As I began taking down the Christmas tree yesterday, I decided to post these funky old ornaments. Most of my homemade ornaments are stitched or painted, but I was trying to create something shiny to make the tree more sparkly. Can you even buy these weird satin spun styrofoam balls anymore and the special little pins? It killed your fingers pushing in all those stupid pins. My sister and I made a bunch of these together, and she has long since dumped hers. I remember this as a pretty popular Christmas craft in the 70’s — along with the bread dough ornaments which I actually did toss because they disintegrated. Every year I consider throwing these out, but I just can’t give them up. Of course, nobody but me will hang them up. I secretly think they’d miss them.
This one is huge — we call it “the grenade.”
Oh goodness! I surely do remember these ornaments. My daughters Tamara and Carrie and I spent a whole day in the 70’s putting ours together and, oh yes, pressing those painful pins into the balls. Aching fingers but great memories! I still have the ones we made but haven’t had them out for a few years, mostly because we’ve been away at Christmas time. Thanks for the reminder!
I absolutely love those ornaments & have been trying to collect them for a couple of years, so don’t throw them away because I will surely rescue them!!! We were a very large family back then & didn’t get to do such fun things. So, now I try to find them, they are too costly on ebay but I’ve found a few. Are you selling them?
My mother used to make these beautiful handmade ornaments! I remember hanging them on the tree each year and always though how long she took to make each one! now that she is passed each one I hang on the tree not only brings back sweet memories of my childhood but now it reminds me of my mom! My ornaments are invaluable to me !
I made these in the 70’s and I am going to make some this year but I just used styrofoam balls, pins, beads and sequins with ribbons. I gave them to my sons when they each got married and am not sure if they have them or not. I also am going to make some small trees this year.
My whole tree is nothing but these beautiful handmade ornaments even the star at the top of the tree is handmade
My grandmother made ornaments like these!! My mom gave my brother and I a lot of these and we still both use them on our trees!! I started making these this year for my girls and their trees and am going to make them for my nieces and nephews!!!
Please keep them! Christmas ornaments bring back memories. These are so beautiful and time consuming. I count mine as treasures that I can bring out year after year.
my whole christmas tree is nothing but handmade ornaments even the star at the top is beaded
My Grandmother and I made tons of these in the 70’s, wish I had kept more! Want to learn how to make them again! These are beauties!