• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Michele Made Me

One birdie's attempt to figure things out. Oh, and crafts.

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
    • Press
  • Shop
  • Quilts
  • Tutorials
    • Christmas crafts
    • denim
    • fibre
    • home and garden
    • kids
    • miscellaneous
    • paper crafts
    • plastic crafts
    • seasonal crafts
    • sewing
  • Series
    • And Then There Were Tree
    • Candy Wrapper Chain
    • Drop-Dead Denim
    • Feast of The Flower
    • Five Little Things
    • Halve a Circle
    • Junkmail Snowflakes
    • Loving Is Listening
    • Merry Little Christmas Ornament
    • My Tiny Brain Wave
    • Old Towel New
    • Ornament-ED
    • Situation Christmas Ornament-ation
    • The Box Chain
    • The Great Tissue Box Challenge 2010
    • You Guest It
  • Contact

Series 7 – Ornament-ED Finale: Heart House Ornament

November 26, 2011 by Michele

 

I have been feeling some feelings lately. Like, feelings of well-being. Like, spontaneous-breaking-into-song-and-general-wonderfulness-type feelings. I know… It sounds pretty floofy, but I can’t help it. And I can’t explain it either. I do not know where the feelings came from, when they started, nor why they’ve been persisting. Maybe it’s menopause? Or some sort of hormone imbalance? Could that be it? I don’t know… It’s a combination of things I figure. Like the fact that I have such a fine husband… Or the fact that I’ve been graced with three healthy/crazy/amazing offspring maybe?… Or maybe it’s that I’m doing what I love everyday. Whatever it is, I’m feeling darn blessed. In fact, that’s where this little ornament comes in. It was inspired by our home and all those feelings I’ve been feeling. I call it the “Heart House Ornament” and it is the final installment in the Ornament-ED series!
Before I Begin:  I made two versions of this ornament. The first one I made out of a tissue box; the second one I made out of old greeting cards. In my opinion, the greeting cards were about 100 times easier to work with because the cards are quite a bit thinner than the tissue box. Also the finished greeting card ornament is as light as a feather. So, yes, if you’re going to attempt this ornament, don’t think twice. USE GREETING CARDS. 
Tutorial ♥ Heart House Ornament
You will need:
  • Old greeting cards or tissue box (but I strongly recommend old greeting cards)
  • Pair of scissors
  • Exacto knife
  • Craft glue
  • Clothespins (for clamping)
  • Pretty string
  • Two wooden beads (I stole these from The Boy’s stash. Does that make me a bad mom?…)

1. Start with either greeting cards or a tissue box. To give my greeting card ornament a cohesive look, I  chose several muted Christmas cards of similar style and colour (as above).

2. Create your template similar to the one below. I made mine out of a cereal box. Note that the right and left sides of the template MUST BE mirror images of one another.
3. Using your template, trace and cut out twelve identical houses. Fold each house along its center line.
4. Take a house and apply glue to half of the bad side.

 

5. Take a second house and join it to the gluey house, bad sides together. Clamp this pair with a clothespin or two. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the remaining 5 pairs of houses. You now have six pairs of half-glued houses. Now apply glue to the bad side of half a house in a pair and glue two pairs together. Continue glueing pairs together until you have 3 groups of four houses.
6. Now glue all groups of 4 together as before and clamp as shown in photo #6. Allow to dry.
7. Glue the two end houses together to create the completed heart house. Clamp and let dry. Gather your beads and string.
8. Place a bead on your string. Now thread both ends of your string up through the heart house. Once through the top, place a second bead on your string. Tie the ends of the string to make a hanger. Trim the string ends if necessary. Apply glue to the very peak of your house to adhere the upper bead to the house.

Don’t look now, but the cute heart house is complete and ready to hang!

It reminds me of a itsy garden gazebo or merry-go-round, hee hee.
On that note, it is time to bid a fond farewell to this little series… Goodbye sweet series, à la prochaine. I certainly hope you’ve enjoyed my ornamental foray. I’ve got to get to some gift-making now, wouldn’t you say? I best get at it quick!
Have a happy weekend. I’ll be back here on Tuesday.
♥M

Filed Under: Christmas crafts, Christmas crafts, Ornament-ED, paper crafts, paper crafts, reuse, Series, Tutorials Tagged With: Christmas ornament, crafts, diy, greeting card, recycling, tissue box, tutorial

Previous Post: « Michele Made Me: An Ornament Overview
Next Post: Reader Question: How Do You Cut Your Snowflakes? »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Милана says

    November 26, 2011 at 12:30 pm

    Thank you very much! The tutorial is great!

  2. Liz says

    November 26, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    wow! These are beautiful! Definitely going to give this a go!

  3. Dixie Sargent Redmond says

    November 26, 2011 at 1:10 pm

    I love the way your brain works. Talk about making a silk purse from a sow's ear. Wow.

  4. Amy says

    November 26, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    So happy you are happy! I just adore this little house. I hope to make one!

