Remembering Vacation

Summer has come to a close and we get to start looking and thinking about Fall and the holidays. 
As the hot summer months become a distant memory, wouldn't you like to remember that special vacation? What fun to find just the right personalized ornament to adorn the Christmas tree that reminds you of when you were warm. 
It is a wonderful tradition to start and add to yearly. These become meaningful keepsakes that when you pull them out each year and hang them on the tree you have those wonderful memories.
Check out our complete selection in the Travel and Vacation category. 

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Spring Swag

     I've been wanting some new spring swag for my front door and after perusing through Pinterest I realized I do not have the floral arrangement gift nor did I want to pay the steep price for some flowers tied together with a zip-tie, so Hobby Lobby is where I ended up with a little inspiration from my sister. 
     I won't bore you with the long winded blah blah blah of how I did this, it's pretty self explanatory. What the best part is, with all of the Hobby Lobby sales and the 40% off coupon I got it all for a grand total of $14!

Painting the base...

I may have wasted a little tape but this insured my spacing was exact, and took a lot less time.

Painting the top layer...

Ta Da!

The burlap bow I bought already made and the flower, just snip the stem off and hot glue to the bow. The good thing about this is it'll be super easy to re-paint and change out the color of the flower to roll with the changing of the seasons.

My life motto..."Ballin' on a Budget":)

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The History of Salt Dough Ornaments

The art of the salt dough making is an ancient one, dating back to Egyptian times. In Europe, mainly Germany, this craft became very popular. The art was used widely in home decoration, especially at festive times, much like today.

When immigrants started moving to the United States from Germany, a common place they located to was Pennsylvania. They were known as the Pennsylvania Dutch and created ornaments out of salt dough, wood, glass, fabric, metal and many other materials.

In the late 1970's personalized salt dough ornaments became sought after across the country. 1981 was the year I started my venture making salt dough ornaments but at this time the ornaments had a more primitive look. Here are a few of my first creations. Quite different, right?!

In the beginning, I sealed the ornaments with polyurethane which eventually yellowed over time. Later in the 80's I switched to an epoxy finish. It is a hardener and resin mixed together and gives them a clear, high gloss shine and discoloration is minimal.

Over the years products and methods have greatly improved turning this craft into beautiful pieces of art. We are constantly developing new, modern designs to keep up with the trending times. 

I've included the recipe for the dough so you too can try your hand at making your very own ornaments to treasure!

Salt Dough Recipe:

1C. Flour
1/4C. Salt
1/2C. Warm Water

Instructions:

1. Add salt and flour to bowl, gradually add warm water.
2. Mix together until dough forms. If it is sticky, roll in some loose flour and kneed.
3. Roll onto cutting board and use cookie cutters to form desired shapes.
4. Bake at 220 degree for 5 hours or until hard.
5. Paint and decorate with acrylic paints and glitter.
6 Spray with a clear sealer to protect.

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Ornaments in the Carribean

I recently visited the island of Curacao on vacation. It is a Dutch colony with unique and unusual culture. The water was turquoise and the sun was warm! On one of our island adventures we went into Willemstad to do a little shopping. The buildings of old architecture are beautiful. They were painted in vibrant colors...blue, turquoise, green, yellow and orange...amazing! They have a wonderful shopping district. 

We went into two stores and I was shocked to find many of my ornaments! It was so surprising but really neat. Always remember a personalized ornament is the perfect way to have a memory of your vacation or each life event. Check us out online at ornamentsforkeeps.com to see the entire line.

As I return and settle back into the cold, I will start designing and making our new collection of bread dough ornaments for Christmas 2018. We will keep you updated! Happy February!

Christmas is only 315 days away!

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Go MU! Start this Season Off The RIGHT Way!

College football has started! Wooooo! Ornaments for Keeps is ready to cheer on the Missouri Tigers this year. MU Football games can be so fun to go to! There’s the tailgating before with all the delicious treats and fun times with family and friends, the cheering on your favorite team as they go for the big victory, and even celebrating the big WIN afterward. So many great memories are made at these games and you should commemorate those memories! What better way to do that than with a personalized MU Christmas ornament? In this blog, our ornament shop would like to explain how important it is to commemorate the precious MU football memories with your child, how you can do so, and showcase a few of our MU ornaments!

