Tools & Materials

I thought it might be helpful to provide some additional information about the materials and tools I use most often for making ornaments. I am not affiliated in any way with any of these companies and receive no remuneration from them (or anyone else). These are just the products that I use.

Glues

Tacky Glue

I use tacky glue for almost all of the general gluing on these ornaments, especially for paper. It's great for

I like Aleene's best; it comes in several varieties, but the original works fine for most applications. It's quick to grab and holds really well. There are other brands -- Elmer's, for example, makes a tacky glue; it holds well, but I find it slower to set up, and for that reason I don't like it as well for making the paper models, where you need a fairly quick grab.

Goop

Santa brings me a new large tube of GOOP every Christmas and it lasts me the whole year, even if I'm making a lot of ornaments. This adhesive is great for tasks where tacky glue isn't suitable. I use it for gluing metal to metal (for example, on the Button-Badge ornaments or the Juice Lid ornaments) or metal to plastic (as on the Flaming Cameo or Snowflake Cameo ornaments). It comes in a variety of versions, any of which work for crafts.

An alternative to Goop, if you feel in need of one, is E6000. I have only recently tried it and have found it very similar. I have a slight preference for the Goop, though I'll admit I like the applicator tip on the E6000 better. 

Another possibility is Velcro Adhesive. I used to use it all the time, but although I believe they still make it, it doesn't seem to be as readily available anymore.

Beacon Adhesives

I recently discovered this excellent line of glues from Beacon. They are more expensive than tacky glue, but cheaper than Goop, and they can often serve where I would formerly have reached for the Goop. They are better than tacky glue for gluing fabric and adding embellishments to fabric crafts. You can also use them to stick trims to plastic or metal surfaces. I still use tacky glue for gluing paper, and Goop for the tough jobs, but for other tasks I really like these.

Glitter Glue

I really like Elmer's glitter glue and have used it on many of the ornaments on the site, such as the Scrollsaw Frame ornaments, the Matchbox Mini Crate, and the Geodesic Ball ornament. It comes in several colors, including iridescent, gold, red, and silver. The iridescent is especially useful for ice and snow effects, and I frequently use gold for trimming the edges of folded ornaments.

Elmer's also make a glitter paint that contains pigment along with the glitter, so that it offers a bit more coverage than the glue. However, the glitter inside is silver rather than the same color as the paint -- something to keep in mind when you're planning your ornament.

Last year I was tickled to discover a great dollar store glitter glue, as good as the Elmer's and about half the price. I also found colors in this glue that weren't available in the Elmer's brand, at least not at my local retailer. But as so often happens, it seems to have been discontinued recently. The same dollar store now carries smaller bottles of glitter glue that I think may be the same formula, but so far I haven't had a chance to try it out.

Glue Gun - Not recommended for ornaments

I know that some people swear by these useful tools; I myself have owned and used a glue gun for several decades. It's great if you need a temporary hold and a quick set-up, but there are a lot of applications where it's just not the right choice.

First, in my experience it just doesn't give a good bond on non-porous materials such as metal or plastic, or even some cardboard. Once dry, both tacky glue and GOOP give a better, longer-lasting bond. Since I want my ornaments to last for years, I don't find hot glue to be an appropriate choice.

Second, although I know that there are newer guns with fine tips that give better control, mine is an older model and I find it difficult to control where the glue goes or even how much comes out with each application. For this reason, I don't find hot glue suitable for projects that require fine maneuvering.

Third, given how quickly the hot material sets up, there's not much "working time" for positioning small attachments. You might be able to offset this problem if you use a glue pot to heat the glue instead of a glue gun, and can then apply small amounts using a toothpick, but there are other drawbacks that make it problematic for ornament making.

Fourth, it can give very nasty burns. This glue is actually a molten plastic, which is not only very hot, but also difficult to remove if it drips onto your skin. Until it cools, it continues to burn into your skin, creating potentially serious burns. I don't know anyone who uses a glue gun who has not sustained burns. This is especially the case when you are working on small, finely detailed items.

Because of the danger of burns, hot glue is not safe to use when kids are around. Never let a child use a hot glue gun or glue pot. Choose other glue if you're working around children.

Fifth, because it's actually a molten plastic and not really glue, it remains temperature-sensitive forever, and its adherence can be affected by heat, cold, moisture, and time. Ornaments stored in an attic or garage, or hung near a radiator, could actually come apart when the glue softens. For this reason I do not use a glue gun for making ornaments that I intend to keep for years. Use your glue gun instead for short-term, one-use projects like party decorations or Halloween costumes that won't be re-used.

