Six EASY Ideas to Help Start Your Family Tradition!!

Creating family traditions can be simple and effortless - don't get stressed trying to create an elaborate plan.  Remember the point  is to bring the family together for some quality time. 

Here are some simple ideas to create your own family traditions that will be easy to continue year after year.

1. Drive through area light displays together.  Tune in some Christmas carols on the radio and you are ready to be fascinated by the twinkling displays.
2. Make Dough Ornaments with the Family - Check out my EASY Dough  Ornament Recipe!  
3. Movie night!  Watch your favorite holiday flick together...whether it's Miracle on 34th Street or A Christmas Story it will be something to share with each generation.
4. Hand print an item with every family member. Choose a cloth laundry or grocery bag or table cloth and have each person put there hand print on it. One can be made for each member of the family and added to as it expands.
5. Family Pot Luck.  You can choose an overall theme that everyone can bring an appropriate dish or have everyone bring a course.  Have everyone email you the recipes in advance and you can put together a booklet for each guest attending.
   
6. Have an annual ornament exchange.  Each person can draw a name and get an ornament for that family member.  You can incorporate themes or other ideas to spice it up from year to year.

These are just some ideas for you to share with your loved ones.  Traditions that can be created so easily and can last a lifetime!  

Happy crafting and I hope these ideas help!  Since my first craft show in 1981, customers here at home and from around the United States continue to add to their collections and to buy these personalized gifts for family and friends.

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Phone: (573) 893-3272
info@ornamentsforkeeps.com

Chalk Painting 101

     By now I'm sure you've seen an old piece of furniture that has been beautifully repurposed and painted using chalk paint. Curious about this? Well we were, so we found an Annie Sloan chalk painting workshop through our local Southbank Gift Company.
     Annie Sloan developed this unique paint that can be beautifully done in several techniques but the item you're painting does not have to be primed or sanded and is easy to use and quick to dry, and it's super durable. She called it chalk paint, which is her patented name, because of it's velvety ultra matte finish.

   Before taking this workshop, I have to say I had my doubts about how different this paint could really be compared to your typical latex...wow, was I shocked! We were taught 5 different techniques using pieces of plain wood trim. We did everything from a normal one color all over finish, to layering multiple colors, different brush strokes, sanding to get the distressed look and learning to use the wax that gives it the perfect finish. There are 33 colors to choose from and all the colors can be specially combined to practically any shade you can imagine. So much fun to finally learn about this!

     If you have an old piece that you've thought about painting or want to go thrift shopping to acquire that perfect piece, I would highly recommend finding Annie Sloan chalk paint in your area. This stuff is amazing!








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Lovin' From Our Wonderful Customers!

Here's a few of the nice notes that we've been receiving from our wonderful customers...LOVE hearing from you!
• Just wanted you to know I did receive my two ornaments today. Your writing is beautiful, they turned out even nicer than expected. Such a nice keepsake!
• My ornaments arrived today, I LOVE them! Thank you so much!
• I just wanted to thank you for the lovely ornaments and prompt shipping.
• All of my ornaments are so beautiful and my friends and family loved them!! Thank you! I will definitely be ordering more!
• My ornaments came in today! They are beautiful! Thank you so much!
• Amazing quality! Always brings more beauty and personalization to our Christmas tree. Treasures that will last a lifetime!
• Wonderful customer service and as a business owner myself, I hope to get what I myself give as customer service and I did!! And the products? BEYOND AWESOME! I asked for some custom stuff and they did a great job! I have found my ornament place from now on and couldn't be more thrilled!! Thank you! You have a customer for life!
• This will forever be our family ornament store! Everything is spot on and you can tell they take pride in their work. Can't wait to see our collection grow year by year!
• Just got my order, the ornaments are even better than they look online!

We LOVE our customers and strive to bring you the best products and customer service around! Happy Holidays!

"MAKING MEMORIES ONE ORNAMENT AT A TIME"

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Vacation Memories

By now you know it’s not a secret that I love ornaments! I love them so much that I want to keep them out all year, not just at Christmas time. A great way to do this is by incorporating them into every other area of my life, like my recent trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (yes, be jealous! It was an average of 82 degrees there every dayJ). 

I found these empty black memory trays at Hobby Lobby just the other week. I bought three because this annual trip is always taken with some of my best friends and I wanted them to have one also. Of course, all of the other supplies like the scrapbook paper, ribbon and stickers came from there, all at 50% off because no one should ever pay retail at Hobby Lobby.

My husband is an avid scuba diver so this year I was excited to start carrying scuba diver ornaments in the Ornaments for Keeps collection which I definitely wanted to use in the tray. I personalized it with his name, year and Dominican Republic, and added a picture of him in all of his gear. I chose the colors turquoise and orange because it felt tropical and will also match at my lake house.

After I had my pictures and paper placed the way I wanted, I started on the fun part, the embellishments! This is just a trial and error process that can take some time but can also make the entire project.

I brought back a star fish magnet that has Punta Cana on it I wanted to use also. I had the buttons and mini clothespins at my house but I’m sure those came from Hobby Lobby too.  Look around your house, you can find these tiny treasures everywhere! It took me a couple of days of looking at it and making small changes but I am so happy with the way it turned out!! We made such great memories and now I can be reminded of that all year!

