The ornaments are inspired by traditional designs, many crafted by hand for decorating trees in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. From elegant decorations to simple hand-made items from hard times, these crafts become treasured heirlooms passed down to the next generation.
While cheap materials are easy to find and use, many artists prefer using special supplies to finish their creations, such as glass glitter or gift tissue paper mache. No matter what the selection, the outcome is a unique ornament fashioned from the traditions of old.
Glittered Fruit
Millinery fruit, with its glittery surface, was a popular tradition for Christmas trees of old. While many fruit ornaments are real miniature varieties, wax replicas, or modern-day plastic versions, crafters can make their own version from basic supplies found in retail craft stores.
Directions:
- Use a paring knife, toothpicks, glue, and Styrofoam balls to form simple miniature fruits like pears, grape clusters, and apples. Styrofoam is easy to cut and shape with a sharp blade and the fruits can be assembled in halves, using toothpicks and glue to adhere them.
- Paint the outer surface with colored craft paints or add a single layer of newspaper and glue for a paper-mache finish first.
- Cover the painted fruit surface with glue, then sprinkle heavily with clear or glass glitter. Let the fruit dry, then glue a piece of ribbon or cord to the top and loop to hang from the tree.
Tin-Can Icicles
An old-fashioned ornament inspired by hard times and simple patterns, these curly icicles were fashioned by hand for decorating simple trees with whatever craft supplies were on hand. While the original icicles were made from tin cans saved and cut into strips, this modern-day pattern uses leftover scraps of lightweight copper or gold flashing instead.
Directions:
- Trim the metal scraps into long pieces with a consistent width and even ends.
- Use a pair of needle-nose pliers to wind the strips tightly into closely-packed spirals. Still gripping the center with pliers, pull it out slowly, expanding the spiral into a long curly-Q shape.
- As the icicles lengthens, twist the end to tighten the spiral into a funnel-shape, so the loops gradually decrease as it reaches the point, forming a long, pointy-tipped "icicle".
- Use a hammer and nail to punch a hole at the other end of the icicle and thread with a loop for hanging from the tree.
Paper-Mache Candy Cones
A tradition from Victorian times, paper-mache candy holders ranged from whimsical pieces to an elegant Santa Claus shaped with artistic detail. While the originals often resembled modest sculptures, a simple primitive version in the form of a Santa Claus candy cone is easy to make by hand.
Directions:
- Mix flour and water in equal parts to form a liquid paper mache paste; tear newspaper sheets into strips and small pieces.
- Soak the newspaper strips in paste, then begin rolling them to form a long, narrow funnel, twisting the end closed.
- Use fingers to shape the paper mache as more layers and paste are added, keeping the center hollow so it forms a long, empty cone.
- Once the cone is dry, tuck the candy inside. Glue a small Styrofoam ball to the top as a mold for Santa's head, then cover it with the rest of the paper and paste.
- Use small pieces and shape the layers to form small features like a nose, chin, and the curves of a hood.
- Once the paste is dry, paint Santa's face with craft paints, using red paint to cover the cone and his hood. Trim his hood and paint his beard with white paint once the red is dry, then sprinkle with glitter.
Displaying Traditional Ornaments
Use metallic thread or short-width Christmas ribbon glued to icicles, candy cones, fruit, and other items for hanging them. Other artists prefer to use a lightweight Christmas ornament hook instead, pressing it into the Styrofoam fruit or paper-mache with a little extra glue to hold it in place.
From candy-filled cones to metal icicles and glittered fruit, the traditional ornaments of the past are timeless in appearance. Craft a few mementos in honor of generations past, whose simple and elegant hand-made pieces continue to inspire modern-day artists.
Sarah Briggs - For the last two years, I have designed primitive dolls and folk art sculptures (such as Edwin Drood and the Ghost of Marley) for Cordwood ...
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