Finally, I have found that many types of hot glue can discolor over time to an ugly brown, which is extremely unattractive when it shows on the ornaments you have lovingly crafted. By contrast, I have items made with GOOP and tacky glue that have lasted years and I have not seen a similar discoloration from either of these glues.

 In sum, although I own several glue guns and like them for certain applications, I don't use them for making ornaments and just can't recommend them for the projects on this site, for these reasons:

  • Hot glue just doesn't make a good bond for non-porous materials such as metal or plastic.
  • It doesn't stand up well to fluctuations in temperature and humidity, so is not a good choice for creating heirloom items.
  • It can be difficult to control the flow and amount of hot glue that comes out with each squeeze of the trigger.
  • The quick set-up time doesn't leave much time to position elements on fussy projects like these small ornaments.
  • Many types of hot glue will discolor to an ugly brown over time, ruining the ornaments you've lovingly crafted.
  • It's REALLY HOT, and could actually melt some of your craft materials (such as  the mylar on buttons, for instance).
  • It BURNS!!! Because it can be difficult to control the flow of hot glue from the gun, it's very easy to burn yourself, sometimes quite badly. If the glue gets on your skin, it's difficult to remove and will continue to burn until it cools.
  • It is hazardous to use where kids are around. Although the ornaments on the site aren't exactly kids' crafts, it's hard to keep little ones away when you're doing something fun. If there are likely to be kids around your work space, use tacky glue instead!!

NOTE

The term "glue gun" is something of a misnomer, since this stuff isn't actually glue. Instead, it is a thermoplastic that melts and then re-solidifies. Unlike real glue, it does not actually cure, and it remains temperature-sensitive forever. Actual glue undergoes a chemical transfor-mation as it dries, and it cannot be reconstituted as liquid glue after it has been allowed to cure. 

If you want your creations to last a long time, choose real glue rather than hot "glue". 

Podgy or Mod Podge

This product, or one of its competitors, is a must for decoupage (as on the Diorama 3-D  or Paper Tole 3-D ornaments, or the Decoupaged Hardboard ornaments) and is also useful for adding a finish and sheen to the various cardboard ornaments.

Some people feel they can get a reasonably decent result with diluted white glue -- the recipe usually given is 1 part glue and 1 part water, though I would be inclined to make it 2-1 glue/water if I were going to go this way.  And although it may work for some applications, I suspect that this concoction is missing some of the ingredients that make Mod Podge so versatile.

I have used Lewiscraft podgy in the past, and I liked it for decoupage (sadly, Lewiscraft is no more).  I think Mod Podge may give a better finish when used as a varnish. I haven't found it to be a smooth as I like -- possibly because the bottle I was using had thickened a bit.

Make sure that you always let Mod Podge dry completely between coats; leave it overnight to be sure, especially if you live in a humid climate. Never, ever put another coat of this stuff over a previous coat that has not fully dried. If you do, you may find that it never dries -- and I do mean never.

Some years ago I was given a decoupaged item by a friend who had made this mistake. It was still tacky when I got it, and it never ever got better. I kept the sticky thing around for five years hoping that it would eventually dry, but it literally NEVER did. It alsoattracted every speck of dust or pet hair that floated past, and was a real monstrosity by the time I finally threw it out.

Beads & Baubles & Doodads

Almost any little doodad can be pressed into use in making an ornament. I save a variety of items in my crafting stash, and you'll see many of them in the projects on the site.

Beads come in a huge variety of styles and materials, from plastic to glass and metal, and a wide range of prices. Many of the beads I use on the ornaments are glass specialty beads, but just as often they are less expensive plastic craft beads of various types.

You can often find lovely variety packs just right for an ornament or two at your local dollar store. Threaded on wire, beads can add a lovely finishing touch to your ornaments as dangles and trim.  I keep a stash handy in case the urge to craft hits me in the wee hours.

Fishing Spinners (Swivels) are intended for making fishing lures, but they are great for ornaments too, because they permit the item to rotate a full 360 degrees while hanging on the tree. Use a jump ring to attach them to the top of your ornament. 

I use them for ornaments that should be viewed from all sides, such as the Geodesic Ball or the Cube Octahedron, and have added them to some of my commercial ornaments as well as my handmades. 