  5. Melissa says

    November 26, 2011 at 1:54 pm

    How wonderful. I love it when easy can be Beautiful. So pretty!

  6. Maria Consilia (Caprimoments) says

    November 26, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    Your projects are simply amazing…. greetings from Capri Island (Italy)… I am one of your silent follower but I fall in love with this so it was impossible not to talk!!! (sorry for my english!) kiss Consilia

  7. nicolette at dutchcomfort says

    November 26, 2011 at 2:43 pm

    I sure hope to make one, cause these houses make me happy too!!

  8. Pia says

    November 26, 2011 at 3:01 pm

    You are brilliant and your creations are wonderful and full of poetry! THANKS! Ciaoooo!

  9. Carol says

    November 26, 2011 at 4:21 pm

    That is really lovely, so effective, what a good use of old Christmas cards too.
    Carol xx

  10. Michelle L. says

    November 26, 2011 at 5:45 pm

    Excuse my while I bite my hand and gasp…one of my new favorite Michele creations! The heart, the house, the delicate intricacy, the recycled cards! LOVE.

  11. chris says

    November 26, 2011 at 6:25 pm

    I must admit, this is my favorite too! Well done.

  12. mieljolie says

    November 26, 2011 at 10:45 pm

    Very cute and clever! And, it's great you're having a good time with it. So simple, yet wonderful, ornaments!

    Mieljolie

  13. Vanessa at Rescued Goods says

    November 27, 2011 at 1:44 am

    I love this one! I have to try it! Thanks for sharing.

  14. Poppyprint says

    November 27, 2011 at 3:03 am

    I just love this one and it's something I think I can actually achieve!! Thanks for another great idea Michele.

  15. meijo's JOY says

    November 27, 2011 at 1:57 pm

    This a such a great project…pinning this for my next to do!

  16. Catherine says

    November 28, 2011 at 1:19 am

    Just love this Michele and I just happened to have some greeting cards stashed away for that special project. Thanks for Tutorial!

  17. petra says

    November 28, 2011 at 10:16 pm

    love, love, love it !!

  18. Pumpkin Pie Baby says

    November 30, 2011 at 12:41 am

    This is so beautiful! Now I have something to do with old Christmas cards other than recycle them. Thank you!

  19. KJ@letsgoflyakite says

    November 30, 2011 at 11:45 pm

    So, so pretty. It reminds me of an itsy bitsy gazebo . So glad you are feeling well!

  20. Anonymous says

    December 2, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    So cute!!! Do you have a template to share??

  21. Michele Pacey says

    December 2, 2011 at 6:11 pm

    Hi Anonymous, I don't have a template printable but a template can easily be drawn up from the instructions. Best of luck!

  22. Anonymous says

    December 2, 2011 at 7:10 pm

    Hello !!!

    Yes, I made a template from the instructions. So anxious to try this over the weekend. I just love your website. My template is about 4 inches tall, is that about right?

  23. Michele Pacey says

    December 2, 2011 at 8:03 pm

    Hi again Anonymous, My house is 3-1/2 inches tall so I'd say yours'll be just great! Have fun!

  24. Bluebell Woods says

    December 5, 2011 at 1:21 am

    I think this is awesome and certainly a great way to make good use of old cards. Thanks for the inspiration
    Janice

  25. equipo: Hannah/Noah/Hilke says

    December 6, 2011 at 4:49 pm

    These are very cute.
    Thanks for the step by step explication!

  26. SisterDG says

    December 7, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    This may well be one of my favorite things you've made – so perfect in its simplicity!

  27. Carrie says

    December 8, 2011 at 2:17 am

    LOVE this idea and looking forward to trying it!

  28. Orange Poppy says

    December 10, 2011 at 5:28 am

    this ornament makes me so happy and i can't wait to make it and share with the people who make me happy too! thank you! <3

  29. Anonymous says

    December 11, 2011 at 3:17 pm

    So fun! I will make these with my very precocious six year old niece !

  30. mameboubou says

    December 13, 2011 at 8:47 pm

    MAGNIFIQUE!!!!!BRAVO!!!!

  31. Anonymous says

    December 14, 2011 at 4:13 am

    i was wondering where i can buy an exacto knife.
    any suggestions?

  32. Michele Pacey says

    December 14, 2011 at 4:31 am

    Hi Anonymous,

    Find an exacto knife at any craft store or, if there's no craft store in your area, any hardware store should carry them as well. Hope that helps. 🙂

  33. Gwen @ Gwenny Penny says

    December 16, 2011 at 4:21 am

    Beautiful! And the photos of the ornament are gorgeous… great angles.

  34. Ann says

    December 17, 2011 at 11:20 pm

    Just gorgeous! Lovely idea for those cards you can't bear to recycle.

  35. Anonymous says

    December 19, 2011 at 6:11 pm

    love this idea and it is adorable but both my daughter and I are stuck on number 6 and can't figure it out.. if you glue any of the pieces together at this point then you end up with 9 half houses in a circle but when I look at yours there are 12 so I'm obviously doing something wrong but can't figure out what??? Help!

