Pottery Barn Copy Cat Christmas Ornaments

 Photo: Pottery Barn

Curse you Pottery Barn for having such cute stuff!  The most recent PB catalogs are just filled with vintage flair and found object style.  Now, my family has committed to a homemade tree these past few years.  The days of Mom having a tree out of the latest magazine or style book are gone. We embrace all the kids handmade ornaments and even proudly display my husband's fourth grade self portrait on a pickle jar lid.  Every year, I also make ornaments too based on the latest trends or my vintage finds.  So, I was drooling browsing through the PB Christmas items for inspiration, and I came across these gorgeous song bird ornaments and my gears began to turn...

The set of four ornaments sells for $29.00.  I set out to make something similar for under $10.00 and share the process with you along the way!  So, here is the ornament I focused on -

Here's my supply list: 

Clear plastic ornament from hobby store $1

Sheet music

3 in scallop or circle punch

Glue, spray adhesive, scissors, fine glitter

Christmas, bird die cuts

Cheesecloth or ribbon

I simply cut a 3 inch scallop from my sheet music and a piece of cardstock. I mounted the sheet music on the cardstock for support.  My clear plastic ornament had rounded edges. I chose to use the scallop punch to give my ornament a similiar shape to theirs.  I then made a small collage using my die cuts and saved digital images.  I hand cut each piece and glued in place. Now, my die cuts were too large for the 3 inch scallop so when I was done positioning each piece, I had to cut away the excess.  I chose to handcut since my scallop punch is not as sharp as it used to be. When I was done I had this -

What do you think? Simiiar to the PB one? 

Now, to get the collage inside the ornament, you must roll the paper to a size small enough to fit into the top. This will not work with a collage piece made of cardstock and die cuts.  So, I scanned the image into my computer!  I then added the image to my photo software and printed a 3.5 x 5 copy on cream cardstock.  I simply had to line up my scallop punch on the copy, cut and voila! I had a perfect 3 inch scallop copy of my original collage ready to go! I gave it a light spray of adhesive and sprinkled fine glitter to add a little sparkle like the PB version. I chose not to glitter my edges. I distressed instead. I was worried it would scratch the ornament and it would be difficult to roll.  Let's put her in the ornament now.

Use a pencil (eraser end) or small paint brush to help roll down the sides and position the collage where you want it.  Then to help the image stay flat and to add some fun texture to the other side, add some decorative excelsior fill (the white moss). Note these are not round ornament bulbs. They are more convex like the back of a spoon.  Here she is all done! ...and here's me taking photos in the rain. lol

As an added treat...I'm sharing my collage digital image with you!  No need to make your own collage, scan, etc.  Just right click this image and save to your computer. In your photo editing software, choose to print this as 3.5 x 5 photo size but on cream cardstock.  Either punch out the image or hand cut.  You will just need to add a touch of glitter and place inside your clear plastic ornament.

You can use any vintage image you have on hand too.  They don't have to be round to look great floating inside the ornaments. What about black and whites of your family on Christmas morning or the kids sitting on Santa's lap? Don't want to use the originals? Just make copies on cardstock -

So, glad you stopped by on this rainy day! I hope you enjoyed this easy tutorial and the freebie! Your comments and follows are greatly appreciated.  I'm altering some vintage finds today to create more ornaments. I'll be sharing those this week too.  I'm linking my little white Santas above to White Wednesday at Faded Charm Cottage.  I'm also linking to Its so very Cheri and Rednesday . On Friday, I'll be linking to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home.  Stop by and be inspired!