Card stock is the foundation of a lot of the ornaments on the site, and you really should keep some handy. You can buy card stock, of course, but often the cardboard you need for a project is free for the recycling. In my stash I keep the following:

  • cereal or other product boxes
  • used greeting cards
  • 110-pound white card stock for printing from the computer
  • 110-pound colored card stock
  • used business cards
  • index cards, large and small
  • empty facial tissue boxes
  • inner rolls from paper towels and toilet paper


In the last two weeks alone I have used some of this cardboard for the following projects:

  • glued three layers of cereal box card to make an ornament;
  • secured appliance cords with toilet paper rolls;
  • made Christmas crackers with paper towel rolls;
  • made drawer organizers from facial tissue boxes;
  • labeled storage boxes by writing on the backs of used business cards and gluing them in place;
  • made trace-around templates for Christmas stockings using cereal box card;
  • made a geodesic ornament from a used Christmas card;
  • printed new hazard cards for a family game using 110-pound cardstock;
  • folded origami jewellery boxes from used greeting cards;
  • printed a cover for a sewing machine manual on 110-pound cardstock;
  • used an old Christmas card to make a new Christmas-themed cover for a coil notebook, replacing the generic cover; now it's a stocking stuffer!

Craft wire is used for making jump rings and hanging loops, as well as dangles for beads. I always keep some handy; 18-gauge brass or aluminum wire is most versatile for crafts. I also keep a supply of glitter stems, pipecleaners, and chenille stems on hand, and I even save the metal coils from used notebooks, which I used to make the Beaded Twirligig ornaments.

Small toys can be incorporated into ornaments. If they're 3" or more, they can be used as- is, or if they're under 2" they can be added as dangles. The plastic they're made of is often soft enough that a small loop of wire can be pushed into the vinyl to accommodate a hook or jump ring.

When I visit thrift and dollar stores, I watch for small figurines and toys, including:

  • keychains, which are often the right size for an ornament; 
  • novelty molded erasers;
  • McDonald's happy meal toys;
  • Kinder Surprise figures;
  • doll accessories and shoes;
  • fancy jingle bells;
  • animal figurines;
  • costume jewellery earrings;
  • tiny dolls and cars

I currently have a collection of small figurines of Wallace & Gromit, Harry Potter, Simpsons, and Peanuts just waiting to be turned into ornaments.

Thread spools can come in handy for making ornaments. I don't like to buy them new, so I routinely keep them when I use up a spool of thread; I also watch for them when I am in the thrift store.

Wooden ones are best and most versatile, but I also keep the plastic ones, which can be quite colorful.

Tools & Gadgets

Button Maker

I use a lot of button/badges as components in my ornament-making projects. They are a great way to make personalized and specialty ornaments with a nice professional finish, but if you can't, or don't want to, purchase a button-making machine,  click here to find some alternatives you could try.

If you are interested in a button maker of your own, here's my quick review of some of the options available.

You can get an inexpensive button maker (the red hand press shown at right) for about USD $50  from Badge a Minit. (It's the one I started out with). This machine makes buttons in one size only --  2 3/8" --  perfect for ornaments -- and comes with parts to make 10 buttons. (You can also buy additional press parts to make buttons in a couple of other sizes). The machine is quite easy to use and is suitable for a hobbyist who makes buttons occasionally.

A couple of caveats: this is a very inexpensive machine, and the failure rate can be high: some users claim as much as 70%. I used one of these machines for years, and that figure seems high to me, so I suspect some of it is user error, but I will say that it does take practice to get a consistently good result. Second, this machine takes specialty parts which are pricier than the standard ones, which will add to the cost if you make lots of buttons. Third, the hand press and the dies are made of plastic, and the presses have been known to give way after years of use.  B-a-M used to have a free replacement program: if your press gave out, you could write to them and they'd send you a new one. However, they seem to have scaled back their operation and I no longer see the replacement program featured on their website.  All of that said, my own press lasted for years and made good buttons throughout its life, and at this price point it remains a bargain.

A relatively new entry into the market is this one, available from Amazon, and badged with a variety of brand names ("Happizza", "Homegroove", and "Kosie Jinn" are three, but there are others). It makes three different sizes of button (1", 1.5", and 2.25"), which is fun. I haven't tried this machine myself, but many users who have posted videos on youtube seem to be happy enough, at least on first use.

At this writing, these machines range between $159-$179 CDN with three die sets included. It's a good deal for a hobbyist who wants to make only a few buttons -- as long as it keeps working. 

Unfortunately, the machine is plastic, which means that it will eventually fail -- how long that takes depends of course on your rate of usage, but I've read that it can happen in only a month if you use it a lot. The plastic dies are easily damaged, and once that happens, the buttons will no longer form properly. However, if your machine gets only light use, you may find that it's good value for the price. If you plan on making any volume, you might want to consider something more substantial.

I'm not certain, but I suspect that this machine, like the Badge-a-Minit, requires non-standard parts, which may be pricier than the industry standard ones. If you plan to buy, you might want to check this out first. 

