Angel Ornaments

Each year I try to make a special little ornament for my sister who has a table top Christmas tree that she sets up.  This year I made a bunch so she could choose the one she likes best.  These were relatively simple to make and I hope I inspire you to step out of the box and make some decorations or gifts yourself!
This is a long post, so settle in with a cup and relax!

What I Used to Make my Angel Ornaments:
Ranger Glossy Accents
Retro Art Cafe' Coffee Break Designs BASIC Fairy Shrine
Retro Art Cafe' Coffee Break Designs ANGEL Shrine
Retro Art Cafe' Coffee Break Design SWEETHEART Style 4
Retro Art Cafe' Tiny Fairy Doll Head Paper Cuts - 1 pk
Dresden Wings, Small Gold
From my Stash: Tiny Red Fabric Heart, Pink Heart Shaped Stone, Iridescent Star, Tiny Gems, Die Cut Waste, Scrap Paper
Stickles in Gold, Iridescent and Platinum
Jump Rings, 4 Medium
Lindy's Gang Embossing Powder in Raspberry Lemonade, Imperial Crown Purple Gold, Midnight Teal and Bougainvillea Red Teal
Ranger Embossing Powder in Rich Red {unavailable but any dark red will do!}
E6000 adhesive {you probably have some}
Krylon Leafing Pens in Silver and Gold

I love Retro Art Cafe' and the cool products they carry; seriously I could spend an absolute fortune there! When I was a brand new crafter making shrines was THE thing {besides cards and scrapbooks - I don't think there was ever a time when those 2 paper crafts weren't popular}to make.  Mixed media was just born, Suze Weinberg was the Embossing Powder Queen {do a google search or check out You Tube} and Ranger Ink was still in it's infancy.  Collages, canvases, altered books and so much more were being made at breakneck speed.  That's when I found Retro Art Cafe' and I still shop there; most likely I will until one of us is done!  When I was brainstorming for this years ornament I knew if I went there and browsed around I'd find something awesome to spark my imagination and Retro Art did not let me down {plus, they have awesome sales!}.  I saw the Inspirational Fairies and I knew that was what I needed to use this year, so I bought a bunch of kits, matching heads and Dresden wings. I actually wasn't sure what wings would fit the shrines so I emailed Kristin and asked what she thought and she was kind enough to recommend the small Dresden wings.  Once I got my goodies I got to work.

This what was left of mine;
Saving them - you never know!

Each pack of Shrines has four pieces in it so you can make 2 double figures or 4; it's up to you and your design. The set includes 2 solid pieces and two shrine pieces {the shrine pieces have a hole in them to make a small window}. For these I used two pieces for each, one solid piece and one shrine piece.  The first step I took was sandwiching a jump ring in between the two pieces so I could attach an ornament hanger, piece of string or ribbon or even put them on a necklace if I wanted.  I first tried to stick them together with regular glue because I was all out of E6000 - no luck; the jump rings were so loose I could pull them out.  So once I got a new tube of E6000 I glued the rings back in and used binder clips to keep the pieces together while they dried.  I let them dry for  few days to ensure they'd be

The Blue Angel 

sturdy.  I also sandwiched the wings I used between the layers on one of the ornaments; my intent was to do that to all of them, but then I decided since I was going to be decorating them with who knows what that I'd attached the wings to the other three when I was done.  They also come with teeny little pieces of product that you can mount them on so they will stand up.  As well as crowns!

The Red Angel

I wanted a super shiny, almost enamel look on the bodies so I embossed them.  I embossed them so many times I lost count using all the delicious colors from Lindy's Gang as referenced above.  I used my fingernail {something I am SO guilty of - I know I shouldn't use them, but they are so accessible and I often find myself using them without even thinking.  However, I don't recommend it!}  to remove the embossing powder, while it was still warm, on the Red ornament to try and keep the heart shape.  Once all of them were embossed, I coated each with Glossy Accents, except for the head area, and again, on the Red one where the heart design wasn't.  Let them sit again for a few days as I

The Pink Angel

had plenty of projects to finish.  I edged each one with a Krylon Leafing Pen {I've had these pens for YEARS - another throwback to the beginning of my paper crafting.  We used them for everything, mostly to edge paper and to do the original Polished Stone technique with alcohol inks} and used the pens to cover the wings.  Turns out the wings I had attached between the two parts at the beginning took a beating with all the embossing and stuff so I wanted to jazz them up a bit and bring the wings to life.  I also used a leafing pen to color the gold wings silver.  Once the wings dried I layered some matching Stickles on them to make them shine even more; the leafing pen can have a dull finish.  I embellished my angels with bits and bobs I've had in my stash for years and attached the doll head cut outs so they could have faces.  Lastly, I painted one crown silver {with the Leafing Pen} that I gave to the Blue angel, and added some gold dots of Stickles to the Purple angel's crown that was a part of her head.

The Purple Angel

Then I was done.  I find waiting for things to dry the most annoying part of making art and this was a study in patience for sure!  But it felt really good to make something 3D, something fun and out of the box.  I hope my angels inspire you to get some older art supplies {or, buy some new goodies at Retro Art Cafe'!} and have some messy fun.  I really had no idea how these babies were going to turn out so this entire project was an experiment for me.  On that note I'm glad I bought more than one set of the Angel Shrines because I have LOTS more ideas for these!  I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and are having a safe, healthy and artful holiday! Fondly, Christi

I am entering my Angel Ornaments in the following challenges:
Altered Eclectics - M, Anything MM Goes
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - M, {running til Feb} Anything MM Goes
More Mixed Media Challenge - Anything MM Goes
The Three Amigos - Winter
Bleeding Art - M, Shiny & Sparkly
An Inky Mess - Anything MM Goes
CHNC - #416, Anything Christmas Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Christmas
Moo-Mania - Angels
Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge - Anything MM Goes
Crafter's Castle - Anything Goes OPTION: Christmas Ornaments
Lindy's Gang - M, Color Challenge

HLS Mixed Media Challenge - Fantasy