The Importance of Commemorating the MU Football Season with Your Child

Your child's first MU game is a once in a lifetime experience, you don't get that time back as they get older, so remember it! Your child will be thankful you took the time to take pictures and EVEN gift them with their very own personalized MU ornament. When they grow up, they will be able to hang it on their very own tree and remember the great times they had with you. They will also be able to start their own Christmas tree traditions with their family.

Multi Use

Not only do these MU ornaments go great on your tree but they all can go well in many places throughout your home, such as:

• On a Christmas reef
• As a center piece on your table
• Hanging on your refrigerator from hooks
• In your kid’s room
• In a nice glass container as a nice sports home decor piece.
• Around your doorknob as a nice, door knob hanger.

Throw A Sports Party

With it being MU football season, you can throw the BEST sports party ever. Show off your sports decorations by highlighting them with some personalized MU Christmas ornaments. Maybe you’re hosting a viewing party, or your son just won his first football game and you want to celebrate. The possibilities are endless. It's the gift that keeps on giving!

Ready to Make Memories with Personalized Christmas Ornaments?

Personalized Christmas ornaments create special memories for your family. No matter what is going on in your family right now, whether it be a new baby, sporting event, or wedding, we can customize a Christmas ornament for every situation. Christmas ornaments can become a very special keepsake. Make your own Christmas tradition! Each year as our family decorates our Christmas tree, the personalized family ornaments we hang bring smiles and reflection. When our children grew up and left home, we gave them their personalized ornaments to start their very own family Christmas tree traditions! We want to bring that same happiness to other families! To browse our personalized Christmas tree ornaments, view our website.

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A Very Special Confirmation

     Our family had such a special day on Sunday...my Goddaughter was confirmed into the Lutheran faith! Confirmation is the public profession of faith prepared for by long and careful instruction. The goal is always to provide a significant base for a growing faith and to continue the things learned and put ones faith into practice.
      To celebrate we had a big family dinner after church. Channing was showered with gifts and love! Of course my mom turned up with an adorable package. Adorning the envelope tied with beautiful ribbon was one of our children's cross ornaments, hand personalized with her name and confirmation date. What made this unique was on the back. The bible verse that Channing chose was John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." The verse was wrote on the back so that she will always remember the scripture that was most important to her at this time.

     This just goes to show that there are so many wonderful ways to use personalized ornaments as keepsakes to remember all life's special occasions. Want creative ideas on how to use personalized ornaments for all your life events like baby showers, bridal gifts, or even something like a Thank-you gift...contact us, we're here to help!

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The month of LOVE!

February is the month of LOVE! Although Valentine's Day only comes once a year there's never a bad time to tell the one you're with how much you love them.
    Some may view this holiday as being commercialized by card, candy, and flower companies to do nothing more than sell products, however, if you're that true romantic it can be so much more than that. Bigger is not always better.
     This day does not have to be all about spending, as some will say, sometimes it's all about the small things. Leave a love note and their favorite candy, make a romantic candlelit dinner at home, or maybe something as simple as taking a walk around the park.
     Then there's the other end of the spectrum with the gift of jewelry, roses and fine dining. If you're looking for something extra unique ,Ornaments for Keeps has a great idea...a personalized couple ornament. This is a gift that will be brought out year after year to remind that special someone just how much you love them. Whichever you may chose, make the most out of this special day!

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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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The Tradition of a Christmas Ornament a Year

     Our family has A LOT of personalized ornaments on our tree, each with their own story and memory. It only took one to start the trend. There are the pine cones my sister and I found in the yard and drug inside to cover with glitter (making an absolute horrid mess), the Angels made from dry noodles that we made in Bible school and of course, the personalized ornaments we got each year to highlight the activities and interests like volleyball and ice skating all the way up to graduation. Ornaments will quickly become a treasured part of your holiday tradition.
     Once your children have left the nest and have their own first Christmas tree, give them their collection of ornaments accumulated through the years so that they can bring them out every Christmas to cherish their childhood memories. Once their life takes direction they'll be able to keep the tradition alive by adding new ornaments for each milestone throughout their life and maybe one day, they'll be starting a tradition for a little one of their own.
     The different types of ornaments are endless just make sure the meaning behind it can be adored forever!


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Phone: (573) 893-3272

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