  36. Michele Pacey says

    December 20, 2011 at 3:31 am

    Hi Anonymous… You're stuck on number 6? Okay… Whenever you apply glue to any house, try applying it to the same side every time. For example, if you start by putting glue on the left side of your first house, do the same with every other house. That way when you bring groups of houses together, you shouldn't have a problem. I hope this helps. Fingers-crossed! Send me an email if you need more clarification, okay?

  37. Anonymous says

    December 21, 2011 at 5:18 pm

    Thank you Michele 🙂 I finally figured it out with your help.. yep they are really adorable.. I am thinking of making one and when finished putting the name of all the family members on each half and the year on one.. so that they will always remember who was there that year 🙂

  38. Eva Maria Keiser says

    January 5, 2012 at 5:16 pm

    Delightful design 🙂
    Greetings,
    -Eva Maria

  39. Noreen says

    January 17, 2012 at 11:01 pm

    Love this idea for using recycled Christmas ideas… it makes a really attractive and colorful ornament! I put a link to it here:

    http://www.craftlinky.com/used-christmas-card-ornaments.html

    • Michele Pacey says

      January 19, 2012 at 1:32 am

      Oh thanks Noreen. And thank you for linking back! 🙂

  40. Rein says

    January 23, 2012 at 6:37 am

    This is lovely, thanks for sharing!

  41. Anonymous says

    March 23, 2012 at 11:21 am

    wonderful, love it so much.. thankss for inspiration!! ^^

  42. Celi Modelski says

    July 14, 2012 at 4:34 am

    Lindo demais! Obrigada por compartilhar suas idéias maravilhosas!

  43. - - Sheryl - - says

    August 26, 2012 at 3:32 pm

    love this ornament! I have a cricut machine so I can adapt your idea withthe images there, as long as they are identical! I also have a snowflake punch this would be awesome to use it for. Thanks

  44. violetannie63 says

    November 16, 2012 at 10:46 am

    These are so cute! I have loads of old Christmas cards I just can't bring myself to throw away…this looks like a great way to use them. Thank you! 🙂

  45. Anonymous says

    December 5, 2012 at 11:00 am

    Hello, are you able to specify exactly how you make the sides of your template mirror images? Forgive my ignorance, I just don't completely understand that part of the process.

    • Michele Pacey says

      December 6, 2012 at 6:46 pm

      Hi Anonymous,

      To get a template that has two identical sides, fold a piece of paper in half and draw only one side of the design on the fold. Now cut out the design while the paper is still folded. Once the design is fully cut out, unfold the paper. That should give you a template with identical sides to start with!

      Hope that helps!

  46. Anonymous says

    December 16, 2012 at 4:04 pm

    My Housewarming gift is now sorted! Thank you

  47. Jessica Flores says

    December 17, 2012 at 3:32 pm

    Oh my goodness! What a memory we made this weekend creating these. I've done a dozen of them. Blogged about it here: http://www.jessicaflores.com/my_weblog/2012/12/last-weekends-diy-obsession.html Thank you!!

  48. Dina Domingues says

    October 22, 2013 at 10:28 am

    BEAUTIFUL and Thanks

  49. Dottie Mozzetti says

    November 1, 2013 at 2:15 am

    can u provide a copy of your template?

  50. Line says

    November 25, 2013 at 5:54 am

    Beautifully made and designed. Thank you for sharing.

  51. Marjan says

    October 12, 2014 at 9:08 am

    thank you so much, I just have made my first one!
    Greetings from Holland

  52. Karen Lane says

    October 27, 2014 at 8:40 am

    Love this idea and will be making these with my special needs learners in the run up to Christmas. Thanks for sharing.

  53. bohemiannie! art says

    June 17, 2015 at 4:43 pm

    I love your feelings. I love what came of them. Thank you for sharing.

  54. walt says

    December 1, 2015 at 10:26 am

    love this. I hope to start a crafters small group at our church this will be one ornament we will use. I have one question what are the measurements of the house template width x height. when I copied mine over I thought it looked a bit small.

  55. Bethany Rose Banks says

    December 19, 2015 at 10:47 pm

    can you make these with any shapes or does it have to be the house and heart?

    • michpacey@gmail.com says

      January 3, 2016 at 3:26 pm

      Any shape you like actually! 🙂

Primary Sidebar

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • YouTube

Sign up for Email updates

From The Box Chain Series

Categories

Archives

TERMS OF USE

Copyright © 2021 Michele Pacey.

I am ecstatic if you choose to link to this site, use a brief description, one photo, or link back to any of my posts. Do not republish entire posts without my permission. Tutorials, patterns and printables are for your personal use only and are not to be used to make items for sale. Thank you.

Footer

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • YouTube
Copyright © 2023 Michele Pacey · Site developed by Autumn Street