Make a merry little tinsel-backed Santa...

A vintage tinsel-back wire trim ornament
surrounds and highlights Santa's face.

       Recycling 'scraps,' charms, or clay novelties was common practice among Victorians. They believed that one could never have too much ''bling'' on a Christmas tree, so naturally adding tinsel to any small novelty was appropriate for the season during that era. 

       Here you see that I have crafted a simple ornament in much the same attitude with tinsel stripped from last year's gift wrapping scraps and a magnet saved from a twenty year old craft stash in the basement. 

        Wether you wish to admit it or not, I'm sure some of our readers could make one similar to this from several forgotten boxes of rubbish in their own attics and crawl spaces!

   Supply List:

• wire wrapped tinsel garland (any color)
• recycled Christmas refrigerator magnets
• hot glue gun and hot glue
• wire snips or old scissors 
• scrap cardboard
• scrap decorative paper or old wrapping paper
• white tacky glue

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. To remove the magnet from the Santa face I soaked the bottom in soapy hot water. This loosened the glue. Then I inserted a butter knife between the glue and resin to pop off the magnet with little effort.
2. Then I traced around the half head with a pencil on top of a small piece of scrap cardboard. 
3. Around the cardboard cut-out, I shaped a ''teardrop'' using red tinsel wire that ended in a bow. 
4. Around the bow I then twisted white wire into a bow and then wrapped it's remainder around the cardboard cut-out.
5. Then I hot glued the mask to the wrapped cardboard cut-out.
6. Next came a little holly and leaf trim attached with glue to the wire bow along with a hook for hanging.

Far left, are a couple of Santa head magnets left over from Christmas decoration for a refrigerator 
or clipboard. Center, is the tinsel wire wrap to emphasize the festive nature of Santa. Right, 
even more white tinsel added to highlight Santa's features.