Making handcrafted Christmas ornaments can help ease people into festive holiday spirit. It also is a good way to bring the family, including little ones, together to create simple designs to be used as gifts or to serve as family keepsakes.

Ben Franklin stores offers an array of holiday decor making classes including wreath decorating, personalizing ornaments, holiday pins and card making.

Project sheets are available in stores or online at http://www.thejoyofcrafting.com. One project used miniature canvases that could be painted and transformed into Santa and snowman ornaments. Another simple project involved taking clear plastic or glass ornaments that could be filled with colorful shredded paper or small beads as a backdrop to paint and use other embellishment outside.

Here are some examples of the types of ornaments that have been featured at in-store classes:

ORNAMENT GEMS

Supplies:
2 large flat craft glass marbles
Ribbon for hanging
2 pony beads
Mod Podge (decoupage glue) and brush
2 photographs
Scissors
Craft glue
Pencil

Begin by tracing photo using the craft glass marble as a template. Cut the photos and attach, face up, to the back of the marble using Mod Podge. Repeat with a second marble. Glue both glass marbles together.

Fold the ribbon in half so that lengths are the same. Place pony bead over the folded end and move down about 5 inches creating a hanger. Begin adhering the ribbon to top and each side of the glass marbles so that the ribbon meets on the bottom. This will mask the seam of the glass marbles. Place another pony bead over both ends of the ribbon and knot to secure beads.

RIBBON ORNAMENT

Supplies:
Styrofoam ball
Ribbon, 3 to 4 styles, 1/4- to 1/2-inch wide, cut in 8-inch lengths
T-pin
Tacky glue
Craft knife
Stylus, pen or pencil

Choose 3 to 4 ribbons in coordinating print and solid colors. Begin cutting lengths and create a pattern. Next, cut a cone-shaped hole in the bottom of the ball (this will be used to hide the ends of the ribbon). Begin by finding the center of the top of the ornament, and drape ribbon over the ball wrapping to the bottom. Put glue on the ends of the ribbon, and place in the ends in hole on bottom and secure ends in the hole.

Place the next ribbon across the top, creating an X, and glue and secure the ends in the hole. Continue as though you were cutting slices of pie. Once you have the ball divided into twelfths, repeat covering all exposed areas with ribbon and secure at bottom. Glue might need to be added to the hole of the ornament. Poke ends in firmly with the end of stylus, pencil (eraser end) or capped pen.

Place a T-pin on the top, and slip a ribbon hanger through the T-end of the pin and hang.

”;Handmade”; will present a simple craft idea for the holidays each Sunday through Christmas. E-mail Nancy Arcayna at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).