Another recent entry into the market is the We R Memory-Keepers button maker. It comes with a single die, but you can purchase dies to make other sizes, and even a heart-shaped set . . . an attractive option. I've not seen this machine to assess it myself, but the reviews on youtube seem to be generally favourable.  Most of these seem to have been produced when the machines were new, so it's unclear how well they will stand up with repeated use. They are made mainly of plastic, so would potentially have the same issues as the green one above. They seem to be somewhat pricier than that one. I'm not sure if they can use inex-pensive standard parts; if not, the WRM parts struck me as very expensive by comparison.

A more robust and reliable bet if you want a single machine that makes multiple sizes, still at the hobbyist level, is the all-metal Flex1000 and Flex2000 machines available from Flex Button Makers.  Both use standard button parts, which tend to be cheaper than the specialty sizes. They also produce a consistently reliable product, and each makes multiple sizes of buttons.

The downside of these machines is that they are *much* more costly -- at this writing, the  model 1000 with three die sets is $723 CDN, and the model 2000 with three die sets is $1203 CDN. Additional die sets run around $250 CDN.

On the plus side, these are solidly made all-metal machines, with no plastic components to potentially fail. They will give consistently good results for years, even if you use them regularly.

I have some experience with the Flex1000 machine, and can attest to its robustness and reliability. Until recently, these machines were significantly less expensive than buying the individual metal machines below, and under those circumstances I might have opted for one of these had they been available when I first began button-making.

Dedicated North American-made machines such as the one at right (available from Tecre or American Button Machines) are a high-quality option if you're thinking of making a large number of buttons, such as you might do for a home-based business. They come in a range of sizes and consistentlyproduce perfect buttons with ease. Each machine makes only one size of button and they range in price from USD $269 each for the more common sizes (machine only -- cutters and parts are extra) to as much as $1800 for oval or rectangular sizes.

As prices stand at the moment, these machines are a great bargain: the cost for three of the most popular sizes (1", 1.25", 1.5", or 2.25") is actually less than the three-die Flex2000 machine above, and competitive with the Flex1000 set. If you're making lots of buttons, or are a hard-core gadget queen like me, you can't go wrong with these machines. I know I've been very satisfied with the ones I own, and -- this would be significant for those who intend to make a lot of buttons -- these machines do take inexpensive standard parts.

Hole Punch for Metal and Thick Materials

Of course, you can always use a finish nail to make a hole in a puzzle piece or a can lid, but that method doesn't always make smooth holes and may damage your item. Hole punches are a better option and very nice to have on hand.

A heavy-duty hole punch will put a neat hole in tin cans, coins, thick cardboard, puzzle pieces, leather belting, and many more similar items. This model can be a little awkward to manipulate and it's difficult sometimes to position the hole exactly where you want it, but this baby will punch through almost anything that will fit between its jaws. It won't cut tempered steel, but it will cut cans, coins, metal washers, thick cardboard or leather, and some kinds of soft plastic (brittle plastic will shatter). The dies come in several sizes, starting at 3/32" (about 2.24mm).

For punching through lightweight metals like the button shells or even some tin can lids, you can use a small jeweller's plier-style metal punch like the orange pair shown. They make teeny holes suitable for adding jump rings (about 1.25mm, or just over 3/64") but won't punch heavier materials such as coins.

A Crop-a-dile tool made for scrapbooking can also be used to punch holes in puzzle pieces, thicker cardboard, and lightweight metals. It makes holes in two sizes and can also be used to apply eyelets, so it's an all-around versatile tool for any craft room.

Note: Inexpensive hand-held craft punches made for paper are not made for punching holes in thick materials or multiple layers; if you try to use them on  puzzle pieces, thick cardboard, tin cans, fabric, or other heavy materials, they will break or twist out of shape. Save them for punching holes in a single sheet of paper or thin cardstock.

Pliers

I add bead dangles to a lot of my ornaments, and I couldn't get along without my round-nose pliers. Use them for forming loops in the ends of wire when you make the dangles.

My favorite round-nose pliers have a built-in wire cutter, but I also make frequent use of wire-cutting pliers. (Please don't use your good scissors -- or any scissors! -- for this purpose!)

At a minimum you'll need a pair of side-cutters (the red-handled pair), but end-cutters (the ones with yellow handles) are also useful sometimes -- especially if you are making your own jump rings.

When making ornaments, you will mostly be cutting lightweight craft wire -- 16-18 gauge -- or pipecleaners/chenille stems. These cutters are also great for snipping the shanks off buttons if you want to use them as surface decorations for the ornaments.

A pair of needle-nosed pliers (like this blue-handled pair) is also handy for opening and closing jump rings.