With the loss of my little Cocoa this past summer and being stuck in bed this entire holiday season, my thoughts were on her a lot. She was quite a character and loved to rip our presents open. You can see her ears flying madly as she shredded the paper on this gift. This was serious business for Cocoa, she made us all laugh 😂

So to keep a reminder of Cocoa at Christmas, I made this ornament. It’s a beautiful way to remember those we’ve lost whether our furry kids or family and friends. It’s also a great way to create a custom keepsake for special moments. This started as a simple paper mache circle ornament, but wood would work just as well.

Supplies

• 3.75″ Paper Mache Circle Ornament or Wood Ornament
• Gesso
• Acrylic paint in coordinating color to match photos
• 3.5″ circle photograph of your loved one
• 3.25″ x 2.5″ rectangular/freeform photograph of your love one
• Golden Matte Medium
• Posca Paint Marker .7mm
• Sakura Pen .005 or other Waterproof Fine Tip Marker
• 14″ Trim of your choice
• Stickles – Star Dust
• Aleene’s Tacky Glue

Instructions

1. Paint your paper mache ornament with gesso and let dry.
2. Paint your entire ornament, including the edges with the acrylic paint using a 3/4″ flat brush. Let dry. Give it a second coat if needed.
3. Print and cut your photographs to fit the ornament. The approximate sizes are listed above.
4. Using the matte medium, adhere your photograph to one side of the ornament. Apply a coat of matte medium over your photograph to seal and protect it. Let dry. {Note: depending on the ink you use to print your photo, you may want to test the matte medium on a sample photo to make sure the ink doesn’t bleed.}
5. Follow step 4 with the 2nd photo on the other side. Let dry.
6. Add any names, dates or sentiments with your Sakura pen.
7. Using the your Posca pen, add little stars and doodles. Let dry.
8. Accent one side of your ornament with Stickles and let dry. Then repeat on the other side if desired. Let dry.
9. Last, using Aleene’s Tacky Glue, adhere your trim to the edge of the ornament and cut off any excess. Now you have a beautiful keepsake of your loved one or that special moment.

I hope you enjoy creating your custom keepsake. Keep in mind, these would also make great gifts too 😊

Thanks for stopping by!!

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