Learn How to Decoupage Christmas Movie Images onto Ornaments

Hi there and thank you for stopping by!

I wanted to make a specific tutorial on how to create Christmas ornaments using images from your favorite Christmas movies.  Here is a picture of the ornament I made using the methods outlined on this page...

Most everyone has at least one favorite Christmas movie.  Christmas movies bring wonderful memories to mind at this joyous season! 

However, it's not so easy to purchase ornaments displaying the images from movies because there are all kinds of rules and regulations surrounding these images that make them almost impossible to find.

So, I thought, why not make your own???   I figured out a way to do that, and I will show you how in this tutorial!

My absolute favorite movie of all time is "It's a Wonderful Life" from 1947 starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.  The ornament pictured above is from that movie and is the movie I will be using images from for this tutorial.

Do you have a favorite Christmas movie???

In this post, I will outline for you through step-by-step instructions, pictures, and video presentations how to make a decoupaged ornament from one of your favorite Christmas movies.

The images you will be using will most likely have to be resized and I will explain how to do that below.  As a sidenote, you can use all the methods outlined here on this page to make other decoupage projects too.

Here is a link (directly below this paragraph) to an article showing you in detail how to find, download, resize and print images from your computer to use for art projects like this one:

Learn How to Resize Pictures and Print from a Word Processing Document

If you need assistance with any of the steps, please leave a question in the 'Comments' section below on this page.

Before beginning, you will need to gather the supplies listed below.  If you need help with attaining any of these items, you can click on the underlined links and get more information for that item.  

Disclaimer:  If you do happen to make a purchase, I will earn a small commission (at no cost to you, so thank you so very much if you do!).

Here is a video outline for this project...

 

SUPPLIES:

  1.  Printed Christmas movie image (more in STEP 1 below)

  2.  Blank Christmas ornaments

Wood Slices are great for this decoupage craft
(Click picture or any link above or below to learn more)

   3.  White Acrylic Paint

   4.  Foam paint brush

   5.  Gift Tissue or White Kitchen Napkin

   6.  Inkjet Printer

   7.  Computer Paper

   8.  Scotch tape

   9.  Mod Podge

 10.  Dimensional paint

Are you ready??  Let's begin!...

STEP 1

Finding and Choosing an Image

1.   Go to your favorite search engine (I like PINTEREST).

2.   In the search bar at the top of the page, type in the term referring to your favorite movie, for example "It's a Wonderful Life"...

Your search results in PINTEREST will look something like this.

3.   From the search engine results, decide which image you would like to place on your ornament.  After you make your decision, move on to the next step below.

STEP 2

Downloading Image to a Word Processing Document

4.   Using your mouse, hover over the image you've selected, and 'left click' on the image two times to bring a larger version of the image to the top of the PINTEREST page.  

5.   Now, 'right click' on the larger image at the top of the page and select 'Copy Image' from the choices that appear in the menu that pops up.

'Copy Image' from the large image at the top of 
PINTEREST page (Copy image is the highlighted choice)

6.   In an open word processing document, select 'Paste'.  Your image will look like this when in the document...

'Paste' (CTRL 'V') is the Image used for the ornament
to be pasted into a word processing document

STEP 3

Use the Format Keys to Resize and Frame the Image

7.     Now that your image has been pasted into the word processing document, use your mouse to grab the circle on the corner of the image (see pictures below), 'left click' on the corner and move your mouse back and forth to make your image the size you need to fit the specific ornament you are making...

Close up of the mouse on corner of image.
In this one, notice the arrow over the circle indicating
where to click with your mouse to move the line
in order to make the image larger or smaller

8.     The image on the screen will be true to size when it is printed so move the line around the image to get it to be approximately the size you need for the specific ornament you are making.

9.    Once you get the image size close to where you need it to be for printing, click on the image once again (while it is still in your word processing program) to get that black line around it.

        You should see something like 'Picture Styles' pop up at the top of the screen.  Select 'Soft Edge Oval' (or whatever style you would like to use).  See the pictures below for reference.

Format Image Commands in Word Processing.
I selected 'Soft Edge Oval' for this ornament.

 

I taped ornaments to the screen to
demonstrate how you will know how large or small
 to make your image as it will be 'true to size'
when printed from word processing program.

10.  I use 'Soft Edge Oval' for my ornaments.  This is what my image looked like before I printed it from my word processing program...

You can use the 'Picture Format Keys' again
to make your image wide or narrow too.
Remember to click on the image to bring
the keys up to the top of the page.   To make the
image wider, grab the side of the image with
your mouse and move left or right.  You can
also change the color of your image with
these keys as well.

11.   Print your image out onto computer paper.  Cut the image from the paper and secure it to the front of your ornament using clear glue.  You can use a glue stick, but I like to use a thin layer of clear Elmer's glue. 

 

         Sometimes it helps to have a coat of dried white paint on the surface of the ornament before gluing it down.  However, it's not necessary for this to be done if you're using computer paper print outs.

          There is a section ("Decoupaged Tissue Christmas Ornament") below where I have posted videos of how to print on plain white gift tissue or kitchen napkins to get an extra thin paper image.  If you use this method, it will be necessary to paint the surface white first because the image will not show through onto a darker background.  In any case, more about that below!

