Burlap & Book Page Stocking Ornaments

I've envisioned another Christmas tree in our home ... one that highlights a few of my favorite things ... book pages, burlap, drop cloth and shiny glitter.   When I found unpainted clay stocking ornaments after Christmas last year, I knew they'd be a great addition to the new tree.    

Supplies (click on items for photo):
~~Clay stocking ornament - see below
~~Natural burlap
~~Book pages
~~Canvas drop cloth
~~Jute twine
~~Goldtone fasteners/brads
~~White "school" glue
~~Home Made Modern Golden glitter acrylic paint
~~FolkArt Chunky Gold glitter acrylic paint
~~Craft Smart Pearl metallic acrylic paint
~~Iced Espresso Metallic Lustre
~~Small paint brush
~~Pliers (with side cutters) 
~~Small nail

All supplies were found at Home Depot, Lowe's, Michaels and Hobby Lobby.

Don't you just love after Christmas sales?  I was very fortunate to find the clay stocking ornaments on super duper clearance at Hobby Lobby for 20 cents each and bought the 21 stockings they had left.  

The ornaments are unpainted and very porous.  In lieu of using a primer, I applied two coats of Pearl metallic acrylic paint to the front and back - letting the ornament dry completely between coats.

Note:  I painted the entire ornament but decorated only the front.  Fortunately, they will be placed on a very dense Christmas tree and only the front of the ornament will be visible.

Next was to cover the clay ornament with the book page and drop cloth:

LOWER STOCKING:

I traced the outline of the lower stocking on a tea stained book page and cut out with scissors.  If you missed my post on "How to Make Book Pages Look Old," go HERE for all the details.

Next, I applied the book page cut out to the stocking with white glue and after it dried, painted the book page with Home Made Modern Golden glitter acrylic paint - this is a very smooth metallic-like paint.  

Note:  Sheet music could also be used instead of regular book pages - would be a really festive touch.

TOP OF STOCKING:

I then traced the top of the stocking (that would traditionally be white) on drop cloth and cut it out.  Applied the drop cloth cut out to the top of the stocking with white glue and let it dry.  Then, I painted the drop cloth cut out with Craft Smart Pearl metallic acrylic paint to add a sheen to it, and let it dry.  

Next, I cut a small rectangle with rounded corners out of the natural burlap and applied it to the top of the stocking with white glue.

Lastly, I removed the prongs from three goldtone fasteners/brads (using the cutter on a pair of electrician's pliers) and applied them to the burlap using white glue and let the glue dry (you can also use hot glue to affix them).  

At this point, I added the jute twine bow where the top and bottom of the stocking meet.  

Now, we're ready for the finishing touches!  Still with me??  :)

I painted the entire stocking (front and back, including the bow) several times with FolkArt chunky Gold glitter acrylic paint.  I love this stuff - it adds lots of shine and sparkle, which is great for a Christmas ornament!

After letting it dry, I was in the home stretch ... added a touch of distressing with Metallic Lustre by rubbing it on just the edges of the lower stocking with water dampened fingertips.   

Last step was to punch a hole thru the drop cloth using a small nail (the ornament comes with a hole in the top of the clay stocking) and inserted a length of jute twine to serve as the stocking hanger.   

As with every project, a few lessons were learned! 

• When painting unfinished clay, use a base coat before painting with your top coat.  The base coat can be basically any paint you have on hand - the goal is to fill the porous clay which will provide a smooth surface for your top coat of paint. 

• Use Metallic Lustre sparingly - start out with much less than you think you'll need.

• When making shiny tree ornaments, when you think you've used way too much glitter, it's just the right amount.  

• In the spirit of honesty, I didn't plan to paint the drop cloth with Pearl paint ... after applying the glitter paint to the bare drop cloth, there was not enough contrast between the book page bottom and the drop cloth top.  The Pearl paint is brighter white and provided just the right touch of contrast - and, the painted cloth adds texture - much more interesting than just painting the clay. 

One ornament down and only 20 to go before Christmas!  Wish me luck!  

Have you started Christmas and holiday preparations?  I have friends who begin right after Christmas each year - they make or buy decor and gift items throughout the year and are all set well ahead of the holiday each year.  I'm not quite that organized, but do enjoy getting a bit of an early start.  How about you?

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