Almond Ornaments

Last year things got a little nutty 'round here. I had what I could only describe as a Jesus-Of-The-Burned-Toast moment. I stared squarely into a bowl of nuts and thought, these almonds look like angels. Out came the glue gun and viola, the Nutty Angels were born! These lil angels have held up perfectly from last year's revelation and look quite lovely on the tree! And though these angels have withstood the test of time, I knew I wanted to expand upon this nutty ornament family.

This year we created Almond Poinsettias, Almond Holly leaves and a few Nutty Angels with brightly colored heads! These guys are really quite fun and SUPER easy to make! The materials list is short and the execution is open to all sorts of design fun. Do a single layer of poinsettia leaves, add a layer or two, add yellow beads or naturals ones such as these...perhaps rainbow colored Poinsettias are in your future? Use that birth given artistic license and own that Christmas tree like only you know how.

Gather:

*Almonds in shells

*Wooden beads (varying sizes)

*Twine

*Hot glue/gun

*Paint

Create:

For the Holly leaves:

1. Glue two almonds together.

2. Paint green.

3. Add red beads for the berries.

Hang on the tree OR use as a decorative (and reusable!) piece for wrapping packages!

For this package we used Darn Good Yarn! It's really well made yarn with absolutely fabulous colors! We've gotten the pom pom yarn and yarn made of recycled saris. We love the recycled aspect of the yarn and think the company is rad. Have you tried it?

Head over to the Darn Good yarn site! Receive 15% off your order with this discount code: BRAINY_BEGINNINGS_15

YAY!

For the Poinsettias:

1. Use a large wooden bead for the center. Glue one almond to it. Continue working around the bead, gluing almonds on until you have the bead covered.

5. Cut a 4 inch piece of twine. Tie a knot in one end. Glue it to the back of the Poinsettia.

2. Add more layers above or below your original layer, depending on the effect you are going for.

3. Paint the Poinsettias.

4. Glue desired wooden bead to the center.

5. Cut a 4 inch piece of twine. Tie a knot in one end. Glue it to the back of the Poinsettia.

6. Hang on the tree!

Enjoy from a comfy chair, with spiked hot cocoa, tea or water. Add a hug from your favorite person. Happy Holidays from us to you.

Also check out these Dehydrated Orange Ornaments!