12.      Embellish your ornament with dimensional paint, glitter, or flatback adhesive pearls and rhinestones to give it extra flare!    Seal the ornament with Mod Podge.

        

Here is one more image of how my ornament turned out...

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!  Thank you for being here!

___________________________________________________

Decoupaged Tissue Christmas Ornament

PART 1 - "How to Print an Inkjet Image on a Tissue for Decoupaging"

PART 2 - "How to Find an Image, Resize and Download it to Print"

PART 3 - "Trimming the Image and Applying the Mod Podge"

PART 4 - "The Finishing Touches, Glitter and all that Fun Stuff"

 

How to Make a Fairy Hummingbird Feeder

Hi and thank you for being here today to join me for a tutorial on how to create a beautiful hummingbird feeder like the one pictured below...

 Flower Fairy Mason Jar Hummingbird Feeder
made by nancymaggielee

A few side notes before we begin with the tutorial...

- If you click on any of the underlined words, it will take you to a link where you can check out the item.  As a disclaimer, if you purchase anything from this link, I will earn a small commission at no cost to you.

- The hummingbird feeder pictured above was made using a Hillshire Farms cold cut container for the base to hold the sugar water.   These containers almost always have a red top and I like to use them because hummingbirds are attracted to the color red.

- Please watch the two videos below to learn how to make the fairy and flower images for your hummingbird feeder. 

 - For this hummingbird feeder tutorial, you do not have to print them on wax paper (as shown in the video presentations below) since regular computer paper will work too.

- With either choice of wax paper or computer paper, all you need to do is cover them with clear contact paper before gluing them to your fairy jar.

"How to Make Fairy Rub-On Transfers"

"How to Download a Fairy Image into WP to Print on Wax Paper"

You will only need a few inexpensive supplies to make a hummingbird feeder of your own:

Glass Mason Jars (or another clear glass jar)

Flower & Fairy Cutouts (or watch the videos above to make your own)

Mod Podge

Glue Gun & Glue Sticks

Paint brush

Clear Glue

Clear Contact Paper

Plastic Container (preferably with red lid)

Drinking Nozzles (attach to most plastic bottles)

Scissors

Hole Puncher

Straws

Artificial flowers

A few more things before we begin...

- When attaching the cutouts to your mason jar, turn the jar upside down because you want the opening of the jar to fit into the container base.

- You can make a fairy hummingbird feeder with a plastic soda bottle and purchase a hummingbird feeder base for a plastic bottle online if you don't want to use a mason jar. 

- You can also find drinking nozzles online that can be attached to many standard size plastic bottles. 

If you have any questions, please leave them in the 'Comments' section below and I will be happy to help you out.

Now, onto our project...

DIRECTIONS

Step 1:

  Finding Images

Go to Pinterest or your favorite search engine.  In the search bar, type a term for an image of something you would like to decorate your mason jar with.

Some suggestions for your search...  You can use terms like 'flower fairies' or 'red flowers', 'butterflies' or 'dragonflies'.  Your search results in Pinterest for flower fairies should look like this...

Search Results in Pinterest
for the term 'Flower Fairies'

Step 2:

  Finding Images

  Downloading the Pattern

From the search results, decide on an image you would like to make into a fairy jar.  You are going to copy and paste it into a word processing document.

While on the image in the search results, 'left click' on it to make it larger at the top of the page.  Always save from the larger image to get the best results.

Place your mouse over the enlarged image at the top of the page, and while hovering over the image 'right click' on it and now select 'Copy Image' (see pic below)...

In another window, open a new blank word processing document (or preferably have one open before you start).

While in the new blank document, 'right click' again and select 'Paste' from the choices so that now your fairy image is in your word processing document (see picture below)...

Step 3:

  Resizing the Pattern

Once your pattern is downloaded into the WP document, you can now resize it, recolor it, and also format it to print the image in reverse.

It might also be a good idea to print at least four of the same image, two for the front, and two for the back of each earring pair.   So go ahead and copy and paste until you have four.

You don't have to put the image on the back too, but this is something I like to do so that I don't have to paint it later. 

You won't want to leave it unfinished with no color so either two or four is fine, however, just remember if you don't print four, then you will probably want to paint the back.

In order to figure out the size for your images, hold your earring blank up to the image on the screen in the WP document.  See the picture below...

'Left click' on the image and a black outline will appear around the image as you can see in the picture above.  Place your mouse on the corner and move it back and forth to make the image bigger or smaller.

If you would like the image reversed for the second earring, flip it using the 'Format Picture' commands in WP at the top of the page before printing.

Now we are ready to print it out!

Painting Freestyle

Well, finally out of desire to create a fairy jar that can be used as a night light, and not being able to purchase transparent fairy rub-on transfers for glass, I came up with an inexpensive way to make them myself.

I love the process of creating something out of nothing, I guess that's why I love crafting!  However, it's frustrating sometimes when I get an idea to make something and just can't quite seem to find the right supplies I need to make it.

