Cardboard Empty Toilet Paper Roll Christmas Tree Ornaments
5 Materials
$1
2 Hours
Medium
There is one more thing you can do with a cardboard empty toilet paper roll. You can use it to make Christmas Tree Ornaments. The round cardboard is sturdy enough to form the base and each roll will make approximately 6 ornaments. I used these ornaments to decorate our tree outside in the front yard. They are not so precious that I care if something happens to them, but they are pretty enough that I want them to be seen. So, let's begin.
I started this project by painting both the inside and the outside of the cardboard roll with acrylic paint. I used a glossy white so that it could be seen.
I then went over the white paint with a silver glitter glue. I did this on both the inside and outside, too. When dry, I cut the roll into 6 equal circles of 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide. These circles would be the base for my ornaments.
The next part is where all the work is - putting it together. Using a pipe cleaner and two colored beads, put the beads on the pipe cleaner at about 6 inches. Put two more different colored beads on the sides of the center beads. These will help stabilize the ornament. Now you will put holes in the cardboard ring with a regular paper punch. Punch 8 holes equally around the ring. Going from the inside of the center of the ring, put one end of the pipe cleaner through the hole that you have just made. All of the beads should now be on the inside of the ring. Put the other end of the pipe cleaner through the hole directly opposite the hole you just used on the ring. You will have to bend the pipe cleaner to get the other end of it through the hole in the cardboard ring. Adjust the pipe cleaner so that the two center beads are in the center of the circle and the two outer beads are against the side walls of the cardboard ring. You should have about 5-51/2 inches of pipe cleaner on the outside of each side of the ring. Now put a third color of bead on the pipe cleaner against the holes that you just went through. This pipe cleaner should be stabilized and you can do this for the other three pipe cleaners on the ring. I try to interlock the center beads together and then secure them with a wire that goes around each set of two center beads to keep them together. You can go top to bottom or side to side or anyway that keeps all the center beads together in the center of the circle.
This is what your ornament should look like when the beads are all in place in the center and you are ready to move on to the outside of the ornament.
Now you can put three bead of any color (but I like to match them with the colors I have already used in the center) on the ends of the pipe cleaner. Put three together on the end of the pipe cleaner with enough of the metal left over to bend down over the bead. This will help it stay on. Now twist the pipe cleaner around your finger to make loops, leaving the ends with the beads straight.
Try to gently pull out the lengths of the pipe cleaners so that it looks like a curlicue with beads on the end. Straighten out the pipe cleaners to lay as flat as you can.
Using some clear 8 lb. fishing line or thread (12-18") , tie a circle of line around the inner circle of the cardboard and then tie it in a knot. You can now go out and hang these pretty ornaments on your tree outside or inside. They should remain fairly strong with the paint and glitter glue all set up. One more use for the famous cardboard toilet paper roll.
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3 comments
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Just beautiful, and looks like real fun to create!
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