Make a Floating Photo Ornament

You may have most of your holiday shopping done by now, but maybe you’re still looking for something special for that white elephant exchange at work, or something for that friend who is hard to shop for.  How about a unique ornament that no one else will have?

When I saw the post about these crystal balls, I was inspired to put my own photos inside clear ornaments, rather than stock graphics.  My kids had fun posing for the pictures, and they laugh at their unique ornaments.  I think these ornaments would be equally (if not more entertaining) if you were to use the photo of a favorite celebrity, sports team, or any other personality.

DIY Silly Ornament

Project estimate:

  • Clear ornament, $1
  • Printable Transparency Film, about $5 and up
  • Photos, on hand
  • Printer, on hand
  • Ribbon, on hand
Total:  about $6
Step one:  Take a photo of your child, and ask them to imagine that they are trapped in a bubble.
Juliana
Step two:  Use photo editing software to erase the background.  I used a free online program called PicMonkey.
print
Step three:  Print the images on transparency paper.
trace
Step four:  Trace a circle around the photo.  Make the circle slight smaller than the size of the ornament.
roll film
Step five:  Roll the image up to insert it into the ornament.
Trapped in ornament DIY
Add a ribbon and display your funny ornament! If you don’t want to be humorous, these would look beautiful with a special moment captured inside.  I think wedding pictures would look awesome in an ornament.  What picture will you capture for the holidays?