Artful Thursday - Clearance Ornament Do-Over

Welcome to week 3 of Artful Thursdays!

Everyone knows about after Christmas sales...you know, where you go to see what is left after all the "good" stuff is scavenged? I was recently at Hobby Lobby, and, with no intention of buying any more ornaments, I happened upon these huge, plastic fake crystal ornaments begging for a makeover. I saw one hanging limply from a peg, broken, with the large crystal hanging out and that "a hah!" moment came over me. I discovered that the whole ornament comes apart and the parts are way more cool than the sum!

So I've been thinking about what I would do with these. They are, once dissected, like a stash of mini-frames, waiting to be filled.

Here is how they began life...Here is the frame I was after when I was finished prying apart the pieces...
Now the fun can begin!
Artful Thursday Interruption!!!

Okay, Artful Thursday just was interrupted for a message from our son-in-law returning home from Iraq...our house is now a flurry as my daughter gets permission to go to see him a few days early before he is released on Saturday, so we are in a hurry to pack her, my two younger daughters who want to go with her, and their new baby...so stay tuned, I will post the results of my Artful adventure when I return from work today...I hope I haven't dismayed too many, and I do hope and will keep my fingers crossed that you will return for the final chapter. See you about noon, CST.

EDIT: Okay, I'm back on track. Since one of Julie's comments on her original post was about "using it or sending it on it's way..." I've been faithfully committed to using up supplies that I have on hand...this could take forever!

The first thing I did was to take off the fake silver shine of the plastic ornament by brushing on white gesso. It sticks to many smooth surfaces and I like the way it almost instantly ages the plastic. With a bunch o'stuff, I just played...auditioned, took plain white flowers and glittered them up...buttons, earrings, ink, some Stickles, and one of my favorite items to create with, seashells.

I'm always looking for ways to recycle items to fit my aesthetic. Sometimes it takes a while to see what it "could" be, but half the fun is in the brainstorming.

Here's hoping you'll be able to sneak some time to live artfully!