Josie's Christmas Wishes & Walnut Cradle Ornament

For those of you who wondered what Josie asked Santa to bring her for Christmas on yesterday's post, she asked Santa to bring her more superhero toys, cars and a PUPPY! With 2 cats, I think our house is complete in the pet department. Our kitten Luna is so darn busy...kinda like Josie!

I don't think Josie will be disappointed. Technically, the dollhouse is a gift from Chris and I. However, an electronic racetrack might just magically appear along with a few more superhero books from Santa. I'm noticing a trend. Racetrack for Daddy. Dollhouse for Mommy.

I promised on this post, that I would attempt to make my own walnut Christmas cradle ornaments for Josie and Emma based on this one that my mother made years ago.

Although I didn't have the sweet rose fabric that my mother used, I'm fairly pleased with how my versions turned out.

Supplies:
Walnut shells (cracked in half)
Fabric (cut into a square measuring 3 inches long by 1 inch wide)
Trim
Poly-Fil (or cotton balls)
Hot glue
Bead (painted with a tiny face) or a tiny wooden figurine ornament
String for hanging the ornament

Cracking the shells in half is a bit tricky. I didn't take any pictures during this part, but I found that if you insert the tip of a knife (or a miniature flat head screw driver) into the seam that splits the two shell halves and slowly work your around the shell, you can break the seal around the shell. For me, the hardest part of making this ornament is painting the wooden bead used to make the baby's head.

My mother shared a trick of using the end of a paint brush (varying sizes) to get clear round dots. An easier option is to use a tiny wooden figurine ornament for the baby.

Step 1. Add a drop of hot glue to the top of the walnut shell and loop a string and press onto the hot glue. This will form the loop to hang the ornament.


Step 2. Cut your fabric into a square measuring 3 inches long and 1 inches wide. Add a pinch of Poly-Fil l to the center of the fabric and roll up the sides to form a tube.

Step 3. Cover the interior of the walnut shell with hot glue and press the fabric tube into the shell forming a blanket shape.
Step 4. Hot glue the bead to the top of the walnut shell and add a bit more glue to the top of the blanket to attach the bead to the blanket.

Step 5. Add trim or ribbon to the edge of the blanket. This step is totally optional.

Happy Crafting & Merry Christmas!

Linking up with:
It's FUN to craft!

In case you're wondering,
that is a pink feather tree.
I {heart} it sooo much that it's
going to stay up in my craft room
year round!!

PS. Tomorrow will be the final
reveal of Josie's Christmas dollhouse secret.

XOXO
♥