Cookie Cutter Ornaments

     Every year instead of exchanging gifts between my extended family, you know, all those aunts, uncles, and cousins we don't get to see because of the military up and move kind of life we live in.  Awhile back, and I mean a long time back, my mom, her sisters, and brother came up with an idea to exchange homemade ornaments between the families instead of the gift giving.  Our families were expanding and giving gifts was getting costly.  This was a simple way to give a heartfelt gift that can be hung on the Christmas tree every year and admired for years to come.  I remember my sister and I helping my mom with our family ornaments.  When I moved out and got married I knew I wanted to carry on this family tradition.  So since 2005 I have been making our own family ornament that I exchange, when my sister got married she was added into the ornament exchange circle too!  It's so much fun opening the package to discover what crafty, sparkly, jingly, artsy surprise awaits us!        Because we are a military family, I have always themed my ornaments around the place that we currently live.  We lived in Colorado (2004-2008) so I did some snowy, wintery ornaments, in California (2008-2012) I did beachy and wine inspired ornaments, check out my Wine Cork Ornaments.  Now we live in New Mexico, so I for the past two years I have done a Kokopelli ornament and a chili pepper ornament.  For this year's ornament, I stuck with the New Mexican theme, I was inspired by all the cacti here in the desert.  I can't wait for my family to hang them on their trees!  So here ya go.... Here's what you need:

Any kind of metal Cookie Cutters (I found the Cactus Cookie Cutter on Amazon) Ribbon Glue Dots Twine Large Circle Punch Hole puncher Card stock (I used yellow to make it look like the sun behind the cactus)

How to make them:

First, cut off a long piece of ribbon.

Use a glue dot on one of the ends of the ribbon, then stick it into the inside of the cookie cutter.

Start wrapping the ribbon tightly around the cookie cutter by going through the center of cookie cutter.

When the end of the ribbon comes, use another glue dot and glue it in the inside of the wrapped cookie cutter. 

Next, using the large circle punch circles in the card stock.

Use the hold puncher, punch a smaller hole at top of the circle.

I wrote our last name and year on the one side of the circle card stock so my family know who it came from and what year it was made, but it's totally optional.

Cut off a piece of twine then tie the circle on the backside of the wrapped cookie cutter.

There ya go!  Your Cookie Cutter ornament is ready to hang on the tree!

Can't wait to mail these off!

* I was inspired by a similar craft on Pinterest *

Check out my Pinterest Boards for other inspirations,

 A Very Pinteresting Christmas over at The 4-Crow's,

and Lil Mrs Tori's Do Tell Tuesday.