Custom Christmas Ornament Student Gifts

I tend to go a little overboard at Christmastime for my class. I teach at a Title 1 school that is about 85% free and reduced lunch. I can't help but to spoil them!

This year, as par of their gift I decided to make them custom ornaments, using my wonderful Silhouette Cameo.

Seriously, if you don't have one of these bad boys, you need one!

I tried to take pictures of my process, but there were a couple times I forgot...oops!

First of all I bought these acrylic ornaments through a group deal from My Vinyl Direct. 

I can't remember the exact price, but it was a lot cheaper when I bough them.

You just peel the brown paper from both sides. What is really cool, is the ornaments come with the svg files for you, so you have the shape for Silhouette Studio. You will need the Designer Edition to use svg files.

I traced the svg file and detached.

I filled it to green so I knew what it would look like. Then typed the students name.

Of course I had to use KG Always a Good Time, then welded the name so it would be one cut!

Then filled that to white and rotated and resized so it would fit inside my bulb.

I repeated the process 3 more times, since I was making 4 ornaments from each color of vinyl.

Then I selected all of the pieces and flipped horizontally. 

This is important, because I wanted to apply the vinyl to the back of the ornament. I just liked that look better than it being on the front. 

 I loaded my vinyl, and sent my image to the machine and let it do its magic!

Now is where I forgot to take pictures. You'll need transfer tape. I've heard clear contact paper works great too. I cut off the vinyl that had my shapes. Then weeded it so I had just the light bulbs. The names were still inside. I took my transfer tape and laid it over the strip of 4. Then used my smoother to scrape over the tape to ensure the vinyl was lifted. Then I cut the individual ornaments. 

Next, I weeded with my hook tool the names out. Don't forget the insides of the letters, and the dots for I's! After I weeded, I carefully lined the transfer tape on the ornament.

I smoothed out the tape, then gently peeled from the corner. 

If any vinyl was hanging over the edge, I just took my finger and pressed it over the edge. 

 Voila!

I just paper clips to poke through the hole. 

The kiddos hung up their ornaments, and will take them home for break!

This class is OBSESSED with cursive, and almost all of them choose to write their name

in cursive rather than print, so I knew this was perfect for them.

They were so excited!

They will also be getting new books, puzzles, ear buds, crayons (buy at the beginning of the year on sale), smelly bookmarks, dry erase marker and color changing pencil.

I told I go overboard! #sorrynotsorry

What do you do for your students for the holidays?