This is where sheer determination comes in!  As my mom always told me when I was a child, "use your noodle, Nancy".  In case you don't know what the noodle is, it's your brain, LOL!  Brains can look like a noodle...get it?

...haha, okay, it's not THAT funny, but I just thought about my mom saying that to me, so I thought I'd share.  My lovely mom was full of sayings...

I came up with a way to make beautiful motifs using clear contact paper which can be purchased at any Walmart or Target or on line at Amazon.

 

 

Where can I find clipart to use in my glass jar projects? So you are basically going to be creating your own decoupage motifs and there are many places to find images for this purpose. One place to look is The Graphics Fairy where there are numerous categories of free printables.  Two categories you may be interested in checking out are Botanicals and Flower images. Or perhaps you would just like to start making your jars with Silhouettes from the Graphics Fairy.   You can cut pictures out of magazines.  There is also a large inventory of clip art on line that you can purchase the rights to, or you can use my tried and true way which is finding pictures on line by typing search words like ‘realistic flowers’ into Google and clicking on Images.   The following instructions outline an easy way to save and print images from your computer... 1.     In your browser, type the name of a flower, such as daffodils. Position the mouse over ‘Images’.  Hit Enter. 2.    You will see all sorts of pictures of daffodils as a result. 3.    Choose one you would like to work with (try to choose one that will be easy to cut out, with defined lines). Position your mouse over the picture. The picture should get a little larger. 4.    Now right-click on the picture you've selected and it will bring up a menu.  Select ‘Copy Image.’ 5.    Open up a word processing document in another window. 6.    In the word processing document, right-click and select ‘Paste.’ 7.    Your image will appear, and you can resize it simply by left-clicking again over the image, which should outline it with a black border and dots to mark the edges. With the size of the piece you're working on as a background in mind, resize the picture to fit by moving the mouse. 8.    Print on a color printer. Cut it out and paste it to your glass jar using Mod Podge.  A simple white craft glue like Elmers also works just fine to adhere your design; however, you will need Mod Podge to seal the piece when you are finished designing it. This will give it a polished and beautiful . 9.    This is an easy and inexpensive way to get flower pictures to use for decoupage projects!

Using a Stencil to Transfer a Design onto a Rock

One of my favorite methods for transferring a design onto a rock is through the use of stencils.

Here is a picture of a large rock I created using a daffodil stencil...

Daffodils Rock by nancymaggielee
(To see my painted rocks
please go to my Instagram page)

Many different craft stores carry a good selection of stencils, but there is probably a better selection available online and at different stenciling websites.

Here is a picture of just one of many daffodil stencils online through Amazon...

Daffodil Stencil

Stencil Kingdom has an enormous variety of stencils that come in all shapes and sizes...

This daffodil stencil is from Stencil Kingdom
(link highlighted in paragraph above)

Stencils are simply pieces of plastic with a design cut in it for outlining.

Using the above picture as a reference, the colors shown (yellow, green, and orange in this case) would be openings cut into the plastic.

You will fill them in using a form of painting which is called stenciling, which is using a special brush with a tapping motion.  You can learn more about exactly how to stencil by watching the videos below on this page.

The rock you would need for the daffodils pictured above would probably need to be quite wide as well as tall to fit these beautiful spring flowers onto it so keep that in mind when making your selection.

The hosta flowers pictured below would need a similarly shaped rock...

Hosta Flower Stencil

In the hosta flower example above the openings would be the violets and greens, respectively.  This picture is just showing the end result.

If you choose to paint a rock using the stencil method outlined on this page, here is the list of supplies you will need (all are affiliate links which only means I will make a small commission if you buy through this link at no cost to you):

Rocks (the link here is to small rocks) or slate
Stencil
Stencil brushes
Acrylic paints
Painters tape
Acrylic sealer


Learn how to stencil by watching the videos below:

How to Paint a Rock Using Stencils

Remember that one of the most important things to learn about getting a great result from stenciling is that the stencil brush should be relatively dry and drip-free as shown in the video directly above.

Here is my video from a few years back explaining how to stencil forget-me-nots:

A stencil is a great tool to use for many reasons.  Stencils come in so many different designs and sizes, the sky is the limit as to what you can paint or draw using a stencil.

Theorem stencils (non-affiliate link to Jean Hansen Publications) are stencils that come in multiple layers having different openings in each one.  This will give your design a realistic effect.

If you decide to purchase a theorem stencil, the instructions for how to use it will be included on the package.  You may want to purchase the exact colors the company recommends using with the theorem stencil you choose.

Jean Hansen Publications has a wide assortment of theorem stencils like the one pictured below...

Tulip Theorem Stencil

CrafTreat Stencils like the pansies and roses pictured below are also available on Amazon and offer a wide variety of multi-layered stencils which is another way of saying they are theorem stencils...

Theorem Stencils by CrafTreat

Gathering Supplies & Where Can I Find Rocks to Paint

Please visit my other blogs (click link below each blog's cover picture)...

Painting Rocks!

Crafty Girl Learn the Art of Decoupage

Hand-Painted Rocks

Crafty Girls Rock!

Hand-Painted Flower & Fairy Rocks