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Butterfly Chrismon
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Here's what we did...
Before you begin you will need to visit the What you will need... page for information on the materials. To get templates to trace, I have suggestions for ornaments on the Christian Symbols page. (I wouldn't put to much faith in my definitions of the symbols because I didn't do any serious research on them outside of looking on the internet.) You have my permission to use these to make your ornaments but they are copyrighted and should not be reprinted or displayed on another web site or other publication. Or you can draw your own. You can see pictures of some of our finished Chrismons and our tree at the bottom of this page
If your computer is running a "Windows" system, you can print these by opening them in the Microsoft "Paint" program (usually under "accessories" in your program menu). Click on the image that you want to print. A printable size of the image will be displayed. Save this image as a file on your hard drive. Open Microsoft Paint. Then open the image file you saved. The templates are done in a fairly large size, so you will probably have to adjust the size to what you want. Consider how big your tree is and how large your sanctuary is. Go to the image tab and use stretch and skew and make sure both numbers are set at the same percentage.
Use page setup and or print preview to see how they sit on the page and to judge the size.
You can also use page setup to make it print landscape if it will fit better.
Once you have each one the size you want you can print it. I suggest printing them on cardstock especially if you are having young people helping you. Then cut them out carefully.
Using a fabric marker with ink that will fade away in a day or so, trace the design onto the white fun felt and then cut it out.
You should cut these out as you go because if you don't cut them out right away and come back to them later, you will find yourself retracing them because the ink really does...fade away. Cut them out carefully with a good sharp scissors.
You can use the fabric marker to draw the interior details before using glitter glue but if you are not applying the glitter right away wait until you are. You might punch holes in the templates to mark a few of the inside designs but here is a place you can let people get creative and make up there own designs. Now, take the glitter glue and fill in the details of the design and outline the edges. Be careful you don't get stray glitter from your work surface smeared on the back side of the ornament. It's best to do the insides first.
 
You can also add iridescent paint on some areas. Letting the glitter glue dry a bit is probalby a good idea. Then set these out to dry thoroughly on sheets of plastic wrap. Make sure they are lying completely flat.
Once they are dry, repeat the design on the opposite side and let dry again. The light will shine through the ornament so the back should be decorated in about the same way as the front.
Next you will brush on mod podge to cover the entire surface front and back. It is best to do this in two steps waiting for each side to dry but if you lack the time, it is possible to let the wet side lay on the plastic wrap. I did have a few odd smooth areas on mine from doing this. Again it is crucial that they be laid out flat.
After they are thoroughly dry use a fat threaded needle and carefully punch a hole in each ornament, leaving a thread about 8 to 12 inches long. I used a piece of thread a couple of yards long so I didn't have to keep threading the needle each time. Tie a knot to make a loop to hang your ornament. Be conscious of where you put the hole and how it will balance when it is hanging.
And that’s it. A few of the ornaments were a bit different such as the Clam & Drops (looped string around edge of drops) and the Earth (of which I left details off of the back side).
We made at least two of every symbol, but I suggest at least three if you want to decorate an average size tree because ours is a bit bare on the back side.Try decorating a box or buying a christmas gift box to use for storing them. This makes a great prop for services where the children come up and hang the ornaments. Once you hang the ornaments you can leave the box under the tree all season as a decoration. When storing your ornaments make sure they are stacked so that they are relatively flat.
Below: Our finished tree and a few close ups of our Chrismons.
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