Belznickle Blogspot : Painting Ideas for Wooden Ornaments

When I was a little girl, wooden flats were sold for mere pennies at stores like Ben Franklin, Woolworth's and TG&Y. Children could select their own preferences from dozens of varieties and pay a dime or quarter for each one. Wooden ornaments would fall from tree branches and not break, which was and still is a big advantage in homes with many pets, children and generally boisterous play.

Selection of 13 store bought wooden flats that I painted for a child's Christmas tree.

Wooden flats and some three-dimensional designs are included here to aid young ones in their craft projects during the holidays. Although contemporary versions of wooden ornaments do not ordinarily come with directions or design applications, I will include some examples below from as early as the 1970s that have printing directly onto the wood. Wooden flats may be found in hobby shops, small independent retailers, dollar stores, and online all year long, but are most popular during the winter holidays. Parents and older siblings may collect the following ordinary supplies for their projects:

acrylic, or poster paints - These may be diluted with water and therefore better suited to young children's art projects and they are non-toxic for the most part. Check the labels just to make certain that you are aware of the paint's properties before handing them over to children. Paint colors you will need: red, yellow, blue, green, purple, orange, black, white and brown.
acrylic sealer - This comes in a spray version or a liquid wash. This should be applied in a well ventilated area after the paint has dried on the wooden surfaces. Read the instructions before using it. Only an adult or much older brother or sister should use it.
If you do not have help from an adult in applying the acrylic sealer, you many use Mod Podge instead; it is safe for young students to work with.
A selection of small tipped paint brushes, toothpicks and sponges
sharpened wooden pencils
a small plastic paint palette, plastic lid or even a piece of cardboard to squeeze your paints onto
a few sheets of sandpaper (not too rough!)
erasers, pink school brand is best
a wet rag and a small disposable dish/cup for water
Collect ribbon, string or twine for looping through the holes of your ornaments to hang them. If your ornament has no whole, I will demonstrate to you how to add a variety of hangers to them.
Newsprint or an oil cloth to cover a table's surface and keep it paint free. If you do not own an oil cloth cover for your furniture where young people will be crafting, purchase one. These are a must have in order to preserve valuable table tops.
You may also want to wear an old shirt or apron to protect your clothes from paint spills as well.
Make sure to set up your Christmas workshop in a well lighted area, with lots of table space for spreading out your craft supplies.

Painted designs for wooden flats by kathy grimm just for kids!

Designs Including Wooden Craft Sticks:

Additional Crafts & Collections of Wooden Ornaments:

I painted these four inch nutcrackers for the tree one year and also glued on their hair pieces.
These could be purchased from Hobby Lobby several years ago in packages of six,
unpainted and without beards. (history)

The identical processes may also be applied to cardboard cut-outs for those children who may not have the pocket change to purchase wooden flats. Add cardboard, scissors and white school glue to the supply list above in order to craft the projects below.

Free patterns and painted designs for the cardboard cut-outs are by kathy grimm for personal craft projects only:

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Painting Ideas for Wooden Ornaments

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