Dollar Store DIY Chalkboard Ornaments

I know I’m not the only person who has messy handwriting, but trying to write with chalk somehow makes it even worse. So when I found these chalkboard ornaments in the basement that I had forgotten about from last year, I was hesitant to attempt to use them… I knew they would look like sh*t. But after some persistent brainstorming, I came up with a simple solution: all I needed was some white vinyl and I could make this work!

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen these same ornaments in ANY dollar stores this year.

I used my favourite Rae Dunn inspired font The Skinny by Jusebox, which you can find here for the vinyl. I had three boxes that came with two ornaments each so the words I chose were merry, joy, wish, love, bright and hope.

ETC: 30 minutes – 1 hour

Supplies:
– Blank chalkboard ornaments
– White vinyl
– Transfer tape
– Ribbon

The hardest part of applying vinyl to a curved surface (or any surface for that matter) is ensuring that it’s straight. The easiest way to do this is by using a washable marker or just eyeing the transfer tape lines, which is what I do. Don’t try to smooth out the transfer tape in an effort to get the vinyl to flatten and stick. Carefully and firmly press down each letter, one at a time, as you peel the transfer tape back. That way you can be sure your letters are exactly where you want them to be once the transfer tape is fully removed, and not creased or crooked.

Much better than chalk!

You can add whatever ribbon you’re feeling depending on the vibe, I chose to keep the ribbon that came on the ornament. These specific ornaments make great teachers gifts!

Stay inspired,
Kendra

DIY Confetti Filled Vinyl Ornaments

ETC: 20-40 minutes

Supplies:
– Plastic ornaments
– Ribbon and twine
– Confetti

– Vinyl

I wanted to combine the Rae Dunn inspired ornaments with fun confetti filled ornaments! I love how they turned out and you can easily customize the vibe for the ornaments. Everything except the vinyl is from Dollarama!

First you’ll want to apply the vinyl words to the ornaments so you don’t have to worry about holding the twine and ribbon out of the way. I used my Cricut Explore Air 2 to cut the black vinyl. I used The Skinny font by Jusebox which you can download here. It’s completely free for personal use!

Once I applied the vinyl onto my ornaments, I made a paper funnel to easily pour the confetti into the ornament. I recommend filling the ornaments to the bottom of the letters (about 1/4 full) so it has a reverse snow globe effect.

After I popped the tops of the ornaments in place to contain the confetti, I tied the twine onto them in small loops. Then I tied the bow onto the top of the ornament so I would hide the knots from the twine.

I love how effortless these special ornaments are. A set of these would make a unique gift to family and friends this holiday season. I think I’m going to make a reindeer set next…

Stay inspired,
Kendra

Dollar Store DIY Wooden Ornaments

These adorable wooden ornaments cost less than $2 to make!

ETC: 20-40 minutes

Supplies:
– Blank wooden ornaments
– Stencil
– Paint and paint brush
– Ribbon


Once the holiday decor began to hit the shelves at Dollarama, the first thing that caught my eye were these wooden ornaments! I didn’t know exactly how I wanted to decorate them but I had to have them.

They come in packs of 4 for $1.25 CAD, with a thin red ribbon. I wanted to change the ribbon to make the wood look less plain, so I went with a candy cane twine from Michael’s; I also used this for my DIY card display!

I used my Cricut Explore Air 2 to cut the stencils I used to paint the words onto the ornaments, using the Cricut adhesive stencil vinyl. After a few minutes of seeking out the perfect font, I tried The Skinny by Jusebox which you can download here. It’s completely free for personal use!

It took some trial and error to get the size of the font just right and it’s also personal preference. I made the font slightly smaller than I originally planned, so I could fit all of the holiday words I brainstormed (such as sleigh, elves, merry, etc.) on the 12×12 Cricut mat.

After I used Cricut transfer tape to apply the stencil to the ornaments, I used black acrylic paint and a small foam brush to paint on the words. Each ornament takes less than 20 minutes to dry!

The first set I made!

I’m going to make another set except add a thin wreath around the inner edge of the ornament. I’ll post an update of them here soon!

Stay inspired,
Kendra