DIY Keepsake: Clara’s First Christmas Ornament
When we confessed to putting up our Christmas tree before Thanksgiving a while back, a lot of readers asked whether Clara would get a special “First Christmas” ornament. We finally made one just before moving boxes took over the house—then got so busy packing that this post didn’t get written until after the tree came down. Better late than never.
We wanted an ornament that would be timeless and match our tree year after year, so we chose a silver finish to coordinate with the many silver ornaments we already own. To keep it personal and unmistakably about Clara, we decided to use her baby silhouette as the focal point. At the craft store we picked up a plain white ceramic ball ornament and some silver acrylic paint, plus we bought a second ornament as a backup. Small projects are cheap and mistakes happen, so having a spare was smart.
Our plan was simple: create a shiny silver background on the ceramic ball, then Mod Podge a scaled-down paper silhouette of Clara onto it. We already had a digital file of her silhouette from a previous project, so we resized and printed it, then carefully cut the silhouette out with a pair of scissors. (For the record: those are the haircutting scissors Sherry bought at CVS years ago. They’ve been used for everything from trimming hair to paper cuts—versatile and reliable.)
When we painted the first ornament with acrylic paint, the finish looked streaky. On the backup, we tried a metallic silver Sharpie from our junk drawer, and that produced a much smoother, more consistent metallic sheen after two coats. The acrylic paint on the first ornament later peeled off in a puffy-paint-like blob, so the key takeaway is that metallic Sharpie adheres to glossy ceramic far better than acrylic that can lift and peel. If you try this at home, test the surface and favor a marker-based metallic for a clean, long-lasting finish.
After applying two coats of silver Sharpie to both sides of the ornament so it resembled a shiny coin, we centered Clara’s cutout silhouette on one side and secured it with a thin layer of tacky glue, being careful to avoid excess squeeze-out onto the silver. Once the glue had dried, we sealed the paper silhouette with a few thin, even coats of Mod Podge. This protected the paper and created a subtle, slightly glossy finish that feels durable. The finished ornament had a simple, handcrafted charm—especially satisfying given that the materials cost under $2.50.
On the back we wrote “Clara’s 1st Christmas, 2010” in small handwriting with a black Sharpie for a personal touch and to preserve the date. Because we’d bought a second ornament, we also experimented with a second design—a tiny handprint motif. We traced Clara’s hand on paper, cut that out to make a stencil, then traced and filled the hand shape on the ornament with silver Sharpie. Her little hand fit perfectly and the handprint version became an equally sweet keepsake. It’s a lovely way to capture how small a child once was, even if future years would require larger ornaments to fit a grown child’s hand.
Both ornaments represented Clara’s first Christmas on our tree—one with her silhouette and one with her handprint—at least for a few days before everything went into moving boxes. We hope to display them again in the new house when we do some quick and simple holiday decorating there. They’re easy, inexpensive, and meaningful DIY Christmas projects that make lovely keepsakes or gifts.
If you try this DIY keepsake, here are a few quick tips: choose a glossy ceramic ornament so metallic markers adhere well; test marker coats on a backup ornament first; use tacky glue sparingly and seal paper elements with thin coats of Mod Podge; and write dates on the back to preserve the memory. Have you made ornaments like these—silhouette, handprint, or baby-sock style? We considered stuffing a pink baby sock into a clear ornament as a third idea, but decided it was a little odd. Still, creative variations are welcome—tasteful choices can make for memorable, personal ornaments.
Update: We’ve made several other DIY ornaments in the past and enjoy keeping small, sentimental holiday decorations that are inexpensive and full of memory.