Remember each occasion you have this year, whether it be a wedding, new baby, baptism, etc. and order your personalized ornament from Ornaments for Keeps. “Making memories one ornament at a time.”

 

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Passing Down My Passion for Christmas

My daughter, Kimberly, joined me in my personalized ornament business 3 years ago. This is the mompreneur business I started right after she was born so I could be a stay-at-home mom. I am so proud that she has designed her first ornament in 2014 that was picked up by the company that I design for to be sold in stores and catalogs around the world.

It is a whimsical, happy snowman popping out of a Christmas package. The package was embossed in red with the addition of the Christmas green bow along with the lime green scarf and mittens. This ornament will be a delight for anyone who receives one. Personalize with their name and date and you've made a memory!

 

 



Kim was born on Christmas Day, which is fitting that she was made to be in the business of Christmas. Early on she was coloring, painting and playing with playdough all through the day. She would get her playdough along with her own cookie sheet and make her ornaments just like me...this was soooo cute!

 

 

A picture of Kim and her sister, Kayla, making ornaments a very long time ago!

 

 

It is truly a dream that I can work with my daughter and pass the creative trade on to her. We are both dedicated to "making memories one ornament at a time!"

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Steppin' Up Style

How cute did these stairs turn out? After what seemed like an eternity turning the dungeon we used to work in into a creator’s dream, came the fun part of putting our personal touches on the décor.

 

I knew the stairs needed something but the big question was what? I came across this black and white pattern that I just fell in love with and it just so happened that this was on wrapping paper…could it work?





 

I cut the size I needed for a couple of the spaces and used scotch tape to put them in place so that I could see how it looked without the commitment. Was it too much is what I worried about at first, this seemed a little out of my element. After a few days and a few opinions I decided this was it!

 

I continued to cut the rest of the pieces to cover each stair and this time instead of tape I used spray adhesive and once applied smoothed out all of the wrinkles. To give it a final seal so the paper did not tear I used a matte mod podge and covered the full area of the paper.

 



After this completely dried it was instant love! What do you think…would you try this? Stay tuned to see what other fantastic ideas we came up with!





 

 

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                                                Phone: (573) 893-3272

 

                                                www.ornamentsforkeeps.com

 





 

 

 

Create Special Keepsakes with Personalized Ornaments

Every family has family traditions - why not pair those with a treasured keepsake?  We have a wide variety of Personalized Christmas ornaments that are sure to fit just about any of your loved ones!!

There are several different ways you can personalize ornaments to have special meaning.  You can choose an ornament that's associated with a hobby or interest or one that shows the growth of a family over the years.  The options are endless!!  

Here are some different ways you can create cherished mementos for your loved ones.

• Use the year in the ornament to chronicle the growth of your family over the years.  
• Pick a theme for different family members that will span over a few years.  This can be sports, hobbies, aging for a baby, etc.
  
• Chronicle milestones in your family.  The birth of a child, a wedding or anniversary, and so on.
• Pick a character or set of characters to create a specific collection over a few years.  Reindeer, snowmen, angels are all options.  Or you could look at a cast from a favorite TV show or cartoon series.

These are just a few ideas of how to create lasting memories for all to enjoy for many years.  

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How To Make An Easter Family Ornament Tree

What a cute, fun and easy Easter ornament tree to make! It has made a great centerpiece for my Easter holiday table. I am excited to share this with you...so let's get started!!

I used a tall, round clear vase (recycled from some flowers I received) and filled half full with clear marbles from Hobby Lobby. I tied a green with white polka dot ribbon around the vase and made a big bow. I added a clear jeweled brad to the center of the bow to give it that classy touch. I purchased five green flower branches from Hobby Lobby (when they were 50% off) and snipped off the bottoms as needed. I arranged them in the vase so it was full and I had plenty of room to tie the ornaments on.

Next I made the photo ornaments. I chose to put my children and grandchildren on my tree.

Supplies needed:

2 1/2 x 3 inches rectangle wood pieces (I found mine at Hobby Lobby)
Pretty spring scrapbook paper
Embellishments such as stones, brads, buttons and ribbon
Small photos of your family
ModPodge
Adhesive
Scissors
A drill to drill holes through the top of the wood pieces

First, I painted the edges of the wood rectangles with white paint. Then I cut out the photos and the paper. I layered each wood piece and paper, positioning the photos until I was happy. I used the adhesive to glue together. I embellished each one to make them fun and whimsical. I drilled a small hole in the top and added a thin coat of matte ModPodge to the top for a finished look. After drying, I added a ribbon for hanging.

I hung each picture ornament on the tree and then added some small glitter Easter eggs (in the seasonal section at Hobby Lobby) to complete the tree. What a cute classy decoration this makes for Easter.

My grandchildren love to visit and see their picture hanging on our tree. It gives me a chance to talk to them about Easter and why we celebrate this holiday...not just for the Easter Bunny, colored eggs and candy but because Jesus died on the cross for us, arose to Heaven and if we believe we will meet Jesus in Heaven someday.

Do you have any favorite decorating ideas or holiday traditions for Easter? We would love to see or hear your ideas.

Happy Crafting and Happy Easter!!

Linda is the author of this post. Wanna know more about the doughlady? Click here:)