How to Make Watercolor Ornament Christmas Cards

How to Make Watercolor Ornament Christmas Cards

One of favorite mediums to use for art are watercolor paints. To start with, they involve one of Ben’s most favorite thing in the world… Water. He loves to mix the paints together and watch his water cup change color. I used his artwork to make watercolor ornament Christmas cards.

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How to Make Watercolor Ornament Christmas Cards

SUPPLIES FOR WATERCOLOR ORNAMENT CARDS

Watercolor Paints

Paint Pallet

Paint Brushes

Watercolor Paper

White Cardstock Paper

Marker

Scissors

Glue

Optional: White Crayon and/or Salt

Art Supplies

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Draw Designs with White Crayon

First, use a white (or another light color) crayon to draw designs on a white piece of watercolor paper. I drew loops, zigzags, dots, swirls, etc. you do not have to draw anything if you do not want to.

I recommend using watercolor paper versus other paper because it can handle a lot of water. If your child is like mine, more water ends up on the paper than actual paint.

2. Prepare Paint Pallet

Next, I set up a paint pallet with different color liquid watercolor paints and a cup of water. I love this simple plastic pallet, because it is the perfect size for Ben and it is easy to clean. It has held up well through many projects. If you do not have a pallet, you can use a paper plate.

3. Paint

Now on to the fun part, let your kid paint. No other instructions. As they paint, the hidden designs will reveal themselves. Surprise!

Painting
Painting with Watercolors

4. Add Salt (Optional)

In addition, you can sprinkle salt onto the painting while it is still wet. It will make the paint look splotchy. Once the paint has dried, just brush the salt off the paper. This is an optional step.

Watercolor Artwork

5. Cut Out Circles

After the paint has dried completely, cut various size circles out of the artwork. I cut out 3 different sizes to make watercolor ornaments for Ben. Set them aside for now.

Watercolor Ornaments

6. Cut Out and Fold Cards

Next, I cut the white cardstock paper in half to make two rectangles that measured 8 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches. I then trimmed 1/2 inch off the long side to make is 8 inches long. Then I folded the paper in half to make a card that measured 4 inches by 5 1/2 inches. I made mine this size, because I already had envelopes that fitted a 4 x 6 card.

If you do not want to make your own card form, you could purchase plain white cards at your local craft store or online.

7. Glue the Watercolor Ornament Cut-outs on to the Cards

One of the last steps is to glue the circle watercolor ornaments on to the front of the cards. Add as many or as little as you want.

How to Make Watercolor Ornament Christmas Cards

8. Draw Strings and Bows

For a final touch, I drew lines from the top of the card to the top of the ornament to look like they were hanging. Lastly, I drew a bow at the top of my ornament at the bottom of the line.

For more ideas about watercolor resist painting, check out our blog post, “How to Make a Color-Resist Watercolor Spider Web.”

How to Make Watercolor Ornament Christmas Cards
How to Make Watercolor Ornament Christmas Cards
How to Make Watercolor Ornament Christmas Cards
How to Make Watercolor Ornament Christmas Cards

For another homemade Christmas card, check out my blog post: How to Make Christmas Tree Cards Using Paint Chips.” Happy Holidays!

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child’s parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child’s pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.

Invitation to Play: Decorating Gingerbread Men Craft

Decorating Gingerbread Men

Today, we decorated foam cutouts of gingerbread men. I love setting up open-ended activities for Ben. To begin, I assembled a tray of items to decorate the gingerbread men. I set everything out on a table and let Ben take it from there. This is an activity that entertained him for an extended period of time, and one that he kept going back to.

Decorating Gingerbread Men

SUPPLIES

Foam Gingerbread Men Cutouts

Glue

Decorations: Googly Eyes, Stickers, Beads, Dried Pasta, Beans, Pipe Cleaners, Pompoms, etc.

I purchased the foam gingerbread men cutouts, along with most of the other supplies, at our local dollar store. You could also cut your own gingerbread me now out of foam paper, brown construction paper, cardboard, or recycled brown paper bags. Above are the decorations that we used, but you could use whatever you have on hand or things that your children would enjoy.

Decorating Gingerbread Men Craft Set Up
Decorating Gingerbread Men Craft Set Up
Decorating Gingerbread Men Craft Set Up

INVITATION TO PLAY

1. Begin by gathering items to decorate the gingerbread men. We used googly eyes, pompoms, beads, gems, dried pasta, beans, stickers, and pipe cleaners. I twisted the pipe cleaners into bows. I assembled everything on to a divided tray. You can also use buttons, ribbon, glitter, markers, etc.

Decorating Gingerbread Men Craft Set Up

2. Set out the assembled tray of decorations along with the foam gingerbread men cutouts and glue on a table. Next, I invited Ben to come play. He took over from there.

Decorating Gingerbread Men Craft
Decorating Gingerbread Men Craft
Decorating Gingerbread Men Craft

This activity is great to work on fine motor skills, hand strength, identifying body parts, counting and so much more. Please tag us on social media if you try this craft out. Happy Holidays!

Decorated Gingerbread Men Craft
Decorated Gingerbread Men Craft
Decorated Gingerbread Men Craft

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

I love to pair books with the activities that I do with Ben. Sometimes I am inspired by the books themselves, and sometimes the activities inspire which books we read. Here are a few books that we have enjoyed that also complement decorating gingerbread people:

The Gingerbread Man

The Gingerbread Man

Written and Illustrated by Gail Yerrill

The Gingerbread Girl

The Gingerbread Girl

Written and Illustrated by Lisa Campbell Ernst

Gingerbread Baby

Gingerbread Baby

Written and Illustrated by Jan Brett

Catch That Cookie!

Catch That Cookie!

Written by Hallie Durand

Illustrated by David Small

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Find us on: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child’s parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child’s pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.