, glue sticks, and wax paper ready.

Step Two:

Place a sheet of wax paper over your ornament template.  Cover the wax paper with dish detergent.  Mix a little water with the detergent to make it spread easily.  Then simply trace your image with hot glue.  I have found that using a continuous stream of glue with even pressure for each line works best. (NOTE: Commenters on the original post said that they tried this ornament using parchment paper instead of wax paper, and they didn't have to use the dish detergent.  I've never tried it, but it could work.)  This is what it will look like when finished.

Step Three:

When the ornament is dry, peel it from the wax paper.  If some of the paper sticks to the back, just run the ornament under cold water and peel off the excess paper.  This will make the ornament really firm and help get rid of the excess dish detergent.  If there are any weak places in the ornament, you can always cover those spots with more glue.  I had to do this for my ornament, and that made me decided to make it look more 3D with an extra layer of glue in different spots.  Just be sure to let the second layer of glue dry completely before moving your ornament.

Step Four:

Gather your glitter, Mod Podge, and paint brush.

Cover your ornament with a layer of Mod Podge.

Cover with glitter.

I liked the glitter so much I decided to add another layer of a different type of glitter when the first layer dried.  If you want to do the same, just repeat the steps you followed for the first layer of glitter.

Step Five:

This is the final step!  Add a hanger to your ornament.  I did this by making a loop from some jewelry wire I had sitting around the house.  You could use string also.  Just hot glue a loop of wire or string to the back of your ornament.  Once again, make sure the glue is complete dry before moving your ornament.

With the hanger applied, it's time to admire your hot glue ornament.  Here's my finished snowflake.

Here it is hanging on my tree.

And here is one final view of the little cutie.

The possibilities are endless with this hot glue craft technique.  You can even use it to make 3D letters for craft projects, which I show you how to do {HERE}.  So have fun creating your own ornaments or whatever else you can dream up!  :)